Rebecca McMullen

Liberty Hill , TX

South-Central Catastrophic Injury Fund

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Make checks payable to:
Help Hope Live

Note in memo:
In honor of Rebecca McMullen

Mail to:
Help Hope Live
2 Radnor Corporate Center
Suite 100
100 Matsonford Road
Radnor, PA 19087

Donor preference is important to us. Please specify in writing if you wish for your name or donation amount to be kept private.

What we are raising money for:
FES cycling uses co-ordinated electrical stimulation to create a cycling
pattern. This cycling pattern exercises the large muscles of the legs as
running or cycling would do in a person who doesn’t have a spinal cord injury.
Research has shown some positive benefits:
• Increase in bulk of stimulated muscles
• Increase in bone density in some leg bones
• Reduced body fat content
• Improved cardiovascular health (fitness training)
• Reduced risk of diabetes (improved glucose tolerance)
• Reduced spasticity in stimulated muscles
• Maintained flexibility
Exercise and FES cycle facts above – Produced by the Physiotherapy Department
Victorian Spinal Cord Service, Austin Health – January 2009

Wow 2018!!

This girl just keeps us all on our toes!
Rebecca is back in Texas. Still working towards that FES bike. The progress is slow but any and all donations are greatly appreciated. Thank you to everyone that continue to give support.

Stay updated on her journey on Facebook. She keeps a journal at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/394576687330803/

Another year has passed.

2014/1015 was a very busy, eventful year.

Rebecca is back in Pennsylvania living in her home town. In July, she got married in a beautiful outdoor ceremony.

She is strong and keeps the hope alive that one day she will regain use of her legs.

Since moving back to PA, she doesn’t get to use the facilities where the equipment is readily available. Our hopes to get more equipment (especially the FES bike from http://restorative-therapies.com/) at the house continues.

As always any donations, of any size, mean the world to not only Rebecca but her whole family.

-Dawn

Update:

It has been two years from when my sister had her accident. She is continuing to move forward and has taken huge jumps rather than baby stepping.

In August of 2013 she loaded up her car with her son and dog and moved back to Texas to attend Project Walk Austin. She was seeing improvement but unfortunately health reasons slowed her progress. Many UTIs and gall bladder surgery took a toll on her. In June, 2014, Rebecca decided to bring her self back to Pennsylvania to be closer to her family.

We are now trying to raise funds to obtain a FES bike. While using this piece of equipment at Project Walk Austin, she was able to maintain muscle mass in her legs, keep her heart healthy and help with bone density.

If you can, we ask for your generosity once more by making a donation to her Help Hope Live fundraising campaign. Any amount helps!

Thank you!
-Dawn

Stay up to date on Rebecca’s SCI Facebook page: Journey With Me – https://www.facebook.com/groups/394576687330803/

For those of you who are unaware of my sister’s situation, she was in a four wheeler roll over with my littlest boy and another girl on 8/25/12. In the accident she broke her back and sternum. She has been left paralyzed from the belly button down. In a blink of an eye she lost her home (third floor walk up), her job, her wardrobe (which if you know my sister then you know that this may have been the hardest part to deal with :), her son who had to return to Texas for the school year so that my sister could focus on recovering, control of her normal bodily functions that we take for granted, and the most obvious, her mobility.

The emotional aspect of continuous pain and the hassle of dragging you body around is more than I think that I could handle. Months of occupational and physical therapy have taught her how to manage everyday functions like toileting, dressing, showering, and simply getting out of bed without falling. She went through training to drive with hand controls and later drove 1500 miles with her dog and 8 year old son! As far as she has come she has a lot more potential. That is where Project Walk comes in.

Project Walk Austin is designed to maximize client’s potential. It is basically a boot camp physical therapy. Becca started treatment last week and was able to use the gym the week before for free. She is hoping to learn new skills, get her cardio workout that will help with general health, and hopefully encourage her body to heal itself. Exercise is also supposed to help with the pain. The program is very expensive and insurance will not pay for it (surprise surprise).

Many of you have asked how you could help my sister in her journey of recovery. We are asking for donations of ANY amount. I am hoping that friends and family will help offset the cost of her medical treatment by donating a little each pay check. Even $5 will help because it will add up!*

I thank you all ahead of time for taking the time and money out of your own crazy busy lives to help my sister out!

Making donations through this site will allow the money to get applied directly to her bill. I THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH!!!

-Dawn Amber Kinney

*Donations less than $10 can be mailed to Help Hope Live

Family and friends of Rebecca Sneltzer are raising money to pay for uninsured medical expenses associated with catastrophic injury.

