Tag: spinal cord injury
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Independence First – Tool Donation / Balancing It All for SCI Recovery | Dec 14 – 20 2025
“Easy, Easy” – Independence First – Consolidating what I’m learning & working on balancing it all.
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Exo Stair Training, Visceral Manipulation & The Optimist for SCI Rehab | Dec 7 – 13 2025
Exo stair training, cognitive distortions, working on consolidating all this new info, plus visceral manipulation!
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Legs Working and Trying! Positive Self-Talk! | Nov 30 – Dec 6 2025
Positive Self Talk – Learning from the Water – Up in the Exoskeleton – Full days
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Thanksgiving! // Items for Daily Leg & Core Work for SCI Recovery | Nov 23 – 29 2025
Thanksgiving – Busy Days – And Time for Reflection!
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“One Construction Zone At a Time” // Who Knows What’s Next? for SCI Recovery | Nov 16 – 22 2025
Working On Left Hip – One Construction Zone At a Time
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Getting Back To Work for SCI Rehab | Nov 9 – 15 2025
GI Pain & The Astronaut – Letting Out Body Do What It’s Best At – Hydration Rules SCI-Style – To Plant A Seed – Looking Up!
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“Don’t Die Today” – Ocean & Desert Exploration for SCI Recovery | Nov 2 – 8 2025
“Don’t Die Today” – getting back in the groove of daily work/ life routine after SCI and vacation
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Stabilizer Cascade Theory Refinement / Boats, Pukes, & Planes for SCI Recovery | Oct 26 – Nov 1 2025
Trip to San Diego! Stabilizer Cascade theory refining, and figuring out my GI tract.
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Black Hooded Figure //Learning From Others, Social Engagement for SCI Rehab | Oct 19 – 25 2025
Externalization of our minds. Working through the black hooded figures inside ourselves. Learning about the natural frequencies in our bodies. Always something new to be learning.
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New Meaning of The Word ‘Understanding’ – We Only Have What We Remember / Pairing Excitation With Inhibition for SCI Recovery | Oct 12 – 18 2025
And fold our lives like crashing waves and run up on this beach. Come on and see us together, we’re just some tattered rags stained forever, we only have what we remember. – Listener
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Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, Stabilizer Cascade Theory, & ‘Keeping Perspective’ for SCI Recovery | Oct 5 – 11 2025
What do the Uncertainty Principle & The Stabilizer Cascade Theory have in common? Let’s explore these thoughts in this week’s entry!
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Neural Rewiring and GI Triggers for SCI Recovery | Sep 28 – Oct 4 2025
All the work being put in, day in and day out. Feeling some new “rumblings”..
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“Building Off One Another” | Having Hope & Faith in SCI Recovery | Sept 21 – 27 2025
9/21 Wow, I’ve been pooped. I guess there’s not much to add there? Okay my low back and glutes are fired up like crazy after getting in the standing frame for the first time in the past two days!! Goodness yesterday I got TIGHT! All the shenanigans all day in the chair has really lent…
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Wedding Week & Time on My Feet! For SCI Recovery | Sept 14 – 20 2025
Wedding week, and all the amazing events leading up to the big day.
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Wedding Day! | Sept 19 2025
“On Sept 19 2025 I walked down the aisle after spinal cord injury recovery — here’s how the day went.”
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Operant Conditioning, All the Preparation, & The Man In Black for SCI rehab | Sept 7 – 13 2025
How does Operant Conditioning, the Man in Black, and existential thoughts all have to do with SCI recovery? Read on to find out more.
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“Re-Entry Week” // Another Step in the Right Direction for SCI Rehab | Aug 31 – Sept 6 2025
8/31 This is another morning of some really full sensations in my lower extremities and joints!! Honestly my ankles have never felt so full! My left leg was even trying to help pull himself up and around onto the footplate too, this morning! Sometimes, I feel like my mind is still here, but my body…
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Making Something From Nothing // Visceral Manipulation for SCI Rehab | Aug 24 – 30 2025
8/24 Okay, I can feel more and more surging into my lower legs! It’s definitely that “creaky” and slow signal, that has reminiscent points of tingle, but it’s slower, like the TV static on basic TV from the 90’s tuning back into focus, with the antenna you have sitting on top! It’s crazy, everything has…
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“The Gravel Walks” // Movement Patterns for SCI Recovery | Aug 17 – 23 2025
8/17 This was a rough night. Okay, so I need to reframe how the cyclobenzaprine can help me right now, as opposed to thinking of it like a crutch, because it’s really helping with my lower abdomen spasms, and helping more clean signals go to my legs! My abdomen, upper things, glutes, and feet are…
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“Recognize What You’re Feeling, Don’t Tell Yourself What You Are Feeling.” for SCI Recovery | Aug 10 – 16 2025
8/10 when I went to the bathroom for the third time today, I got rather emotional because of the flood of thoughts running through my head. Max, Family, Julia, Callie, Mom, John, Jill, Schmüle, Jake, you name them. It’s always hard in these moments being seemingly removed from the family, but also right there with them.…
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“Crashing Waves in My Mind” // On The Move for SCI Rehab | Aug 3 – 9 2025
“Crashing Waves in My Mind” and explorations of managing sleep after a spinal cord injury
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Neurological Thresholds for SCI Rehab | July 27 – Aug 2 2025
Neurological Thresholds for spinal cord injury rehabilitation. Facilitated by new movements in Pilates.
