As many of you are aware, Mike suffered life-changing and catastrophic injuries due to a motorcycle accident on 9/18/15. Mike had many serious injuries; including a Complete Spinal Cord Injury at his T7 vertebrae, which has left him completely paralyzed from the chest down, and a Traumatic Brachial Plexus Nerve Injury in his right shoulder that has left his right arm completely paralyzed as well. Mike was on life support for a full week post-accident and was in the hospital for a month. He was then transferred to an inpatient sub-acute rehabilitation facility to basically heal until he was physically ready to be transferred to an inpatient acute rehabilitation center. That is where the real work begins, as skilled professionals will start teaching Mike how to adapt and live with his injuries to the best of his ability. He was in the sub-acute facility for 7 weeks and was just recently able to be transferred to the inpatient acute rehab center that we were hoping he would get accepted to. Throughout the time at both rehabilitation centers Mike had to be rushed to the hospital multiple times due to complications caused by his injuries & paralysis and has spent several more weeks combined in the hospital as a result.
It’s been a very long and difficult road that Mike has been on and there is still a very long road ahead of him. It seems that for every step forward he makes in his recovery there are setbacks to follow. I cannot even begin to imagine how emotionally straining it is for Mike to cope with the realization of his paralysis combined with the almost constant pain from his brachial plexus nerve injury. I had never even heard of this type of injury until Mike’s accident and it was devastating to read about how the pain is described as putting your arm into a deep fryer or crushing it in a vice. There are only a few hospitals in the country that have a specialized team to treat brachial plexus nerve injuries. After Mike completes his weeks of inpatient acute rehab the next challenge is getting him to one of these hospitals to see if there is anything that can be done to treat or correct his injury. Mike will have to be flown to this hospital via a medical transport flight which is not covered by insurance. Once Mike recovers enough to be brought home he will require several hours a day of in-home skilled care, home accessibility modifications, specialized physical therapy and also a wheelchair accessible vehicle. As you can imagine all of these things are very expensive and we are learning that NONE of them are covered by insurance. This is why Mike needs our help.
Updates (5)
March 15, 2016
It’s been an eventful last few weeks since our last update!
Mike was discharged from the rehabilitation hospital on the morning of 3/4/16 & he started his journey to Mayo Clinic with a quick stop in St. Louis. Mike was very excited but a little nervous too. The trip was sure to be an adventure but also marked the start of a very critical point of his recovery regarding the future use of his right arm.
We made it on the plane and to St. Louis without any problems at all. It went so much better than any of us expected and it wouldn’t of been possible without the help from great friends, family and the amazing staff at Southwest Airlines. Mike only had 3 days in St. Louis before heading up to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN but it was enough for him to see some family and friends. Mike for the first time in 5-1/2 months was able to simply go out to dinner and visit with friends and family which seemed to make him very happy to have a little bit of normalcy back in his life.
Mike arrived in Rochester on Tuesday 3/8/16 and his appointments started the next day on 3/9/16. Mike has be undergoing several tests and doing therapy since then. He still has a couple more tests this week before the doctors can determine what can be done for the brachial plexus nerve injury in his right arm. The doctors are great at Mayo Clinic and we are praying and holding out hope that they will be able to achieve some regained use in Mike’s right arm. Please continue to keep Mike in your thoughts & prayers!
February 25, 2016
It’s been a little over 5 weeks with no setbacks and trips to the hospital!!! Over the past couple weeks Mike has really been noticing some improvement in strength and has been learning a lot of new things. In therapy they have been teaching him how to do more with his left arm. Last week they transferred Mike to the TLC Program which stands for Transitional Living Care. Here they focus on teaching him how to adapt to living outside of inpatient care to the best of his ability.
Also an important date is quickly approaching. On March 4th we are taking Mike to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN to have his brachial plexus nerve injury evaluated. This is something that Mike and us have been working towards for a long time! The Mayo Clinic has one of the top, if not the top brachial plexus nerve teams in the country. We are very hopeful that they will be able to help Mike to regain some use of his right arm. Please continue to keep Mike in your thoughts & prayers over the next few weeks as this opportunity has a small window that is closing soon.
Photo Galleries (2)
Guestbook
February 5, 2016
Mike Jesus Loves You so much and he has a plan for your life
Cheryl WCBC
February 4, 2016
I am also praying for you, Mike. I have been a member of WCBC for about 20 years. Now I live on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state. God bless you & heal you.
Eileen Stone
February 4, 2016
Praying for you everyday Mike.
Ray and Lily Hoermann
December 28, 2015
Mike, all of us in our family are praying for you, your Mom and Dad and Sharron and all your family, too. Don't give up. Keep on fighting till you're recovered. Sharon and all the family
Sharon