News – NeuroHope

NeuroHope’s Speech at Indiana Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Conference

October 13, 2021/in General Blog Posts, Media, News/by Chris Leeuw

NeuroHope Executive Director Chris Leeuw was one of seven speakers at the 2018 Indiana Traumatic Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Conference, held April 18th at the IU Health Neuroscience Center in downtown Indianapolis.

The annual conference is sponsored by the Indiana Department of Health to showcase projects that have been made possible thanks to support from the Indiana Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Fund.

Leeuw’s talk focused on NeuroHope’s expansion and the mission to provide affordable, activity-based therapy to people living with and recovering from neurologic injury. He also discussed NeuroHope’s recent invitation to join the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation NeuroRecovery Network (NRN), and the research that is collected at NRN sites across the U.S.

Full transcription of the presentation:

“Good afternoon! My name is Chris Leeuw, Director of NeuroHope.

We are honored and thankful to share the NeuroHope story with everyone. This presentation will be different than others today, because the support we received from the Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Fund was not STRICTLY to fund research. Data collection is a part of what we do, but the primary purpose of the two-year grant we received has been to help our charity NeuroHope expand its very specific mission: to make long-term therapy and exercise programs available for people recovering from traumatic injury after insurance expires, and to do so in a way that is affordable and accessible for the patients that need it.

NeuroHope openedn in 2015 in a part-time gym with the help of the University of Indianapolis Krannert School of Physical Therapy. We understood first-hand that it takes a long time to recover from most neurologic injuries. And, we understood that since healthcare is dictated by insurance reimbursement, patients are discharged from inpatient rehab too soon. Sometimes, discharge is within a matter of weeks, after which, patients are given a limited amount of outpatient PT/OT visits to continue their recovery, which is simply not enough. It is not enough time. It is not enough access.

I lived through the process as a patient. In 2010 I suffered an incomplete C4 spinal cord injury that initially left me a total quadriplegic, paralyzed from the neck down. I’m standing here today because my injury turned out to be less severe than many. I was very fortunate in my recovery. But, even in my situation it to took two years of daily, aggressive therapy to maximize my recovery. I was at the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana for my inpatient stay, where I had outstanding care. I did not want to leave. I stayed there for 8 weeks, which is much LONGER than most patients, because I was showing slow signs of progress. But, when my time there expired I was still was mostly paralyzed, and I had to leave continue my rehab out of state.

Within the first year of a spinal cord injury (SCI), medical costs can approach 1 million dollars. Healthcare costs continue to rise, and as a result, inpatient days have become more limited. In the 1970’s the average stay following SCI was 98 days. Today, that number has shrunk to just 35 days.

In year two, and every year after, medical costs may reach $100,000 per year. One in four discharged patients are admitted back into the healthcare system because they sit at home and secondary complications that come hand-in-hand with neurologic injury (pressure sores, contracture, bone-density, etc.) kick in. Outpatient therapy allowances are shrinking as well. Insurance companies allow an average of 21.5 visits per year for outpatient physical and occupational therapy. So, we’re faced with a great irony. At a time when rehabilitative advances are happening faster and faster, adequate access to the best resources is more difficult to come by.

At NeuroHope, we have a different, 4-stage vision.

We do everything we can to complete the continuum of care. After a patient is discharged, instead of a two-stage process, we add a third stage. By providing care at affordable, private-pay-rates, the third stage involves a comprehensive approach to extended rehabilitation so patients can maximize their recovery in the critical first two years after injury. Then we add a 4^th stage for chronic injuries that can blend personal training and wellness programs to help patients maintain a healthy quality of life.

This has been our goal. Thanks to support from the ISCBIR Fund, we have been able to increase staff, move to a new gym in the Incrediplex, and increase hours. Most importantly, we have been able to tap into our waitlist and help more people living with paralysis. We are currently seeing about 50 clients, with varying diagnosis, the majority being SCI, TBI.

The expansion has also secured an invitation from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation to join their NeuroRecovery Network (NRN). The NRN is a network of sites that share a similar vision centered around activity-based therapy (ABT). ABT specifically focuses on weaknesses and activating the neuromuscular system below the injury level.