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The Astronaut On Earth
The reasons why I call myself an Astronaut On Earth, it turns out, have been growing as I have been learning more about astronauts, space, neuroscience, kinesiology, and continuing my rehabilitation from my Spinal Cord Injury. I want to take some time to help others understand why I’ve called myself this, and hopefully this will…
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“Can You Kick It?” // Making Connections for SCI Recovery | July 20 – 26 2025
Making new connections while healing from the spinal cord injury makes for a rather interesting experience!
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Lake Michigan // Party Time and Up For 23hrs – SCI Rehab Marathon | July 13 – 19 2025
7/13 My legs are really extending out while I’m laying in supine more and more while I’m waking up in bed! So much to think about when I get down on the floor. Which exercises to do, what to try, what did the PTs tell me to try? What did Therese tell me to try?…
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T-Shirts, Fundraising, and Reciprocal Motion for SCI Rehab | July 6 – 12 2025
7/6 So I always liked mornings, but these days they’re really hard because I gotta wake up and I have such a giant urge to use the restroom. But I did something different this morning, and that was to grab the IdealKnee and start doing my 100’s! What’s interesting is how the sensation has all…
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We Need Both – Upright Weight-Bearing & Reciprocal Motion for SCI Recovery | June 29 – July 5 2025
6/29 So I’m still thinking about the pull up bar/ gymnast rings combo. I think I can try to do some exercises here where I can try to keep my legs extended. Like an L-sit, where my legs are contracted isometrically, and held out? I’m curious, because that’s the big motion/ movement area I need…
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Sadness vs Unhappiness – Contracting the Ab’s full time for SCI Rehab | June 22 – 28 2025
6/22 Wow was that one of the saddest and most heartfelt moments I’ve had in such a long time. The image of Max, sitting and watching, patiently for me, as I was pulling out of the driveway. I miss that old boy. He knows, he knows all too well, how much I miss him. It’s…
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Legs in Extension & Family Visits for SCI Recovery | June 15 – 21 2025
6/15 I guess, days like this are bittersweet and very hard. There is so much my body needs, and it’s so hard. It’s so hard, mentally and physically. And I really need to keep moving. Today was a slower day for movement. I really don’t know what to say about that, except I know my…
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Small Repetitive Movements for SCI Rehab | June 8 – 14 2025
6/8 I’m doing this to be kinder for my future self. I’m working these abs to help control what extends out from underneath them. It’s a slow process, but each morning, I’m feeling my legs leveling up in terms of their power and activation. It may not be much, and it may not always be…
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“I’m Safe” – Mental Cues for SCI Recovery | June 1 – 7 2025
6/1 Had a good morning with Callie! Got in the pool today too!! I’m really excited to see where the pool work is headed!!! This was really cool, because Callie was helping me work on advancing my legs, one at a time! I was doing some sort of “walking” but was not fully getting my…
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Independent Leg Initiated Movements – SCI Rehab Movements| May 25 – 31 2025
5/25 Preloading my legs first before movements… it’s almost like I need to be loading my legs and attempting the movement, prior to getting assistance from my hands. And slowly by slowly, I can keep delaying the use of my hands until I eventually no longer need them? Made it out and about, and talking…
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Doing Hard Things & Family Visits! Subconscious Processes for SCI Recovery | May 18 – 24 2025
5/18 Hard things. Doing hard things. Seems to be a theme going on here. Today’s the day. Today is the day of the accident. I…. am at a loss of words right now. It’s really surreal. I am not sure how to describe my emotions or feelings right now. I’m like, really struggling to put…
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Lake Michigan Lighthouse Project – Take 1 | May 11 – 17 2025
5/11 Wow, another day and another increase in sensation! My legs really needed yesterday! That was a great day of rest! I still incorporated activation into the day, but I really got caught up on some rest!! I realized too, how my hopefulness waxes and wanes as the day moves on. It’s a hard reality,…
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“Maintaining Perspective” to support SCI Rehab | May 4 – 10 2025
5/4 What is it, about reading books? What is it about writing? I feel as though everything that I am learning, I am also able to consolidate in my brain so much better these days with the tool that writing is. Without it, I feel like I would be floundering with all the information floating…
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Family Bonds & Calisthenics For SCI Recovery | Apr 27 – May 3 2025
