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View Full Version : Cody Wills recovery



Wills77
07-31-2011, 09:33 PM
hey everyone, most of you know my story. those of you that dont, 5 months ago i wrecked and ended up with a burst fracture to my c6 vertebre in my neck which left me paralyzed from about 2in above my nipples down and loss of function in my hands.

heres a timeline
june 10th- for the first time in 4 months i moved the toes on my right foot. not much but i made them move and they fatigued really quick.
june 12th- i moved the last 3 toes on my left foot, mainly the smallest one though and not as much as my other foot.
june 23rd- i had an operation to restore my voice. my left vocal cord was paralyzed making it very hard to talk and my voice was raspy and quiet so they injected it to make it swell up and touch my right one when i talk.
july 5th- morning i was sitting on the couch and my dog crash jumped on my lap and i felt his hair touching me so after trying different things realized i gained a patch of sensation on the left side of my stomach
july 5th- this was also my and kaylas 3 year anniversary and we got engaged : )
july 10th- while in therapy laying on my side with my leg on a board with wheels ontop of a smooth table so there is minimal friction my therapist said there was possible hamstring movement in my right leg.
july 24th- just sitting in my chair staring at my legs trying to move everything possible like usual but this time i noticed my left hamstring moving a little bit
july 31st- while pushing my chair i could suddenly feel my shirt touching the right side of my stomach just like i could on the left


now- whatever i can move, i work out. throughout the day i am constantly trying to move my toes. for my hamstrings i slide to the front of my wheelchair and have kayla pull my feet out so they are on the ground and when i try my hardest i can pull my wheelchair forward 3-4 inches. she has to put her feet on mine while doing this because the movement isnt very controlled yet and my right foot tries to lift up. With the money i got from members of this site donateing i bought a motarized pedal machine. everyday i strap my feet into it and it makes them do the motion of pedaling a bicycle. although it is doing the work for me, my legs get tighter when i try to pedal and the repetative motion is supposed to be very good for recovery. and ive been spending alot of time in the pool swimming laps and love being able to move around so much without being in my chair haha. my hands are also getting alot stronger although i cant straighten all of my fingers yet i now have up to 7lbs of grip in my right hand and up to 35 in my left hand.
right now i go for physical therapy 3 days a week and occupational therapy 2 days a week but i have my application in to go to kennedy krieger international center for spinal cord injury in baltimore maryland so hopefully my insurance will cover for me to go there so i can receive alot better therapy with more sci related activities

i want to thank everyone for all of their prayers and support that have gotten me this far

CJM
07-31-2011, 09:44 PM
Very happy to hear your doing better! In time hopefully everything heals!

Tommy Warren
07-31-2011, 10:12 PM
good for you man! :macho keep the success stories comming.

Thumpin440ex
07-31-2011, 10:33 PM
Damn man sad story, but great to hear your making a recovery, even if it is a long one.. Keep the head high man, you will be aight.. :D Thoughts out to you..


John

quad2xtreme
08-01-2011, 06:40 AM
Glad to hear things are looking up and the future sounds promising Cody.

bens250ex
08-01-2011, 12:01 PM
good to hear you are doing better! keep up the hard work!! congrats on the engagement

HondaPohl
08-01-2011, 03:15 PM
Good hustle on the recov. Don't give up!

dehner47
08-01-2011, 04:07 PM
keep working hard and never give up. your a true insperation Wills.

Stiles86
08-01-2011, 04:07 PM
stay strong man..... never give up

ATV Chic
08-01-2011, 07:08 PM
Congrats to you guys!! So excited for you that you are making progress!! I know you will continue to make progress and gains man keep up the hard work!!! Hope you will be able to go to that center for some different therapy that will help you even more buddy! Take care and again, congratulations!!!

chucked
08-01-2011, 07:15 PM
Good new, I was just wondering about you the other day, if you were making any progress, Looks like you're doing great. I think you have an awesome fiance.

honda400ex2003
08-01-2011, 09:19 PM
congrats on the engagement and im glad to hear you are doing better and progressing well! keep up the good work!
steve

TheLane
08-02-2011, 08:22 AM
Heck yeah man! thats awesome! we all knew you would make a full recovery and your on your way for sure!

fastredrider44
08-02-2011, 08:37 AM
Originally posted by chucked
Good new, I was just wondering about you the other day, if you were making any progress, Looks like you're doing great. I think you have an awesome fiance.

x2

slightlybent47
08-02-2011, 11:57 AM
Hey there Cody! So glad to here you are doing better and are on the road to a great recovery. This must be one of the hardest and frustrating things you have ever done. Only you and the one’s closest to you know what you are going through. I had heard about you a while back and would have been glad to help out but the wolf is at my door and we are in poor man mode over here so there was no extra to send your way. In fact I haven’t ridden in months because of it.

