Ready to Rehab! And some clarifications

First the article in the Forest Hills Advance:
It’s kind of weird to read an article on your own family, but we’re so proud of Sam and thought the article was great. Overall, there was a lot of good information concerning Sam and the procedure he is undergoing but there were a few things we thought we’d better clarify:
- People are moving their legs and taking steps as stated, but to date no one is walking unassisted. Though Dr. Lima told us that some who had the surgery 2 – 3 yrs ago are very close.
- I would not say definitively that Sam is the “most promising candidate for the surgery to date”. From an age perspective combined with access to the excellent rehab program at RIM in Detroit that may be true. But there are others (especially those who don’t have use of their arms) who have much more to gain by realizing the potential benefits of this surgery.
- At one point the article said that we were hoping that Sam would be walking by Christmas. While we’d all jump up and down if that were true, we are actually hoping for Sam to begin noticing changes in feeling or possible movements by Christmas. The stem cells that were taken from his nose and placed in his spine take 3 - 6 months to make enough repairs for Sam to begin noticing something. From then on, each month should be slow improvement.
Will Sam walk again? Only God knows. This is so new yet. We are more optimistic than before based on hearing some good news from earlier patients, but we also know that 2 – 3 years is more realistic… and even then there is absolutely no guarantee that he will walk. We pray that he will, but will be thankful for any improvements short of that.

Now REHAB.
Sam and Kris go to RIM (Rehab Institute of Michigan) in Detroit on Thursday for an evaluation with Dr. Hinderer. They will stay the night and start rehab Friday morning at 9am. Then it will me Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to Detroit and back for the 3 hour sessions.

We bring updates as they occur.