4/27 Wow, it’s my mom’s birthday today! Holy smokes, I miss her. She’s seriously the sweetest person ever, it’s pretty amazing. When you stop and think about the influential people in your life, it’s pretty easy to see how she has made such a monumental impact on me. Not just me, but all 6 of…
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Keeping My Body and Mind Useful to Fuel SCI Recovery | April 20 – 26 2025
4/20 Whoa. This morning I woke up with such substantial sensations in my calves, feet, knees! I had a dream last night I was walking around with Anthony and Brandon Rice, planning on playing in a Kicker’s reunion game. Actually this dream started with John and I, navigating this almost church like place, and starting…
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Neural Oscillation Pairing + “Spiritual Experiences” for SCI Rehab | Apr 6 – 12 2025
4/6 Will hinging at my hips/ lower spine/ sacral region, will that be bad for that area if I’m fused from T3- L5? How can I functionally get my spine/ pelvis/ hips in extension or flexion with this limitation? What do I need to work? What needs to be bolstered for support and movement? I…
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Neurological Thresholds & Brother’s Birthday Party for SCI Rehab & Recovery | Mar 30 – Apr 5 2025
3/30 You know, I’m thinking about dancing and how your entire body moves during it? To me, this was something I was feeling very different with last night?! I feel like there’s something there, I just don’t know what yet. Like holy crap, I wore the compression top yesterday, after being completely exhausted, and today,…
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Sit-To-Stands On The Go! Perception From Action to help SCI Recovery | Mar 23 – 29 2025
3/23 Wow! My legs are so engaged today!!! Callie and I were able to have a great start to the morning! I’m pretty glad to have her to work through all the things I have to improve in my body. It’s been a lot to try to tackle on my own, so I’m glad I…
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“Ichi-Go Ichi-E” Create / Control for SCI Recovery | Mar 16 – 22 2025
3/16 Adaptive e-sports equipment for folks working to regain function, mirror neurons, and more?! To help regain stability and motor control?! Seems like something I might have to investigate and add to the list!?? So, I woke up here this morning, with a flood of new sensory input in my legs, core, chest, back, glutes,…
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Dreaming of the Sledge – Diaphragmatic Breathing & Pelvic Floor Strengthening for SCI Recovery | Mar 9 – 15 2025
3/9 If I can do kegels while holding in a number 2, will this help me eventually be able to learn to voluntarily relax the external a. Sphincter muscles? Seems weird and a funny area, but if I can feel myself doing that, and I slowly build up the ability to contract them, that should…
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Getting Stronger Everyday! – Intermediate Goals and Progression for SCI Rehab | Mar 2 – 8 2025
3/2 Dang. Paul just left this morning. He had something really nice to say, and that was, “Hey, you know where you’re going. You know what you’re doing. You’re getting these legs working, but be happy with the process. Let yourself be happy, Joe.” And I say, “where did you learn that?” And he goes,…
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Schmüle’s Supply & Delivery & Morning Routine’s for SCI Recovery | Feb 23 – Mar 1 2025
2/23 When I get on the floor in the morning, I need a plan. I need structure to this routine, because I have a feeling this is something I am going to need to do daily. I think this needs a bit of both cardio and strength. Maybe some 100’s, forward and backwards crawls to…
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Active Motor Learning and The Observer Effect for SCI Rehab – “Murder in the City”| Feb 16 – 22 2025
2/16 My legs have filled out so much in the past 24hrs, I say my legs, but that leaves out my abs, low back, and pelvic region as well! It’s truly remarkable what constantly putting new stimulus on your body does. Whether it be new textures and materials, new exercises, or even just new mental…
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Glute Stimulation & Dump Angle Change for Spinal Cord Injury Recovery | Feb 9 – 15 2025
2/9 Wait, do I need to contract my muscles the whole time I’m eccentrically and concentrically loading them? Because it really feels very different these past couple days with me consciously engaging my muscles during the eccentric load phase! Control, I need to make sure I’m not letting my muscles lengthen passively. “The depth and…
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Core Strength & Quad Engagement For Improving Your SCI | Feb 2 – 8 2025
2/2 Wow! These hundreds on the floor are feeling wild, I can feel some sort of reciprocal contractions going on in my abdomen that are timed with my exhale/ push down of the air?! This is really wild, I’ve never felt them firing like this before?? Let me do another set to confirm the contraction…
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Small Movements Matter – How We Help Train Our Spinal Cord | Jan 26 – Feb 1 2025
