the BRAIN - Shepherd Center

ShepherdAlums
By sara baxter
John Trimbath,
of Cleveland, Ohio
Susan Gaudet,
of Falmouth, Maine
Traci Pauls, of
Blackville, S.C.
Mike McHale,
of Ruston, La.
Vicki Karnes,
of Atlanta, Ga.
FROM NEAR
AND FAR
Former Shepherd Center patients
from across the nation report on their
productive lives post-injury.
As a spinal cord injury patient, Susan
Gaudet, of Falmouth, Maine, did
something unusual when she came to
Shepherd: She walked in.
“It wasn’t pretty,” she recalls. “I was on
a walker, and I looked like a drunkard.”
Susan was on her way to a doctor’s
appointment in March 2009 when she
slipped on some ice. To prevent herself
from falling, she contorted her body
in a way that herniated two disks. At
the doctor’s visit, she was simply given
medication to help the pain.
Three days later, Susan woke up and
couldn’t feel her legs and lost bowel and
bladder function.
The swelling in her back had strangulated
a network of peripheral nerves
at the lower end of the spinal cord.
The condition, known as cauda equina
syndrome, can lead to permanent loss
of bowel and bladder control, as well
as sensation and weakness of the legs.
Despite this, Susan is able to walk and is
referred to as a “walking paraplegic.”
After stays at Maine Medical Center and
a rehabilitation hospital in Portland, Susan
transferred to Shepherd Center. Here, she
learned the daily living skills of bowel and
bladder management, caring for herself,
and worked on regaining strength in her
legs. She stayed just 12 days.
“My goal was to make it home in time
to spend Easter with my family,” says
Susan, who has a husband and three
daughters.
Susan’s recovery has been slow, but
steady. She can now walk unassisted and
is back at work as a rehabilitation counselor,
helping those with various degrees
of injury.
Though the road to recovery has been
rough, Susan remains grateful for her
progress.
“Every step I take, however painful, is
precious,” she says. “I also have a huge
amount of respect and gratitude for all
the people who have helped me.” She
also is optimistic on a full recovery: “I’m
not hopeful – I’m expecting it.”
Vicki Karnes, of Atlanta, credits the staff
at Shepherd Center’s Andrew C. Carlos
Multiple Sclerosis Institute for helping prepare
her for new changes – and challenges
– in her life after being diagnosed with MS
in 1998.
“I felt 100 percent supported by my care
team at Shepherd Center when I decided
to retire from a career as an airline pilot
in 2003,” she says. “It was time to put my
health first.”
Vicki, who had flown for Delta Air Lines
for nearly 20 years, initially found enjoyment
playing the mandolin and taking
Spanish classes after retirement. But she
wanted more interaction with people.
“I began volunteering in Shepherd’s
Noble Learning Resource Center in 2004,”
Vicki says. “Being surrounded by the
medical books, journals and videos in the
library reminded me how much I enjoyed
learning and helping other people to learn.”
After two years of weekly volunteering,
Vicki decided to embark on a new career
as a registered nurse and enrolled in the
2 6 Spinal Column
w w w. s h e p h e r d . o r g