Patient Testimonials

You want the best rehab care for yourself or a loved one and not all rehab centers are alike. Choosing a rehab center is one of the most important decisions you could make in the future. Find out what our patients say about their own care at Frazier Rehab Institute.

Russell Coleman

Hope for a Brighter Future for People with Spinal Cord Injuries

"Once you choose hope, anything's possible." - Christopher Reeve

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Russell Coleman, felt the onset of pain in one leg on a Tuesday night in late July, 2008. When he awoke the next day, the pain in his leg was still persistent. He thought he may need to tough it out or stretch more before his daily runs, but as the day progressed, the pain increased in intensity and moved to his lower-back. By the following Tuesday, one week from the onset of the slight pain in one leg, Coleman was in an Emergency Room, paralyzed from the waist down. At 32, Coleman, a husband, father, lawyer and active runner, was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a rare neurological disorder caused by caused by inflammation across the spinal cord.

The Aftermath of Spinal Cord Injury

“The most frustrating thing for me, was not knowing what the prognosis might be,” said Coleman, adding, “It [Frazier] has given me the ability to go from seeing the inaccessibility of the world from a wheelchair, to then being able to walk using crutches, to now being able to walk using a cane, to being able to run on the treadmill, to a personal goal of mine—being able to pick-up my daughter. It’s given me my life back.”

To help the Frazier Rehab Institute’s Spinal Cord Program achieve its full potential, Russell is telling his story of difficulty and triumph to raise philanthropic support. Through his testimony, he hopes others will help to expand the capacity of the program to serve more people by adding equipment, space and developing staff proficiency in the specialized techniques of locomotor training.

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Click here to read what our patients are saying about their hope for a brighter future for people with spinal cord injuries at Frazier Rehab Institute.