1/26 Wow, my legs are moving so well to get out of bed partially on my own! I am able to kick them out so good these days, my left leg likes to initiate the movement, and it seems being in certain positions too, really helps! All these small, subtle movements and attempts are important,…
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Overcoming Spinal Cord Rehab Challenges in 0-Degree Winter Temps | Jan 19 – 26 2025
1/19 So! Putting furniture together from IKEA has turned into quite the therapy and physical exercise for me! I would have never thought that this would require such different bodily positions, movements, or strength, or balance! But it did! It got me in so many different positions on the floor, and even in the chair…
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Enhancing Spinal Cord Injury Rehab with Low Backrest & Pilates | Jan 12 – 18 2025
1/12 Had an accident last night. This is probably why I shouldn’t have any alcohol. It’s just an opportunity for a let down. I guess it’s nice to “fit in” but that ships already sailed. Plus, you’ve managed just fine without it so far. I think it’s probably only right to hold off on it…
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Improving Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Through Tall Sitting Techniques | Jan 5- Jan 11 2025
1/5 Okay, these quads have really stepped it up today, with a huge amount of stability added to my chest workouts I’ve noticed just now here at the gym! I’m really glad the time in the gym is complementing my SCI rehab journey with therapy as well. I really do think I get to make…
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Starting 2025: New Goals in SCI Recovery! | Jan 1- Jan 4 2025
1/1/2025 So it feels weird, but normal at the same time writing 1/1/25. Wow. We are now closer to 2050 than we are to the year 2000. This must be what it felt like before the stock market crashed I bet? Either way, this is pretty interesting! I feel like I’m living in some sort of…
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The Freedom For Which The Schedule Creates – Structure in Spinal Cord Injury Recovery | Dec 22 – Dec 28 2024
12/22 So, I realize one thing that I’m doing that’s been so helpful, so impactful to my recovery, and I just started doing this a couple weeks ago. That’s trying to turn my muscles “on” and having them all be able to stay “on” at the same time, just as you would while you were…
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Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Progress Amidst Winter’s Arrival | Dec 15- Dec 21 2024:
12/15 So, I woke up to the most extraordinary feeling through my right leg and inner thigh! He’s feeling so full! And even my ankles and feet, have such a significant cooler and “smooth” feeling as well? I mean goodness, even into my glutes, everything feels like it’s filling back out! I wonder how I…
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Focusing On Quad Awareness in SCI Rehabilitation | Dec 8 – Dec 14 2024
12/8 Okay, I’m like halfway through the day, and I’m wondering what the heck is going on. Why am I working on work stuff on Sunday??? Ugh. So, I need to get this body moving! I’m finally up in the standing frame, and I’ve been a bit distracted I would say! As soon as I…
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Exploring STS-90 Neurolab Insights During an Alberta Clipper | Dec 1 – Dec 7 2024
12/1 Holy crap! MY RIGHT FOOT JUST STOMPED ON THE FLOOR! that was crazy! He is really trying to go! I just want to get up and stand up and move! Wow I really felt that and the shockwave through my body, that was intense! You know it really does feel like I’m kickstarting old…
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Feet On The Floor – Progress in Spinal Cord Injury Rehab | Nov 17 – Nov 23 2024
11/17 Waking up, and taking moments to collect my thoughts really helps me throughout my day. Laying and getting straighter? Yep. Sensations in upper thighs, inner thighs, lower legs increasing? Yep. It’s been really nice being able to take fuller and fuller breaths from my diaphragm. The diaphragmatic breathing is getting better with each day…
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Pushing Through My Feet – Overcoming Challenges in My SCI Recovery | Nov 10 – Nov 16 2024
11/10 So my right knee is right up against the hand towel in the bathroom, and I can feel it gently brushing up against my knee! I have really been trying to keep my shoulders retracted and depressed, and I feel the overflow down into my low back and glutes when I do that as…
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Are My Feet Cold?! – Addressing Temp Sensitivity in SCI Recovery Nov 3- Nov 9 2024
11/3 So I am feeling a significant change happening in my legs, it’s wild. I think this past week was a great chance to try to give my body a bit of a break? But also, it wasn’t because I was so dang busy in it…. Oof. My legs right now are sensating so much.…
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Continued On My Journey – Progress & New Goals in My SCI Rehab Oct 27- Nov 3 2024
10/27 Wow! were my hips and quads tight last night and feeling the burn from yesterday!! I’m working on letting go of the hamstrings and hip flexors so that they will relax right now, and I wanted to use this time to help my mental imagery with this! Time for some research! So the research…