NRN sites collaborate with each other and collect data. Most NRN sites are clinical sites tied to leading rehabilitation hospitals. Other NRN sites, including NeuroHope, are focused more on community fitness and wellness – with an emphasis on making activity-based therapy more widely available in more of a gym setting.

Some of the research collected exclusively at NRN sites involves Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES). This looks like normal Electrical Stimulation (E-stim) or FES, but it is much different. NMES is centered around the success of epidural stimulation research. NMES uses different parameters than typical E-stim. The main differences are higher pulse width and frequency, and longer amplitude. NMES tries to trigger beyond the muscle into the nervous system.

We’re proud to be a part of the NRN, although it is a very small part of what we do.

Our primary focus centers on the basic mission of getting people active, out of their chairs, and promoting as much recovery and wellness as possible to improve long-term quality of life. Over the next two years, NeuroHope staff will be working with researchers from the University of Indianapolis to track patient outcome measures, and patient satisfaction. We have also developed a logic model to help track the overall goals of our program.

This strategic plan is important, because our program must remain sustainable. A substantial part of what we do relies on fundraising to help offset the true cost of the care we provide. It’s critical for us to work with providers and healthcare leaders to help complete this continuum of care. And, it’s our hope we can be back a year from now and share our continued success.

Thank you very much.”

NeuroHope Receives $150,000 State Grant

October 11, 2021/in Annoucements, General Blog Posts, Homepage, News/by Chris Leeuw

We are proud to announce that NeuroHope is the recipent of a new $150,000 grant from the Indiana Department of Health, by way of the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) and the Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Fund!

Back in 2017, an expansion grant from CTSI and the Indiana Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Fund helped NeuroHope lay the foundation for an extended therapy and wellness gym in Indianapolis for patients to continue their recovery and improve their health after insurance expires. Now, we are honored to receive additional funding to help our program continue to grow.

Indianapolis is fortunate to have excellent rehabilitation hospitals for people recovering from catastrophic events. Unfortunately, due to the rising costs of healthcare, the time patients are able to spend in them is often limited to a matter of weeks of insurance covered therapy visits.

NeuroHope was created to fill this void in care. We believe the high cost of therapy should not prevent people from receiving the care they need during their life-changing recovery. Our model revolves around providing affordable rates for therapy and wellness programs. We raise funds through community partners, grants, and our army of supporters to offset the cost so patients have a longer-term continuum of care. We are thankful the state of Indiana continues to have confidence in our program and the hundreds of patients we have served!

This grant will be an important part of our model and we look forward to the coming year!

3rd Annual “Swing Fore Hope” Raises $53,000!

September 29, 2020/in Annoucements, General Blog Posts, News/by Chris Leeuw

What a day! Our 3rd annual “Swing Fore Hope” charity scramble was a smashing success. 132 golfers, 18 sponsors, a silent auction, raffle winners, patient speeches by Mitch Dankert and Chris Nichols, and a day’s worth of free food and drinks for all. Most importantly, we raised a grand total of $53,000 for NeuroHope!

There are many people to thank who made this year’s ONLY fundraiser such a success:

Every golfer that came out to support our patients, the auction item donors, the NeuroHope events committee led by Justin Davis, who planned the outing for months, Indy Biplanes for an exciting tee-off flyover, Ironwood Golf Club for being such great hosts, all of our pizza donors, Jack’s Donuts, Fuzzy’s Vodka, Four Day Ray Brewing, and Havana Cigar Lounge for the presence and product donations all afternoon!

A special thanks goes to our Event Sponsors: Hensley Legal Group, Langdon Shaw Wealth Management, hc1.com, Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine, Rehab Medical, and Delta Faucet

A special thanks also goes out to all of our hole sponsors:

Ameripak, Aero Industries, Axiom HR, Brenda Bowman – FC Tucker, Bright Ideas of Broadripple, Burger King of Kokomo & Muncie, David Bruce – State Farm, Greg George Insurance Agency, Justus Real Estate, Kimball Electronics, KSM Consulting, The Laviolette Group, Lynch, Harrison, & Brumleve, Lannie Thompson – FC Tucker, National Bank of Indianapolis, Patterson Horth General Contractors, Rehabiliation Associates of Indiana, Sparenberg Farms, The Spickelmier Family, Systemmax Corporation, Tim Allen Photo.

