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Changing lives through innovation
It started like any other day. Paul Garrett could never have imagined that by the end of the day, he would be paralyzed from the waist down.
On May 25, 2019, Paul was making coffee before another day’s work as an appliance installer when he noticed a slight tingling in the toes of his right foot. Being fairly fit and in his early sixties, he didn’t think much of it – until the numbness got worse, moving up to the base of his spine and down the other leg. Within 30 minutes of the initial sensation, he lost all feeling and function in his legs.
Paul was rushed to the nearest emergency department. For some reason, he knew his life had changed forever. He assumed he was suffering from a stroke.
“Before the ambulance arrived, it was terrifying and emotional. I had this feeling I would never walk again.”
"... Nothing was working when I got to Parkwood Institute."
It wasn’t a stroke but Paul was right about the life-altering ramifications. After days of testing, he was diagnosed with acute onset transverse myelitis, a rare neuroimmune disorder where inflammation damages the insulating material (myelin) covering the nerves along the spine. Without this protective coating, signals from the brain to the spine and back cannot occur.
Paul came to St. Joseph’s Health Care London’s Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Rehabilitation Program at Parkwood Institute, where his care team partnered with him and wife Brenda to develop a recovery plan.
“They started from scratch with me, nothing was working when I got to Parkwood Institute,” says Paul.
When occupational therapist Charlie Giurleo asked Paul and Brenda what their initial goals for rehabilitation were, they were quick to answer. Paul wanted to get to his son’s wedding, just a month away. The team, and
Paul, got to work, focusing treatments and exercises on learning how to get out of bed, transfer from the wheelchair to the car, and stand independently.
"... We were able to move on and adapt, thanks to the team..."
“I made it to the wedding, and I was even able to stand for a few pictures with my family. It was amazing.”
Then it was time to set longer term goals for his recovery and Paul knew exactly what he wanted, “I wanted to walk out of the building on my own.”
While the physical recovery was a significant hurdle for the Garretts, so was the emotional recovery.
“The SCI Rehabilitation Program team gave us wonderful support and information on how to live with a spinal cord injury,” says Brenda. “There was a lot of grief in the beginning for a life that was profoundly changed and would never be the same again, but we were able to move on and adapt thanks to the team at Parkwood Institute who were so positive and empowering.”
Emboldened by his care team, Paul was able to remain upbeat. Each time he met a new health care provider, he would tell them, ‘You’re on Team Paul now,’ as he held up his hand for a fist bump.”
Getting stronger
With the support of Team Paul, including his wife, a determined Paul worked on his walking one day at a time. “The team said to me, to go quicker is to go slower… to remain focused every day and get a little bit stronger.”
Paul was fortunate to have access to specialized rehabilitation equipment and expertise of members of St. Joseph’s Gray Centre for Mobility and Activity as part of his treatment.
“The equipment and the expertise in The Gray Centre were instrumental in Paul’s recovery.”
The Gray Centre is focused on expanding and advancing mobility and rehabilitation treatment and prevention solutions through research and collaborations between scientists and health care providers using the latest technology and innovations.
“Current patients of St. Joseph’s rehabilitation programs are already benefiting from The Gray Centre,” says physiotherapist Stephanie Cornell. Stephanie was a big part of Team Paul, supporting his rehabilitation plan and treatment.
“The equipment and the expertise in The Gray Centre were instrumental in Paul’s recovery,” says Stephanie. “Utilizing technology such as the body weight support treadmill, we were able to help Paul relearn a walking pattern and get back to being more active in his community.”
All of Paul’s hard work paid off. After his last rehabilitations session he met his goal and walked out of the building on his own. Members of Team Paul lined his pathway out to cheer him on and mark the momentous occasion.