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It Takes A Village – SCI Recovery With Community | Oct 20 – Oct 26 2024
10/20 You know how when you want to wake up, and try to lay in the bed for a bit, and just talk to your significant other? Yeah, nope. I shouldn’t have done that. I ended up with too full of a bladder, and piss all over my pants and bed. My nether-regions have been…
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Legs More Like Legs – Progress in Lower Body Function for SCI | Oct 13 – Oct 19 2024
10/13 My legs are feeling fuller and fuller everyday. My right hip and groin area is really filling out, as are my thighs, my left hip, knees, outer legs, shins, calves, ankles! My heels really have been joining in this morning cascade of feelings, and the tingling is really only in what seems like part…
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Challenge Accepted – Overcoming Obstacles in Spinal Cord Injury Rehab | Oct 6 – Oct 12 2024
10/6 I woke up this morning and my legs are going through some changes! I don’t know what! But I’ll tell ya what, I’m feeling something changing! I do think though too, that the alcohol I had last night didn’t help anything. I was really feeling the contractions in my lower legs!! Had a wonderful…
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Drink Your Electrolytes & Family Visits – Supporting SCI Recovery | Sept 29 – Oct 5 2024
9/29 Okay. This has been an interesting and wonderful week! My body is experiencing some drastic changes, and I’m feeling it. My low back right now is working through some extreme amounts of tightness, and it’s been amazing being able to actually feel that! My hips are unlocking, and my legs are really activating! My…
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Sept 22nd – Sept 28th 2024: Cycling Around Campus!
9/22 So after getting up to go to the bathroom earlier, I made it back to sleep. And boy did I sleep hard again! I got caught back up on sleep I definitely needed! And boy am I feeling some different feelings!? Cool toes? A change from tingling to temperatures? I really am feeling the…
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Sept 15th – Sept 21st 2024: “Chair Scans and Body Changes”
9/15 I was just thinking about something. It’s always really hard to have to be fighting internally with my body when I’m out and about. When a muscle group isn’t listening quite right to me, and contracting at the wrong time (or a spasm, and it contracts when I’m not telling it) is pretty hard.…
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Sept 8th – Sept 14th 2024: “Birthday, Tightness, and An Inflamed Knee”
9/8 I woke up and really had quite the feeling to have to go, plus lots of tingling. Yuck. What’s interesting though is the stable-ness I am noticing in my legs. I really am noticing the tightness in my abdomen traveling downwards in my abdomen, moving what feels like lower by the day. Every day…
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Sept 1st – Sept 7th 2024: “Bike Day!”
9/1 Okay, here goes another morning. It’s always a tricky time, making time for writing. I know how much it helps me, put all the ideas in place. It helps me so much. Especially when it comes to my legs! there’s so much changing down there, on the daily, it helps me make sense of…
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Aug 25th – Aug 31st 2024: “Long Days Make Long Nights”
8/25 Wow. Talk about the feeling changes in my lower legs and feet! All morning I’ve been feeling the change in how much my tibialis anterior, gastroc’s, and soleus are kicking in!! My lower legs are trying! This is incredible! Wow, well. It’s hard when I’m this sad. It’s really hard. I am just getting…
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Aug 18th – Aug 24th 2024: “Backwards Crawl”
8/18 Okay, so I’m waking up, and feeling my left shoulder doesn’t quite like being laid on so much. I think it’s partially because I haven’t been to the gym very much last week! Need to step it back up! My left leg is making some rather huge movements these days, while I’m laying on…
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Aug 11th – Aug 17th 2024: “Quantity Over Quality, Practice Makes Perfect”
8/11 Okay, so I’m not really sure why I was so tired today, but boy was I. Goodness I’m glad to have a nice recovery day!! I’m brushing my teeth standing up in the standing frame, and it’s interesting because I haven’t brushed my teeth and spit in a cup in what feels like forever.…
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Aug 4th – Aug 10th 2024: “Memories Like This”
8/5 So, I’m crying right now. I’m at work, and I’m tearing up. It’s hard. A song came on that reminded me of a video I made like a month before the accident. “Teal” – by Wunderhorse, was the name of the song, I’m pretty sure I made and sent a Snapchat to the brothers of…
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July 28th – Aug 3rd 2024: “Your Body Adapts to The Demands You Place Upon It”
7/28 Goodness! This was an amazing weekend at GermanFest with the family! I had an absolutely amazing time! I am feeling so much in my legs right now! My quads and inner thighs are feeling very full right now! Also, when I was getting ready for bed, I realized that my feet and lower legs…
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July 21st – July 27th 2024: “GermanFest!”
