SOME AMAZING NEWS!! I NEED YOUR PRAYERS!

Tonight's post is going to be one of the best yet! The Lord has blessed my recovery and has opened numerous doors for me. Yesterday, another door opened for me which has been what I have been waiting/praying for since my accident.

As most of you know I signed up for the BEYOND THERAPY program at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia. This is a very intense physical therapy which focuses on neurological return in your body. Their FOCUS is to help people walk again!! I signed up months ago and I am currently 60th on the waiting list. I was expected to enter the program in about 6-8 months.

I received an email two days ago (which I almost erased because it was in my SPAM folder). I saw the address was from Shepherd so I opened it up. I received some of the greatest news!! The Shepherd Center has received a grant to start a research project called ACTIVE CLINICAL TRAIL. The study is similar to BEYOND THERAPY. However, due to the grant and the extent of the research Shepherd is having to hire more physical therapists. This is a 24 week (6 month) research study on activity based exercises to increase neurological recovery in spinal cord victims. The criteria to be excepted into the program is that you must be an INCOMPLETE injury, at least one year out from your injury, and either an ASIA C or D. You can also not have any other medical problems. I was so excited that I immediately wrote an email to the Doctor running the study expressing my desire to be apart of this study.

This morning I received a call from the doctor. He filled me in on what the study consisted of and explained how it worked. The study was the same as BEYOND THERAPY only it was research. However, since it is research my progress will be documented to prove how activity based exercise works in spinal cord injuries. THIS WAS THE CLINICAL TRIAL FOR ME! Not only would I be going through the same physical regiment as Beyond Therapy, but I would be getting it for 6 months!! The doctor said that from what I told him in my email and on the phone I would make a great candidate for the study. He would put a note down for the people recruiting for the study to highly consider me. If I get excepted I will be moving to Atlanta for 6 months to undergo intense therapy which will FOCUS on helping me walk again!!

Doctor McDonald (personal doctor to Christopher Reeves and one of the leading doctors on spinal cord injuries) has said that from his studies the most return he has seen in SCI (SPINAL CORD INJURY) victims has come from activity based therapy. Athletes who continue to work hard and exercise get the most return. This is the bases of which I will be working for when/if I am able to get into the research study at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta.

Being a part of this study is going to put a HUGE strain on my family. I will have to be moving away for 6 months. I will have to get an apartment, and take care of a million other smaller details in order to get closer to my goal of WALKING AGAIN!!

I ask everyone to PLEASE PLEASE PRAY for me to get into this program! I am not guaranteed to get in but from the outlook I have a good chance. I need the prayers of everyone that the doctors will accept me into the program so that I can get closer to my ultimate goal! I WANT SO BADLY TO WALK AGAIN! God has blessed me so much and my recovery is all because of him! He has seen me so far and has allowed me to overcome the impossible. Every gain I make is due solely to glorify God and to show the world his awesome power!
PLEASE PRAY FOR ME!!
I LOVE YOU ALL!
SO MUCH IN HIM,
BRENT