Dr. Robert Teasell
Dr. Robert Teasell, MD, PhD, FRCPC
Acting Chair, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Acting Scientific Lead, The Gray Centre
Dr. Robert Teasell is a physiatrist at Parkwood Institute, a Professor in the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at Western University, is the acting Chair for the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation department and the acting Scientific Lead for The Gray Centre. He is a Clinical Researcher with Lawson Health Research Institute, Parkwood Institute Research and Director of the CORRE Research Group.
Dr. Teasell has authored over 800 publications including over 350 peer-reviewed articles and has been involved with $24 million of research funding. He has won over 50 awards including Lawson Scientist of the Year, and Post-Acute Stroke Excellence Award, both in 2018, American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and National Stroke Association in the United States.
Jayne Garland
Jayne Garland, Msc, Phd
Dean Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University
Jayne Garland is Professor and has been the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Western University since 2016. Prior to this role, Jayne was Professor and Director of the Department of Physical Therapy at UBC from 2009-2015. She was a member of Western’s Faculty of Health Sciences from 1989 to 2009, a tenure that included eight years as the Director of the School of Physical Therapy.
Jeff Weiler
Jeff Weiler, PhD
Coordinator, The Gray Centre for Mobility and Activity
Adjunct Professor, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry
Jeff Weiler is the Coordinator of The Gray Centre for Mobility and Activity and oversees clinical, research and administrative day-to-day operations. Jeff earned a Phd from Western University in the area of motor control and has an extensive track record of publishing research papers and presenting on topics related to the neuroscience of human movement.
Joan Hubert
Joan Hubert
Patient Partner
As a patient partner, Joan Hubert is integral to the success of The Gray Centre. Following a traumatic car accident in 2016, Joan spent more than five months as an inpatient at Parkwood Institute completing her rehabilitation. Since that time Joan has been a patient advisor on various projects and committees and is a current member of the Quality Committee of St. Joseph’s Health Care London’s Board of Directors.
Our first event
Introducing The Gray Centre for Mobility and Activity
This virtual session on Oct. 21 presented a selection of the latest research and treatments in mobility and activity health care.
Watch a recording of the event.
Hear presentations from:
Sue Peters, PhD
Wireless Neuroimaging During Mobility to Predict Recovery Trajectories after Stroke
Stroke survivors say their top rehabilitation priority is to regain the ability to walk. Yet, one out of three stroke survivors do not walk in their community after discharge from rehabilitation. Though a stroke damages the brain, clinicians fail to use brain measures to guide the rehabilitation process. The problem is that there are no proven neuroimaging predictors of mobility recovery. Excitingly, wireless neuroimaging can now allow us to discover more ecologically valid data. Learn more about the possibilities of collecting neuroimaging data using wireless technology during mobility tasks (e.g., overground walking, stairs) at multiple timepoints during a patient’s rehabilitation stay.
Swati Mehta, PhD
Virtual Physical Activity Programming During Pandemic
The current pandemic has reduced access to safe, monitored physical activity (PA) programs for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). Inactivity can contribute to a multitude of secondary complications including worsening physiological and psychosocial health. Learn about the use of telerehabilitation for continuing activity engagement without the risk of virus exposure.
Dr. Manuel Montero-Odasso
Mobility and Cognition. The Collision of 2 Giants
Until recently, cognitive and mobility research in older persons has been performed in silos, creating knowledge gaps and obscuring the shared mechanisms that cause both cognitive and mobility impairments. Considering cognitive and mobility impairments separately is not only inefficient but it does not acknowledge the reality that leads to insidious disability in older people caused by dementia and falls. Learn more about our research in cognition and mobility.
Stephanie Cornell, MPT
Who, What, When? Using Technology in Rehab
Parkwood Institute is home to specialized rehabilitation programs with access to some of the most advanced rehab technologies in Canada. Effective and appropriate use of rehab technology means that our patients receive the best care possible, when they need it. But there needs to be a coordinated plan in place to ensure both competency in technology use and sustainability over the long-term. Learn more about our training, education and evaluation model for utilizing rehabilitation technology in practice.