7/21 I’m really noticing how my floor routine is constantly progressing! It feels like, every single Set I’m feeling more, contracting more, and moving more with each step! I’m really noticing the feelings in my legs changing! Starting at my glutes and hips, and progressing through the entire leg, hip, and abdomen! My body is…
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July 14th – July 20th 2024: “Do Not Ever Give Up”
7/14 Well, it’s been a crazy day. I can’t believe it, really, sometimes. It’s happening. I’m doing it. I’m going back to work. It’s 9:09PM right now and getting ready for bed and it’s just been the most wild experience that could have ever happened to me. I don’t know of many other life altering…
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July 7th – July 13th 2024: “The More You Learn, The More You CAN Learn”
7/7 Okay, today has been a good day. I have felt like I haven’t been writing a lot, and it’s got me all stressed out. I think it’s been interesting, I’ve been saying a lot, “the more you learn, the more you can learn” and I feel as though I can apply this to so…
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June 30th – July 6th 2024: “4-A-Day’s”
6/30 Okay maybe I get to the gym and do some “pull ups” with a spotter on the smith machine? Like, get the legs on the ground, and just work on pulling up and letting my legs be on the ground? Doing some research into what infants do between the crawling and the walking stage.…
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June 23rd – June 29th 2024: “Apple Pie, salads, Knouldering, and Chess. What do they all have in common?”
6/23 I feel like the amount of nutrients, B vitamins, antioxidants and minerals is pretty okay for my diet. I think I need to try to incorporate some more essential fatty acids, as they are essential for maintaining and improving glial, myelin sheath, and neuronal health. At least that what’s my research is showing! It’s…
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June 16th – June 22nd 2024: “Linus The Lump is Gone!”
6/16 Okay so my legs are ready. They are ready to do some things today! I need to get moving so they don’t feel so restless today! It’s interesting how I can take a second and reflect and see all the changes happening in my body. See and feel the changes. It’s really been a…
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June 9th – June 15th 2024: “KNOULDERING!”
6/9 Wow, what a great day! Got to see my little pupper, that big ole floof! Did some crawling and laying in the sun! It was a really well spent day with the family, and just relaxing and enjoying everyone’s company. 6/10 Alright, so this morning I had one of the toughest goes I have…
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June 2nd – June 8th 2024: “Kneel Bouldering = Knouldering?”
6/2 Alright, so it happened!!! I made it over to Jake and Carley’s! It was so cool, I did so many firsts! It was also really emotional, driving over there from the freeway. I actually teared up on the way over there. While I got off the freeway, I noticed how much had changed off…
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May 26th – June 1st 2024: “One Day, One Day At a Time”
5/26 We made it to lake Geneva! This is a super cool little hotel! I’m glad we made it! It was really nice to be able to just relax down by the marina and just slow down and not have to do anything for once. It doesn’t happen very often. We had a couple minor…
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May 19th – May 25th 2024: “Afternoon Park Crawl”
5/20 I had probably one of the best therapy sessions in such a long while! I really got my legs worked today, it was incredible! I’m sitting here in a long sit, at 9:40PM and I crawled over here in my shoes! Which, has honestly been such a difficult thing for me to do up…
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May 12th – May 18th 2024: “Try and Fail, but Always Try!”
5/13 So, everytime I go to the gym after a longer break, I start to feel such different feelings from day to day. My lower back lately has been feeling so much! I can really feel him contracting! 5/14 It’s hard. Having to get up and try to do something, and then go at it…
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May 18th 2024 (Part One): “One Year. One Family.”
5/18 Wow. Just wow. This is just a bittersweet day. Not only have I had one of the craziest past years in my entire existence, it has simultaneously been one of the best and one of the worst years ever. I tried to explain my thoughts to Callie when I was laying awake in the…
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May 5th – May 11th 2024: “First Crawl at The Park!”
