NeuroHope – NeuroHope

Client Spotlight: Gabe Magee

February 7, 2024/in Success Story

Against all odds, Gabe Magee survived a horrific car accident on November 17, 2022. While driving his truck, Gabe hit a patch of black ice, causing his truck to roll several times, throwing him to the back floorboard of his truck. Thankfully, his friend was on the scene and was able to contact 9-1-1 and keep him calm until paramedics arrived. Miraculously, Gabe was conscious when the emergency crew pulled him from the twisted metal and shattered glass. They transported Gabe to Methodist Hospital, where it was discovered that he sustained a spinal cord injury. Gabe had surgery on his neck and the surgeon removed a herniated disc from Gabe’s spine and installed a spacer, plate, and screws.

Gabe was no stranger to the nuances of neurologic conditions and disorders. Gabe was born with a Spinal Stenosis (narrowing of his vertebrae) in his neck around his C3/C4 vertebrae which happened to be where he sustained the injury from his car accident.

After a week at Methodist Hospital, Gabe began his recovery journey at Community North Rehab and was there for six weeks. His therapist at Community North Rehab highly recommended that Gabe plan to continue his therapy at NeuroHope after being released to go home. After a short waitlist, Gabe continued his rehab at NeuroHope and has been progressing wonderfully in his recovery since.

Gabe’s experience with the team at NeuroHope has been very positive. He is grateful for the support he receives and he’s thankful for the assistance NeuroHope has provided with his rehab, even after his insurance coverage ran out. Gabe loves the welcoming and encouraging environment at NeuroHope.

Client Spotlight: Greg Schmoll

February 7, 2024/in Success Story

On July 7, 2023, in a surreal sequence of unfortunate events, Greg Schmoll, dropped his phone and he believes that in the process of reaching around to pick up his phone, he had a bout of AFib. This resulted in Greg losing consciousness, falling forward, hitting his head, and breaking the C2 and C3 vertebra in his neck. Greg was completely paralyzed from his shoulders down. He could move his shoulders and head but had no feeling from his armpits down. He went to the IU Critical Care Spine Unit and had surgery to fuse vertebras C-2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 in his spine. A few days later, Greg slowly regained some feeling back in his body post-surgery. After a week on the spinal unit, Greg was transferred to RHI (Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana) for rehabilitation.

Greg’s daughter began searching for a new rehab center for the next phase of Greg’s recovery journey. They learned more about NeuroHope through their search and determined that it was the right place for Greg. Greg began physical therapy at NeuroHope and he has been very happy with his therapy team. Greg has gained knowledge from his team and made physical improvements since beginning his rehab at NeuroHope. Greg’s goal is ultimately to get back to where he was before he was injured, but he is realistic about his journey and realizes that progress and recovery takes time. He is grateful for the improvement in his mobility, and he is committed to continue making progress every day.

Greg describes the environment at NeuroHope as a “club” and he feels it is both mentally and physically uplifting. Greg believes that NeuroHope is probably the best facility in Indianapolis.

Client Spotlight: Patrick Sanders

February 7, 2024/in Success Story

A summer bike ride with his wife quickly turned into a tragic accident last June, when Patrick Sanders’s wheel detached from his bicycle. Patrick lost control of his bicycle, crashing face-first into the ground. Patrick was Life Lined to St. Vincent hospital and underwent surgery for his spinal cord injury. He was at St. Vincent for approximately five weeks, then transferred to RHI (Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana) for rehabilitation for additional five weeks before being released to go home. Patrick started outpatient therapy at RHI and then started NeuroHope for occupational therapy in August/September 2023.

Patrick’s goal is to be as functional as he can be with the spinal cord injury he sustained. Ultimately, Patrick would like to get everything he had before back. He realizes this may not be realistic, but that is what he is shooting for. He is working on regaining his independence.

Patrick advises that anybody starting this “odyssey” needs to be prepared and you must be mentally strong. He describes this as both a mentally and physically challenging injury and recovery process. He explains that everything changes day to day, and you can’t get down, you must constantly be positive about your outcome. Patrick tries to look to where he wants to be and every step he takes, he knows he is going to get there. He realizes it is difficult to stay positive every day, but that is the attitude he believes you must possess.

Client Spotlight: Laura Burdick

January 23, 2024/in General Blog Posts, Success Story

In the height of the Covid pandemic, yoga instructor and The Hot Room manager Laura Burdick, was traveling to Chicago to open a new yoga studio. She was thrilled to open a new Hot Room location and get people back into yoga studios, after months of quarantine. Laura’s journey to Chicago quickly turned her life upside down when her car was struck by a drunk driver. Laura sustained a spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury from this tragic accident.

After two months of healing in the ICU, Laura began her recovery at Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in Chicago. As in many recovery stories, Laura’s journey did not stop there. After a couple of months of recovery at Shirley Ryan, she left to continue her recovery in Omaha, Nebraska at QLI to participate in their in-patient brain injury rehabilitation program. She spent nine months at QLI before moving back to Indianapolis.

When Laura returned to Indianapolis, she was motivated and encouraged to relentlessly push to achieve new goals. She engaged in rehab at RHI briefly before transitioning to NeuroHope. At NeuroHope, Laura has been working with Neuro Exercise Specialist Steven Boswer for approximately a year and a half. She has been working with Steven on her tricep strength, core strength, mobility, and stability. Laura appreciates Steven’s creativity and commitment to helping her achieve her goals. Laura recently had a nerve transfer surgery on her left arm to gain more mobility and she is excited to begin OT with NeuroHope’s Occupational Therapy team soon!