Congratulations to all of our contest winners who took home Delta Faucet merhandise (Longest Drive, closet to the pin). And, cheers to the new “Swing Fore Hope” Champions: Austin Bowman, Josh Martin, Craig Costello, and Drew Schroeder!

Don’t forget – you can support NeuroHope year-round by choosing “NeuroHope of Indiana” as your Amazon Smile charity. You can also set up easy, monthly recurring contributions by clicking here. Just $25 per month from 100 people would be an extra $30,000 per year for our patients!!

Thank you all! We’ll see you next year!

NeuroHope at Inaugural Reeve Summit

March 3, 2020/in General Blog Posts, Homepage, News/by Chris Leeuw

When Christopher Reeve became paralyzed 25 years ago, spinal cord injury was launched into the public eye. Paralysis can happen to anyone anywhere. There are 18,000 new injuries in the United States every year. It is a community no one expects to join. When we become a part of it – the fear, suffering, pain, & emotional despair is more than we think possible to bear. But, we also discover strength, the capacity to overcome mental and physical adversity, and an appreciation and outlook on life we never knew was possible. We experience a healthcare system in need of change, a research community in need of a road map for collaboration and funding, and a paralysis community fighting for a voice for advocacy.

The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation has been the primary force behind advocacy for these issues ever since its creation, and it will continue to be the guiding light in the ongoing effort for both cure and care for years to come. The inaugural Reeve Summit brought researchers, physicians, rehabilitation centers, spinal cord injury survivors, and advocates together for three days in Washington D.C. to discuss cure, care, and the future of spinal cord injury research and awareness. Keynote addresses were made by Christopher Reeve’s daughter, and Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors Alexandra Reeve Givens, Chief Scientific Officer Ethan Pearlstein, and Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts.

While still a long way from a cure – the spinal cord injury world is at an exciting time as research and knowledge of both neurorecovery and rehabilitative interventions are advancing. It’s important for scientists and researchers to challenge each other , but also communicate and collaborate for CURE and CARE. In the meantime, the paralysis community – people recovering from and living with paralysis need to be ready, stay healthy, and ENJOY THIS LIFE!

The healthcare system must build an infrastructure for a proper continuum of care to improve lives, and provide adequate access to interventions NOW! That is part of the small role we are proud to play at NeuroHope.

When the injured “join” this community, we realize there are passionate voices that will not give up on advocacy for cure, care, and rehabilitative access. Research, healthcare, quality of life, and disability rights are all connected in this world.

Many thanks to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation for being the force that brings these voices together.

NeuroHope Presents at APTA National Conference

February 21, 2020/in Annoucements, General Blog Posts, News/by Chris Leeuw

The NeuroHope story was presented at the American Physical Therapy Association’s (APTA) Combined Sections Meeting in Denver, Colorado on February 14th!

Preliminary findings of our ongoing research study were shared at the APTA’s annual summit where thousands of physical therapists and researchers from around the globe gather to share the latest developme nts and practices in the physical therapy world.

It was an exciting opportunity to showcase our unique mission and program. NeuroHope was created with a model that defies traditional healthcare. Instead of relying solely on insurance reimbursement and billable hours – we focus on patient access and affordability above everything else. Maximal recovery from catastrophic injuries depend on this standard of care, but adequate access to therapy, exercise, and expensive rehabilitative technology is difficult for healthcare systems to provide. The irony: knowledge, science, and rehabilitative technology is advancing, but patient access is declining.

Most people recovering from life-changing spinal cord and brain injuries stop therapy when insurance coverage is depleted, which may only be a few months following injury. The severity of neurologic injuries, the length of time needed to recover from them, and the lack of long-term quality of life programs in most communities leaves a void in care that NeuroHope was created to address.

Thanks to support from the Indiana Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Fund, NeuroHope has partnered with a research team from the University of Indianapolis to track the long-term outcome measures of patients that have access to NeuroHope’s model of ongoing care. Since January 2018, patients attending NeuroHope have been evaluated extensively to monitor their motor fuction, physical activities and health-related quality of life during participation in our program. Patients with varying degrees of injuries, ages, and length of time since the injury, all participate in a rigorous 2-hour evaluation that consists of tests that measure neurologic function, balance, range of motion, reach, endurance, and walking, in addition to surveys to monitor their satisfaction and quality of life. Tests are repeated every 3 to 6 months to evaluate progress.