I’m just guessing here but it would seem that anything you can do to keep you moving would be good therapy for you. Hobbies like putting together jigsaw pussels or playing a key board or guitar, putting models together, hell I’d even learn to nit if it would help me.

I have met you a few times at the track but I don’t know you well but you seemed very down to earth and I wish you the best.
And a great big thanks to those closest to you for supporting you during this difficult time in your life. They are truly great people and I know you are grateful for having them.

Keep up all the hard work and please let us know how you are doing.

Wills77
08-02-2011, 03:41 PM
Thanks everybody
reading all of your comments reminds me of how well im doing now compared to my last update. to me everything feels like its comming back slow because i forget that it hasnt even been 6 months yet and your supposed to get the most recovery in the first 2 years.
slightlybent its funny you said about jigsaw puzzles. right now my computer is sitting ontop of a 1500 piece ocean scene puzzle that me and kayla did together and we have a 1000 piece beach scene puzzle halfway done haha. i also have a plastic grip thing that works off of the tension of rubber bands that i use while im on the pedal machine. driving my traxxas rc cars keeps my hands going good too while having fun and gives me a reason to use tools everytime they break.

today during therapy with no friction i kicked my right leg forward for the first time. really excited my right quad is starting to work

also had a checkup with my surgeon today and the xray shows i have arthritis forming in my neck on my c5 vertebre that the titanium bridge screws into. but as long as theres no pain he said its my bodys way of trying to strengthen and bridge the gap where my c6 burst.

400exc
08-02-2011, 04:05 PM
Keep up the good work!

SRH
08-04-2011, 01:07 PM
cody has a great attitude!, the improvements he is making may seem subtle to him but there huge, injury like that your expected to have 0 recovery, cody hasnt let it dampen his drive one bit

being someone with a similar injury i can tell you first hand there is not many with codys enthusiasm for life, its really inspiring

brian76708
08-04-2011, 09:39 PM
best of luck, glad to see you been doing good and making some big steps.

KAWIRYDER
08-07-2011, 09:50 AM
That is amazing wish more people had your drive and determination, you are truly an inspiration. Congratulation to you and your bride.:D

Wills77
08-10-2011, 09:11 PM
thanks everyone

SRH has made this whole situation so much easier for me. i always knew of him from seeing his posts on here and that he is paralyzed. but when my accident happened he got ahold of me and kayla right away offering as much help as he could.
a friendship was made and now we talk everyday. i have learned so much more about my injury and life from bill than i did from any doctors or nurses. and besides both of our injurys we have alot incommon.

08-11-2011, 06:38 AM
u r a strong person man:) like a commando very good be strong

YFZ-FoFiddy-TC
08-11-2011, 11:42 PM
Glad you're having good results with recovery. You have a good women beside you as well. Congrats on the engagement.

MX MaNiAc 06
08-12-2011, 07:51 PM
Dude you are the man! Your persistence and commitment is absolutely amazing! Keep up the hard work and you will continue to make progress. Awesome that you've been swimming. You should gain a lot of strength from that!

Have you done any public speaking telling your story? I think you should sometime. I just graduated as a PTA a couple months ago and a couple guys have came and talked to us about their stories. Its really inspirational for college students to see such success and positive attitude.

Congrats on the engagement! Sounds like a great chick!

Quad18star
08-13-2011, 08:46 AM
First off, congratulations on the engagement... having the support of loved ones will help make the recovery go quicker.... you picked a good one!!!:)

It's great to hear that you're making progress. Keep up the hard work and keep being persistant.... miracles do happen.

reconmaster
08-13-2011, 03:55 PM
great to hear on the accomplishments i know sci's are defintly a battle to recover from yours especially hopefully some day me and you and bill will be lining up next to each other