Laura has become an important part of NeuroHope’s peer mentor team, and she offers health coaching services to the NeuroHope community! Laura’s advice to everyone is to take really good care of yourself, some challenge will always pop up in your life and you will wish you had been taking care of yourself. Take care of yourself because you deserve it!

NeuroHope Receives $75,000 State Grant

October 26, 2023/in General Blog Posts, Homepage

We are thrilled to announce a two-year grant from the Indiana Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Fund that will track the health and hospital re-admittance rates of NeuroHope patients.

People living with paralysis must overcome much more than the ability to move. Pressure sores, urinary tract infections, muscle contractures, and other complications from inactivity send 30% of patients to the hospital at least once per year, and cost the healthcare system thousands of dollars every time.

On November 1, we begin work with the University of Indianapolis to monitor how often NeuroHope patients are afflicted with or hospitalized with these conditions, compared to the national average of people with neurologic injury.

Providing an atmosphere of access for the programs patients need to stay healthy remains a core principle of what we do. This grant will help tell the story of the lives we change, and will strengthen our mission to revamp the standard of care in Indiana and beyond!

6th Annual Swing “Fore” Hope Raises $63,000!!

September 27, 2023/in General Blog Posts, Homepage

It was an amazing 6th annual Swing “Fore” Hope presented by Valeo Financial! THANK YOU to our sell-out crowd of participants, sponsors, and volunteers that made year six a success at Ironwood Golf Club: $63,000 was raised for our programs!

Check out pictures from the event HERE!

THANK YOU to our event sponsors and special guests: Grand Marshal James Ahlers, Indy 500 Champ Alexander Rossi, Valeo Financial, Hensley Legal Group, Langdon Shaw Associates, Inc., Rehab Medical!

THANK YOU to our hole sponsors: Conquer Paralysis Now, Delta Faucet Company, Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine, Kona Jacks / Daddy Jacks, Bardstown Bourbon, Hanger Clinic, Prevail Prosthetics & Orthotics, Burger King of Kokomo, Muncie & Southport, VanLehman CPA & Advisory Firm, Helgeson Steel, National Seating & Mobility, Sunrise Medical, Valparaiso University, McGowan Insurance Group and Auto-Owners Insurance, BraunAbility, The George Insurance Agency, Sparenberg Farms, Compass Construction Group, Byram Healthcare, DIH, HC1, Lannie Thompson of F.C. Tucker Company, Tim and Chris Lawson, and Elliot and Dorothy Cohee.

THANK YOU to our in-kind sponsors: LuLu’s Coffee & Bakehouse, Four Day Ray Brewing, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Vanilla Bean Bakery, Sweet Things Chocolates, The English Garden Florist, Pottery by You, Back Nine Golf & Entertainment, Puccini’s Smiling Teeth Pizza & Pasta, Domestic Violence Network, Jet’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, Donatos, and Bright Ideas.

THANK YOU to our AMAZING volunteers who helped this year’s event operate smooth and efficiently!

Thank you all! See you next year!

Caregiver Spotlight: The Green’s Story

July 17, 2023/in Success Story

Michele Green is the wife of NeuroHope client Steve Green. In this video, she shares her unique perspective as a family member and caregiver of someone who has suffered from a stroke that resulted in paralysis.

Caregivers and support systems play a crucial role in recovery. Michele discusses how the NeuroHope team has supported and given her family hope during her husband’s recovery and rehabilitation. Listen to Michele’s insightful words here…

NeuroHope at Inaugural Reeve Summit

March 3, 2020/in General Blog Posts, Homepage, News

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.

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

October 2, 2018/in Annoucements, General Blog Posts, News

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.”

Client Spotlight: Ryan Bardellini

September 12, 2018/in General Blog Posts, News, Success Story

Less than one year ago, Ryan Bardellini was enjoying his senior year at the International School of Indiana. A standout fencer and student, Ryan’s future plans involved looking at colleges and planning his future. Ryan’s life changed in November of 2017. He was involved in a serious accident and sustained a traumatic brain injury. Ryan was in the hospital for three months, and at an inpatient rehabilitation facility for a few weeks. After his insurance coverage ran out, however, Ryan was discharged, and his recovery slowed.

“He went from having intensive therapy five days a week to being limited to 2 or 3 weekly visits,” says Ryan’s mother Kimberly. “He wasn’t ready to be discharged [from daily therapy], he needed much more.”

Through their own research for resources available to people with brain or spinal cord injuries, the Bardellini’s found NeuroHope to supplement the outpatient visits he was receiving at the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana (RHI).

Ryan began coming to NeuroHope on days he did not have sessions at RHI so he could receive the most therapy and exercise he could during the critical first year after his injury. In March of 2018, Ryan was still significantly paralyzed on his right side and was just re-learning to take small steps with a walker. NeuroHope’s therapists and trainers have paid particular attention to his weaknesses and fragile gait pattern over the last 6 months, and have pushed him through vibration plate balancing, electrical stimulation, treadmill training, and core exercises.

By May of 2018, Ryan had gained significant return on his right side and had become strong enough to walk on his own across the stage at his high school graduation. Ryan’s journey, attitude, and hard work have been nothing short of inspiring. He has come far in his life-changing journey, but he is not finished yet. Today, he continues to work with NeuroHope’s trainers, who push him to continue to improve his balance, coordination, and overall strength. And college plans are right around the corner! He’s been accepted to Purdue University and is taking his first class this semester with an eye on returning as a full-time student soon.

As an accomplished fencer – his next goal is get back back on the strip!

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