Patients are being tracked through the summer of 2020 in order to capture the clearest picture we can, but even now, preliminary results have shown improvements across most outcomes. In the coming months, we look forward to sharing complete results over a three-year period to gauge the effect that continued therapy and aggressive exercise may have for both recent and chronically injured patients recovering from neurologic injury.

Thanks to our supporters and partners, we are making affordable rehabilitation a reality!

NeuroHope Wins $23,000 as Impact 100 Finalist

June 27, 2019/in Annoucements, General Blog Posts, News/by Chris Leeuw

For the second year in a row NeuroHope is proud to be named the “Health & Wellness” finalist by Impact 100 of Greater Indianapolis! This year our team was honored with a $23,000 check from the women’s giving circle which will directly help fund the services we provide for people living paralysis!

Impact 100 is one of the most competitive grants in the state. Each year five finalists in five categories advance past hundreds of other charities to be recognized as the “Change Maker of the Year” with a $100,000 grant. This year, the grand prize was presented to the Kennedy King Memorial Initiative in the “Arts & Culture” category for their effort to create a new National Monument commemorating Robert F. Kennedy’s famous speech in Indianapolis the night Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot.

There are so many worthwhile charities in our community! It is an honor to be named among them by such a prestigious group that makes an impact across central Indiana each year.

Meanwhile – our fundraising continues! It’s fueled by the inspiring stories we have the privilege to witness at NeuroHope every day. If you missed our recent spotlight video that shows Alex Taylor’s progress over the last 18 months, CHECK IT OUT BELOW! He had a goal to WALK all the way to the arcade at the Incrediplex for a surprise!

We have launched a 12-MONTH goal to raise $100,000 in private fundraising (from donors like YOU) to help offset the cost of the affordable care we provide our patients. Out-of-pocket rates for physical therapy at most healthcare clinics cost $300 – $400 per hour. At NeuroHope we charge $50 to work with therapists / trainers, and rely on fundraising, grants, and corporate / community partnerships to bridge the funding gap. It is a TRUE model of care that puts patients and their families FIRST.

YOU CAN HELP NOW – Donate here!

Through the link above you can quickly make a one-time donation OR be a part of our recurring giving circle, which is a cornerstone of our grassroots campaign. At the site above, just enter your monthly contribution and CLICK the recurring button at checkout. If just 200 of our supporters pledge $25 per month ($300 per year) we are already more than halfway to our goal!

You can also be a part of one of our exciting fundraising events later this year!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
-“Swing Fore Hope” Golf Scramble : Monday September 24. We are signing up individual players, foursomes, and are looking for hole & event sponsors!

-Indy Monumental Marathon : Saturday November 9. Join team NeuroHope for the 5K, half-marathon, or full marathon!

VIDEO: Dustin Shillcox Explains Epidural Stimulation that Restores Movement after SCI

December 20, 2018/1 Comment/in General Blog Posts, Homepage, News, Success Story/by Chris Leeuw

In 2013, Dustin Shillcox became 1 of the first 4 people in the world to be a part of groundbreaking epidural stimulation research at the University of Louisville. A set of electrodes was surgically implanted onto his spinal cord below the level of his injury and a small power pack was implanted into his abdomen. When the pack is turned on, an electric current is sent to the electrodes, which stimulates his spinal cord into action.

To help them better understand the circuitry of the spinal cord, researchers hoped the stimulation would translate to activity through the nervous system. Incredibly, for Dustin and the three other spinal cord injured patients in the study, the results went well beyond what researchers imagined. In all four patients, bits of voluntary movement were restored, sending shockwaves (no pun intended) through the spinal cord injury community.

Building on the developments over the last several years, epidural stimulation research has expanded and major milestones have been met. The most recent study published earlier this year in Nature and Nature Neuroscience announced unassisted steps took place following the procedure for the first time. These findings have dominated the conversations of people living with spinal cord injuries who yearn for the ability to walk again with stimulators of their own.

Epidural stimulation is still in its infancy, and in any event, its benefits are about much more than walking. It’s also about addressing the secondary complications of spinal cord injury, such as blood pressure issues and skin breakdown, and about staying healthy after injury. And, it involves months of preparation, rehabilitation, and a lifetime of maintenance.

