Beth C

Beth was severely injured as a passenger in a car accident in her mid -20s. Among a long list of other severe injuries, her spinal cord injury combined with her brain injury turned what seemed to be unfathomable into her new reality: Beth became paralyzed.

There was all the things “they” say. “She’ll never breathe on her own, eat, talk, move or feel anything below her neck, and even then she will not be able to turn her head.” Even though none of this turned out to be true (she talks nonstop, eats pretty much everything in site, has sensation everywhere, nerves and muscles firing throughout much of her body, most shockingly her legs!) But all of this doesn’t change the fact that she has very Little in the way of independence, due to her lack of hand and triceps functions, and the enormous amount of spasticity (Spasticity is a condition in which certain muscles are continuously contracted. This contraction causes stiffness or tightness of the muscles and can interfere with normal movement) mainly in her upper extremities.

Beth is upbeat, silly, positive, funny, and doesn’t get down very often about her circumstances because she is too interested in life! People, travel, music, food, books, politics, poetry & writing in general, spending time with her nieces & nephews, and planning for a better future are a few things that keep her mind off of the things she can’t do. She wrote an intimate, humorous, informative, no-bars-held blog, where several articles were shared among multiple websites and online magazines until the website she used was shut down. She is a gifted writer and has been published in several literary journals and magazines. For a time, she was writing voraciously until her life became too unmanageable to continue doing so. She entered a contest for a chance to have a personal photo shoot in her area, and was signed to two different modeling agencies: one Writing and modeling are two loves of hers that she plans on pursuing again, as well as a vlog on an upcoming YouTube channel.

However great her outlook on life, the time for serious change that has been needed for years now, is starting to cause great distress and fear for her future, as we do not know who will be able to continue to care for her the rest of her life. If she doesn’t have the surgeries and, most importantly, the THERAPY after, it’s very likely Beth could end up with no choice but to live in a nursing home in a few years.

Quadriplegics suffer from impairment of the arms and hands in varying degrees, with the hands being the most difficult aspect for most. She is dependent on others. As you can imagine, this total lack of independence is time-consuming, frustrating, depressing and expensive. Hiring an assistant outside of a company, which has become a necessity, costs between $20-$50 per hour.

The Good News and How YOU Can Help:

Her mother read an article speaking about nerve & tendon transfers for the arms and hands to restore function and independence. Beth and her family decided that the best choice for her particular situation is with a doctor and his team at The Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

The surgeon says her possibilities for recovery of function are, “ always unknown but at the same time, limitless. She is a perfect candidate.” He believes the surgeries could allow the hands to function at a level which could help her enough to where she might not need an aide/assistant for such invasive and everyday activities or less of a need for one. This procedure will no longer be covered by insurance, and that is a shock to the system as she once had the funds to do that. Having the surgeries is NOT an instant “fix.” Without therapy, which is not covered by ANY type of insurance, Medicaid or Medicare means that the cost for rehab and OT, not to mention the cost of living in Atlanta while all of this is going on, are astronomical, as I hope you can imagine.

Therapy is $125-$225 per hour, the cost of an apartment in the Atlanta area have gone up significantly since she first planned for the trip, and she will be forced to spend literally all of her government income paying for rent. or more per month, not including essentials such as food and utilities.

Please help this sweet girl. She has been through so much and is deserving of an opportunity for more recovery. And for those of you who have known for a long time, please don’t forget about her; remember that it wasn’t a one-time event that happened and she “got over it.” It is actually more important and crucial than any other time.

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