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|  Against All Odds … Sturbridge Man Moves Forward After Spinal Cord Injury By MYRNA CHANDLER-GOLDSTEIN
So, Warner, then 21 and only days away from starting a job with the United Way in Durham, North Carolina, shed his shirt and dove head first into the lake — not realizing until it was too late, that the water was shallow. His head struck a rock. "I think I went unconscious for a second or two," Warner recalled. "But then I started to float with my chest and face above the water. I couldn't feel my arms or legs. I immediately knew something was wrong, so I began calling, really yelping for help." Warner was pulled ashore, and an ambulance was summoned. Meanwhile, a neighbor, who was a physician, rushed over to offer assistance. "I once again became unconscious," Warner said. "But I know now that I was taken to Harrington Memorial Hospital in Southbridge and then transferred to the University of Massachusetts Medical Center." Spinal Cord Injury Physicians determined that Warner had suffered a spinal cord injury involving subluxation or dislocation of his sixth and seventh vertebrae. In an effort to straighten his neck, he was placed in traction and underwent surgery to fuse his vertebrae. Meanwhile, Warner remained in critical condition. He fought multiple pneumonias, which led to a tracheostomy and ventilator. At times, physicians were not certain he would survive. If he did, they believed he would regain only shoulder movement and limited use of his arms. Yet, Warner's spirit prevailed, and he remained determined to beat all odds. Slowly, he improved. About five weeks after the accident, he was transferred to Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital. Feeling was slowly returning to his arms. At Fairlawn, Warner received comprehensive rehabilitation, including physiatric and nursing care, as well as physical, occupational, and recreational therapy. Every day he worked as hard as possible to build strength in his arms to learn the skills he would need to function in the outside world. In January, Warner was discharged from Fairlawn and moved into the first floor guest bedroom of his parents' Sturbridge home. "I was excited to be going home," he said. "But I was also sad and a little bit scared to leave Fairlawn. I had built strong friendships there. They were wonderful." At home, Warner had physical and occupational therapy twice a week for eight weeks. Every morning, a home health aid would come for two hours, and every few weeks a nurse would visit. Later, he would complete his therapy at Fairlawn's Outpatient Center. Today, although Warner has feeling in his legs, they remain paralyzed. He has some use of his arms and can extend but not close his fingers. He uses his thumbs to type on his computer. In spite of the limitations, Warner has forged ahead. "I majored in speech communications at Wake Forest and am now a graduate student in professional communications at Clark University," Warner said. "I am hoping to complete the program by December. In addition, I write columns and book reviews for the Southbridge Evening News. Once a semester I speak on late onset disability in a class on social rehabilitation at Assumption College. Two days a week I help one of our neighbors home school her children. And through Fairlawn, I participate in the Feet First Program, in which I, a Fairlawn rehabilitation nurse and another person with a spinal cord injury, speak to elementary school children about bicycle and swimming safety." Warner's determination to overcome his limitations has not gone unnoticed. "Several months ago I was asked by the Mayor's Council on People With Disabilities of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to be the keynote speaker at its annual awards banquet," said Warner. "This organization is part of the larger Community Access for Everybody in North Carolina. I was honored to be invited. I talked about change and accepting change. From the beginning, I decided not to let my injury stop me. I decided to get on with my life as quickly as possible. That's exactly what I have been doing and plan to continue doing." Story Update (December, 2004) This story was published in the December 1997 issue of Hospital News, two years after Michael Warner's accident. Since then, much has happened in Michael’s life. After completing a master's degree in Professional Communications at Clark University, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He now practices in the commercial litigation field but also dabbles in disability-related law (i.e., he served as co-counsel for a Baltimore firm that sued the Maryland para-transit system for failure to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act). Michael is also now a happily married man! He and his new wife, Amelia Wall, exchanged vows in Asheville, NC in the autumn of 2004. | |||||||||
