“Doctors gave me only a 5% chance of ever walking again.”- Heather 

Dealing with kidney cancer, Heather was having muscle spasms in her upper abdomen and back which caused a pinched spinal nerve causing her to fall. She went to the emergency room. 

“Doctors found a tumor on my spine. It was crushing my spinal cord, and I had broken vertebrae. I couldn’t walk. I had to have surgery to remove it, doctors gave me only a 5% chance of ever walking again.”

Heather says it was devastating – she went from being able to do everything to nothing. She had to rely on people for the smallest things like using the bathroom or even shifting to a different position in bed. 

After her surgery, she was transferred to DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, which everyone told her was her best chance at getting back whatever mobility she could.

“My therapists really understood the severity of my condition. They said let’s work as hard as we can to get you as independent as possible. I was ready.”

During her one-month inpatient hospitalization, Heather said everyone was so nice and helpful.  Her therapists even encouraged her to continue with plans to go on a family cruise, working with Delta Airlines to make traveling in a wheelchair smooth. When she left inpatient, she was in a wheelchair. Heather continued with outpatient therapy at RIM in Detroit.

“The day I stood up with a walker and took a few steps, everyone was crying. It was pretty amazing because the odds of me walking again were not good, and here I am now, nine months later, not even using a cane!”

Heather says it’s a miracle. She continues with outpatient therapy and says everyone is really surprised at her progress. She credits her faith, positive attitude and the incredible support of her therapists and family.