5/5 I woke up today feeling rather under the weather! I may have been a bit over served last night at the bar, and might potentially had a case of the brown bottle flu. I’m glad this is a very rare occurrence! 5/6 So I woke up with a lot of ideas throughout the night!…
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April 28th – May 4th 2024: Appointments on Appointments!
4/28 Welp, got therapy today! Need to work on getting these legs out of bed so I can get up! I know that I got therapy in a bit and need to get moving! It was a crazy last night!! My body sometimes is really awful to me, and doesn’t let me get much sleep.…
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April 21st – April 27th 2024: Early Stages of Crawling
4/21 If I want to get outside and go for a walk with my dog Max, then I have to be doing what I’m doing. Try to enjoy this process is really tricky when it takes so much effort just to crawl across the bedroom floor. But it’s good though! I’m actually moving! I’m trying…
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April 14th – April 20th: Co-Contractions
4/13 So, I learned two new things this morning. 1. That almost all our muscles besides our hands and face contract during the gait cycle, and 2. That co-contraction of muscles is actually a pretty normal and good thing! This is really fascinating to me, because of all the reasons that our muscles do this,…
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April 7th – April 13th 2024: Look Ma, No Hands!
4/7 Welp, that was a morning for the books! I really haven’t felt that good in a very long time. I’m really fortunate. Also, the feeling of having to go to the bathroom is getting to be just the feeling of the movement, and isn’t a bunch of pain! We made it to Culver’s and…
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Mar 31st – Apr 6th 2024: I Got Some Walkin’ to Do!
3/31 Easter! Wow! Had to get up and get ready to go to church with mom and dad! We had a pretty alright time, really. It was an interesting time because I had to take a break and do my business in a public facility.. but public bathrooms are usually pretty good, and this was…
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Mar 24th – Mar 30th 2024: Gettin’ Ready to Rumble!
3/24 Wow, I had a wild day today!! Some exciting things happened today!! 3/25 Waking up is a tricky one sometimes. I usually wake up with this definite feeling of having “to go”. It isn’t like I have to try to get that feeling to go away, but it can be such a drag to…
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Mar 17th – Mar 23rd 2024: Hittin’ The Gym 5x a Week! Energy and Work
3/17 It’s so weird having to be “on my best behavior” when everything inside my body is ramping up and not feeling well. When I’m not feeling well, where my nose is clogged up and I’m super stiff, everything seems to bug me so much more than it usually would. I don’t think that’s abnormal,…
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Mar 10th – Mar 16th 2024: I’m On The Road Again!
Mar 10 I’m seriously feeling the most in my lower abdomen! Like, ever! This is insane! I can feel so much of the digestion process! My tummy is grumbling! Haha 😂 Mar 11 Wow! First Monday with the standing frame and I decided to stand in it for 2hrs right now!! And the sensations and…
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Mar 3rd – Mar 9th 2024: The Boys Are Back In Town!
Mar 3rd This was a bit of a rougher start to the day. I realized very quickly why I don’t drink…. turns out that I have some really hard things I have to do in the morning that require my body to not be in pain or hurtin’ in other ways. Just getting out of…
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February 25th – March 2nd 2024: Just an Astronaut on Earth
Feb 25 Well, I had a really good start to the day! IM ACTUALLY WEARING REAL PANTS!!!! This is kinda wild, because I haven’t worn blue jeans this entire time since the accident! I used to wear these things all the time, or something similar, that kinda helped define me! I had these silly pairs…
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February 18th – 24th 2024: Trust Your Legs
Feb 18th So this morning was interesting. I had quite a few thoughts on what all happened this past week, and what’s to come. I had a great session at the gym yesterday, and was very pleased to have gotten up yesterday when my motivation was pretty low, and I knew I needed to get…
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Jan 7th – Jan 13th 2024: Unpleasant Feelings; Expectations vs Reality
Jan 10th Goodness it’s been a few days! I just sent a letter to a Doctor about getting his mental training routine! Also got a theragun and have been loving to use it not only on my arms and back, but also my legs for sensation! The amount of mental rehearsal i do has been…
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Dec 24th – Dec 30th 2023: Another Christmas, Another UTI…
Dec 24th What’s crazy is going to church and seeing my mother. Seeing her hands, and thinking about what they signify. Like, I teared up just now just thinking about them. People go on a huge rant about god and what that means to them, but don’t see the amazing things that the ones around…
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Dec 17th – Dec 23rd 2023: I’ll Be Home For Christmas!