Dustin visited NeuroHope recently to talk about the research, what it means to have the stimulator (which he uses every day), and what it is like to be one of a select few people in the world to have the device embedded into his nervous system. Watch the video below:

I met Dustin in 2011, shortly after his spinal cord injury, and two years before he was selected to be one of the fortunate four in the 2013 study. We were both injured in 2010, and we rehabbed together at Neuroworx in Utah for the better part of 2011 and 2012.

As he mentions in the video above, Dustin and the three participants in the original study had to meet specific criteria to be eligible. Once selected, they were required to participate in 80 Locomotor Training sessions (stepping over a body-weight-support treadmill) before the procedure. Eighty sessions! Just to prepare.

After the devices were implanted, therapy ramped up. For more than a year, daily sessions lasting for hours were underway. Different areas of their legs and core were alternately stimulated. Voltage and intensity changed. Controlled movement and standing was practiced. A myriad of tests and exercises were repeated over and over again. In time, with the stimulation turned on, movement and endurance improved.

But, in spite of what it may sound like, the study and the results were never about a “cure”. It was, and continues to be, experimental research exploring how the nervous system works. It won’t be anytime soon, but maybe someday implanting electrodes into the spinal cord will be a part of the rehabilitation process. That sounds promising – but there’s a glaring problem.

Remember that Dustin had to participate in 80 intense therapy sessions before the procedure, and continued daily visits after the procedure for more than a year. To put it in perspective, most SCI patients receive a grand total of 30 outpatient physical therapy visits per year – if they’re lucky enough to have a good insurance plan.

Even if epidural stimulation, stem cell research, or any other neurologic breakthrough advances to a point it becomes commonplace, a change in the policy of outpatient therapy needs to take effect.

If a magic wand made a cure available tomorrow, long-term rehabilitation programs will need to be available for there to be a benefit.

Right now those programs do not exist in most communities. Hopefully, a paradigm shift is beginning. There are a handful of facilities around the country that understand the need for long-term rehabilitation and wellness for individuals with neurologic injury. NeuroHope has created one in Indiana. Not only so programs are in place for discoveries in the future, but so programs are in place for those who need it now.

Learn more about epidural stimulation, and other SCI research here.

Vote NeuroHope for Indianapolis Colts Cheerleader’s $10,000 Community Challenge!

December 3, 2018/in Annoucements, General Blog Posts, News/by Chris Leeuw

The Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders have launched a “Community Impact Challenge” and NeuroHope needs YOUR VOTE to win a $10,000 grant!

Each member of the Colts cheer squad has picked a charity and a program to support. NeuroHope is honored to have been selected by Vanessa Wahl, a Greenwood native in her second year with team, who shares our passion to provide affordable rehab for people living with and recovering from paralysis.

Vanessa’s campaign will help NeuroHope fund a re-vamped wellness program and will be a MAJOR boost to our services! $10,000 comes down to your VOTES! Just a moment of your time can help change lives at NeuroHope.

Click here to vote! Scroll to the very bottom of the page and select “Vanessa – NeuroHope”, and spread the word!

Vote EARLY AND OFTEN! Polls close on December 16, 2018. The winning project will be announced at the Indianapolis Colts vs New York Giants game on December 23!

Epidural Stimulation Study Allows Three More Paralyzed People to Take Steps

November 2, 2018/in Annoucements, General Blog Posts, News/by Chris Leeuw

In September, a breakthough in epidural stimulation research made global headlines. The New England Journal of Medicine published work from The Spinal Cord Injury Research Center at the University of Louisville, which announced that four paralyzed people regained the ability to walk after being implanted with a stimulation device and undergoing months of physical training.

Read the article here.

Now, a new study published in Nature and Nature Neuroscience has revealed similar results in three more spinal cord injured subjects.

Epidural stimulation involves surgery that implants a set of electrodes directly on to a person’s injured spinal cord. A power pack is also implanted underneath the person’s skin. When the device is turned on, the spinal cord is stimulated and messages are sent to the body that bypass the injury. (Above photo credit: The Guardian)

Dr. Susan Harkema, Director of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation NeuroRecovery Network (NRN), was first behind epidural stimulation 8 years ago that restored function in multiple people with motor complete spinal cord injury. Over the last several years her research has expanded and major milestones have been met. First, epidural stimulation provided the ability to stand. Then, bits of voluntary and task-specific movement were discovered. Finally, unassisted STEPS took place.

