“I was given a 20% chance of walking again.” – Jacob 

Jacob, a young Marine recruit, was one week away from the 54-hour Crucible, a final test of a soldier’s mental, physical and emotional endurance, when a training injury left him paralyzed.

“After carrying a person around my neck, my shoulder was hurting and I felt like I was going to pass out. As I walked back to my barrack, I couldn’t move my leg. I took a shower and collapsed. I hoped a good night’s sleep would help, but the next morning, I couldn’t use my arms or legs and had lost control of my bladder.”

Stationed in Georgia, Jacob was taken to an area hospital. Doctors were baffled by his paralysis and told him he would probably never use his hands, arms or legs again and to look for a rehabilitation center.

“We decided on DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM) so I could be close to home. It wasn’t until I got there that I was told what happened. The weight of the person on my neck cut off blood flow– all the nerves in my neck and spine area had died. I was given a 20% chance of walking again – and I thought, well, at least there’s a chance.”

Jacob was excited by the gym. During his one month inpatient stay, he did daily physical and occupational therapy and as many extra workouts as possible. He remembers crawling around the track, lap after lap. Within two weeks, he was up using a walker.

“My therapists were always coming up with new exercises. We were all excited by my progress.  After inpatient, I transferred to a VA hospital and eventually released back to RIM for outpatient therapy. I go three times a week – at first occupational and physical therapy (PT), but now my hands are back so I just need PT.”

Jacob credits RIM with the exceptional progress he’s made. He’s walking with leg braces and one crutch. He’ll continue his therapy with a goal of going back to the Marine Corps to work in aviation.

“One year later and RIM has helped me so much. They’re always looking for ways to help the patient get better. My work in aviation isn’t over and RIM is a big reason why.”