Dec 17th Yep, there is a lot going on. Butt, legs, left ankle! Holy smokes the feeling of a deep burning is there How can I improve the signal from my brain and my legs? This is the real question I’m asking and working on! Dec 18th How do you think of help differently? If…
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Dec 10th – Dec 16th: Asking For Help
Dec 11th What’s interesting, is the ability to ask for, and receive, help. This experience and this injury has given me the opportunity to truly understand what asking for help is like. By having to make yourself this vulnerable, it really forces us to acknowledge the fact that there are many things we can’t sometimes…
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Dec 3rd – Dec 9th: Pep Talk
Dec 5 What’s interesting is realizing that the doctors originally said you had 21 health conditions that you suffered. What’s also interesting is knowing that the internet doesn’t have hardly any information on the exact nature of your injuries. So what I’ve been given is one of the most difficult assignments ever to try and…
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Nov 26th – Dec 2nd 2023: First Week on My Own!
Nov 26th Definitely had some Mexican food!! Making chicken and dumplings tomorrow!! Nov 27th Wow, today I had both the new physical therapy and PM&R doctors appointments Nov 28th Woke up this morning feeling great! I got on my tum this morning and started to do some prone exercises! The are gonna be important for…
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Nov 19th – Nov 25th 2023: If You Woke Up Paralyzed Tomorrow, What Would You Wish You’d Have Accomplished?
Nov 19th If you woke up tomorrow paralyzed from the neck down, what would you wish you’d have accomplished with your life? What’s wild is this question is kind of relevant, in the sense I’ve already thought about this….. but not the neck down, but the chest…. Does that change my answers? Let’s see…. It’s…
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Nov 12th – Nov 18th: Spicy Sensations
Nov 12th Well I woke up feeling really good this morning! Not a bunch of nonsense in my tum, so I need to make sure I get up at a reasonable time. I need to order my backpack and those handrails… Okay so those are ordered, I’ll look at backpacks later! No worries there. I’m…
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Nov 5th – Nov 11th 2023: The Black Cauldron
Nov 7th Well, how do you describe pain? Because that’s where I’m at right now…. Anyone I talk to in this household seriously has no understanding of pain or what I’m going thru. It’s extremely frustrating. This bed isn’t just “uncomfortable” but I laid awake for maybe 3hrs last night tossing and turning all spasmed…
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Oct 29th – Nov 4th 2023: UTI’s and Train Rides
Nov 1st Today I have been feeling a lot better. I think it probably was a UTI…… but lots to do and think about! It’s been an incredible time for me thus far, and I don’t want that to stop. Still feeling kinda wonky and this trip has me fairly stressed….. it wasn’t the most…
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Getting Weight Bearing for SCI Rehabilitation | Aug 27 – Sep 2 2023
Tall kneeling – new books – new ideas – my pup I miss so much. Simple joys in life help make it all worth living.
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Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Therapy for SCI Rehab | Aug 20 – 26 2023
BFR & Back To School!
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Standing Frame Tolerance for SCI Health & Wellness | Aug 13 – 19 2023
Getting up in the standing frame, trying my hand at the guitar with bruised ribs. Trying to actually sleep again.
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More Tossing & Turning – Therapy for SCI Recovery | Aug 6 – 12 2023
Getting in the swing of PT & trying to figure it all out
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“We did it” Moving Forward from SCI Injury for Recovery | July 30 – Aug 5 2023
Better connections for Stim Pads? Getting outside? Try to do that more!
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Back In Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation | July 23 – 29 2023
First week back in Michigan and started at The Recovery Project! What a great name for what I’m working on!
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Back In The Hospital | July 16 – 22 2023
Back in the hospital after only being home for 5 days.
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First Week Home | July 9 – 15 2023
Back in town, reunited with Max. Trying to figure it all out.
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Accident + ICU: Jake’s Perspective
8/31/25 Joe – Where were you when you found out about the accident? It was Thursday, May 18. I was working in Olivet, Michigan, across from the college, on a job with Mitch, Hank, and Mike O. I got a call from Jessica saying you’d been in an accident. I phoned Dad right away, but…
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Accident + ICU: Jessie’s Perspective
So I wanted to ask my siblings their perspective from this whole ordeal and accident. It’s been a lot to take in by myself, and what Jess has told me was definitely something to stir up quite the emotions. I love my family so much! I am glad to have gotten their accounts thru this…
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Injury List
So, what you’re about to read took me a couple of weeks after my accident for me to finally get a brief list from my doctors. It was surreal, lying in the hospital, waking up one day, and wondering, “what the heck happened to me? and why can’t I feel my legs?” also, “why am…
The Astronaut on Earth 