Did you know that September is Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Awareness Month? We’re taking this opportunity to share a Reunion patient success story. Let’s go over Clayton’s journey and discuss how we got him back to his community.

Clayton’s Rehabilitation Story

Clayton is a respected father, friend, and businessman. He was riding his bike one day when an accident he has no memory of occurred. He was found unconscious on the side of the road and taken to a nearby hospital where he was diagnosed with a Cervical Spinal Cord Injury at the C5-6 level.

This injury left him completely unable to move his extremities or sit up in his hospital bed without passing out.

When Clayton first came to Reunion Peoria, he went through the same process that every Reunion patient does: working with rehabilitation specialists to develop a personalized care plan. This allowed his team to collaborate and ensure the best therapies and strategies were in place to set him up for success.

The challenges Clayton was facing were evident, but Reunion’s community joined together to provide consistent support and quality rehabilitation. Being a total assist patient, Clayton required help with all activities of daily living - something that would soon change.

Through his dedication to daily therapy and healing, Clayton started making progress. He began walking again and doing his own transfers. That progress only continued and 51 days after he was admitted, he returned back home. He has now resumed his work as a VP and is thrilled to be back with his family.

When reflecting on his time at Reunion, Clayton wrote, “I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the Reunion team for the huge investment they made in my daily care and rehabilitation. My gratitude extends to the entire team, from the nursing staff, the rehabilitation staff, and the kitchen staff. The successes I achieved while under your care were dramatic and life-changing for me. Your dedication and encouragement made a difficult journey not only bearable, but memorable!”

Spinal Cord Injury Recovery at Reunion

SCI is one of the main diagnoses that we provide rehabilitation for at Reunion. We understand that every SCI patient has a unique situation, so our staff is always there to provide continued support and present holistic recovery options.

There are a few different ways that we provide specialized support for these patients, including:

• Adaptive equipment training for daily living activities

• Use of adaptive technologies (such as virtual reality) to improve aerobic function, balance, pain level, and motor-function recovery

• Interactive technology for physical and cognitive endurance

• Orthotic and prosthetic services for spine stabilization

• Bladder and bowel management

• Spasticity management