Rebecca has chosen to fundraise with Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility to the full extent allowed by law for donors. Donors can be sure that funds donated will be used only to pay or reimburse medically-related expenses. For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.

Thanks for your support!

November 28, 2023

I keep a Facebook group where I update things that has effected my Spinal Cord Injury Journey.

On Facebook : Journey With Me

October 15, 2013

I want to thank everyone that stops in and reads my story and are gracious enough to donate! There are not enough ways to say Thank you!!

September 14, 2013

A year later

Written August 25, 2013: A year later and I honestly don't remember the accident. An ATV that rolled, changed many lives forever. I remember my friend leaning over me with a scared voice telling me not to move. I remember my sister's voice. I remember the awesome Hydetown EMS getting me on the board and talking me through what they were doing. I remember being loaded on the helicopter and looking up at the guy in flight gear and telling him how cute/handsome he was . I remember them pushing me under the propellers and thinking how cool that I got to ride in a helicopter!

A year ago today, I was in ICU. Going in and out of consciousness. Not realizing the condition I was in.

I remember every time I opened my eyes a different family member was standing over me. I remember my mom, my gram and pap, my grandma with her church friend, my aunt. I remember a male nurse being helpful and finding two sterile containers with saline solution so I could take out my contacts because I explained to him that I didn't have many pairs left.

During this time I don't remember being scared, or having thoughts of what was actually going on. I was asked by a nurse a question, I’m not even sure what the question was, but my answer was "Dance with Monkeys".

For the remainder of my stay at Hamot, my goal written on my room whiteboard was to dance with Monkeys.

The next few days are so jumbled. Mom, my close friend, Grandparents, my sister, brother in law and nephews, my son and his other parent came to the hospital.

I remember talk about surgery. I don't remember being completely aware of my condition. I remember being told I broke my back and was going to have surgery.."ok". A broken spleen..."ok"... Bruised lungs..."ok"... I remember discussing with my mom about the recommendation by the doctor to have a filter to protect me from a blood clot ..."ok, let’s do it"....

On the day of the surgery. I remember being rolled on a bed and being scared. This is my first memory of being scared. I remember my mom. I don't remember what she said, or if she said anything. I just remember her being there. It calmed me.

This passage above is what happened on August 25, 2012. I am currently diagnosed as a T7 Paraplegic. When the ATV rolled over me I broke vertebrae T7 and T8. I had surgery on the Monday following the accident where two rods and some pretty big screws were placed to stabilize my spine.

This past year I have come a very long way. For the first 6 months I attended In and Outpatient Physical Therapy. At 6 months past injury I started using KFOs (torso to feet braces) to “walk”. At 7 months past injury I learned how to drive with hand controls. At 8 months past injury I flew by myself from Pennsylvania to Texas and rented a car for a week. At 10 months past injury I took on “babysitting” three 8 year olds and a 7 year old for the summer. (umm.. this was tougher than inpatient rehab!)! At 11 months past injury I packed up my car with my 8 year old son, my Boxer (this is my dog, I told this to someone and he asked me what gym the boxer boxed at..lol) and as much personal items my sister could fit and drove from Pennsylvania to Round Rock Texas to start the next phase of my life. Finally at 12 months past injury I started Project Walk Austin.

I cannot express in words how excited I am to have the opportunity to attend Project Walk Austin. They have the attitude of possibilities that you do not find in the hospital rehab programs. Every session I am using my legs. It is amazing to move my legs. I have learned so much in such a short amount of time and I cannot wait to see what I will accomplish at 13, 14 and 15 months past injury.

September 14, 2013

9-13-13

Project Walk Update

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I finished week two at Project Walk Austin (PWA). It has been amazing so far!

Monday and Fridays I attend the gym for 2 hours without a trainer/Physical Therapist. Although they are always willing to help, all I need to do is ask. Normally these are the days when I use the FES bike, standing frame and upper body strengthening.

The FES bike is powered by electrodes attached to my legs and the pulses engage my muscles to pump the bike pedals.

Standing in a standing frame helps keep my bones strong and good for circulation. Both of these items are on a wish list to have at my home.

On Tuesday and Thursday I work out with a Therapist for 2 hours. I am out of my chair for every activity we do. We use different equipment in the gym to get me to use my muscles to push, squat, straighten and tighten. It is so exciting to watch my legs move on command. I don't have pictures of me working with a trainer during therapy sessions but I will work on getting some.