All of these successes were performed in labs, and were combined with an incredible amount of time and repetition, but the results are fascinating, and the knowledge is still in its infancy.

NeuroHope joined the Reeve Foundation NRN earlier this year. As a result, we are now one of a select number of sites in the world that is using what has been discovered about the unique electrical parameters in the implants, and investigating if it can be translated to Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) over the skin. NMES is similar to Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES), but uses pre-programmed, task specific activities set at exclusive FDA-approved parameters that are aimed at targeting both the muscle and the circuitry of the spinal cord itself.

It is not yet known if NMES has the ability to promote neurorecovery, but we are proud to begin data collection for the NRN and thankful for the opportunity to offer it in a plan of care for our clients.

Chris Leeuw Awarded “Rosenbaum Friend of Physical Therapy” from INAPTA

October 2, 2018/in Annoucements, General Blog Posts, News/by Chris Leeuw

NeuroHope Founder and Executive Director Chris Leeuw was presented with the 2018 “William T. Rosenbaum Friend of Physical Therapy” award by the Indiana chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) at Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY on September 22.

From the INAPTA: “The award is presented to honor and recognize the accomplishments of those persons outside our profession who, through their dedicated assistance and support, have promoted our ideals and improved our profession.”

Leeuw was nominated and presented with the award by Donna Peterson, who was recognized as the Schneider PTA of the Year in 2017. Peterson was Leeuw’s primary therapist during his two month inpatient rehabilitation following his 2010 spinal cord injury. Five years later, she joined NeuroHope when Leeuw and physical therapist Nora Foster first launched the clinic to provide long-term, affordable therapy for neurologic injuries.

Peterson’s remarks:

“Chris Leeuw’s life changed in an instant when a little over 8 years ago, a perfect late summer day and adventure left him paralyzed from the neck down as a result of a C4-C5 SCI. I had the fortunate pleasure of meeting Chris during the early days of this journey as one of his first physical therapists in acute rehabilitation. I knew then that Chris, along with his family, had a special drive that the injury and the status quo of the health care system would not contain.

Fortunately for Chris, he demonstrated early signs that his injury was incomplete and his potential for recovery was great. What he was lacking was time, as insurance was pushing for discharge from acute rehab and the intensive therapy that his injury indicated. Chris and his family, not taking “no” or “that’s how the system works”, as an answer fought for an alternative and found a program in Utah that offered affordable, long term rehabilitation options. Chris thrived in this environment and was able to make huge strides in his recovery. Upon his return to Indiana, Chris vowed to make a difference and began his quest to develop and provide a similar option in Indiana and change the paradigm of rehabilitation and wellness for individuals affected by and living with paralysis in Indiana.

That’s how NeruoHope was born. In the months and years that followed, Chris worked tirelessly to fund and open NeuroHope in February 2015, a non-profit outpatient clinic with a mission to provide affordable, activity-based therapy to people living with and recovering from neurologic injury.

In the last few years, not only has Chris opened NeuroHope, but he has been instrumental in changing legislation that allows funding for long term rehabilitation and wellness, promoted awareness of the needs of those with neurological injuries, been a mentor, inspiration and friend to patients and supporters of Neurohope, facilitated the strategic affiliation with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation NeuroRecovery Network as a one of only 7 Community Fitness and Wellness Centers in the U.S., and lead multiple fundraising efforts which have allowed Neurohope to expand to offset the costs in providing services to countless individuals. On top of that, his most outstanding achievement was hiring me.

In all seriousness, I have been honored to have the unique opportunity to watch Chris battle his personal physical challenges with SCI, but take an idea and turn it into reality that benefits countless individuals. I knew early on, that Chris would always look for a new road, a new way, and never stop striving to be the best version of himself. Chris, through his relentless pursuit of his vision, has provided others with the opportunity to become the best version of themselves and allow them every possible chance for maximum recovery and the best quality of life possible.

I am honored to present Chris Leeuw, my former patient, current boss and long-time friend with the 2018 Bill Rosenbaum Friend of PT Award.”