STARKVILLE – When David Lang decided to patch his roof during halftime of the 2011 Gator Bowl, Mississippi State was well on its way to trouncing the University of Michigan 52 to 14.
It was an unforgettable game, alright, but the MSU scientist can’t remember a single play. Memories of that New Year’s Day – and the 10 days after – were wiped away by a brain-rattling fall that he also can’t recall.
As he left Methodist Rehabilitation Center on Jan. 11, Stevelyn Robinson of Winona had one plan in his playbook – to catch up with his friends at Montgomery High School’s next basketball game.
It would be different, of course, sitting courtside in a wheelchair rather than playing point guard for the Hornets. But “Pooda,” as his friends and family call him, isn’t one to dwell on life’s disappointments.
At age 91, Elizabeth McIlwain of Jackson has a simple plan for staying young.
“Live today like you did yesterday and live tomorrow like you did today,” she said. “And if something happens to your health, go take care of it.”
McIlwain practices what she preaches, which is why she recenty spent time working out on the exercise equipment at Methodist Rehab’s east campus in Flowood.
She is determined to overcome debilitating back pain that threatened her active lifestyle and put her at risk for life-threatening falls.
Louise Hayes had a trailer full of assistants to help her dress as she transformed into a 1960s-era maid for her brief role in the new movie “The Help.”
All the attention was nice, but not necessary.
“I had to let them know I can do some things myself,” said Hayes, 72, who lost her right arm in a car accident four years ago and has since adapted well to the use of a prosthetic limb.
“I needed help with some of the buttons, but other than that, I could put everything on myself,” she said. “Still, it was really nice to have people there to cater to me.”
To watch a video of this therapy, go to the MethodistRehabMS YouTube channel.
JACKSON—Fannie Nelson of Jackson slips her left arm into a robotic exoskeleton, wraps her fingers around a handgrip and begins firing at a flock of chickens flying across a computer screen.
It looks like a scene from a futuristic video arcade, but at play here is the hard work of rehab. Armeo®Spring therapy is helping the 50-year-old regain function in her once paralyzed left arm.
His baseball uniform looks identical to the ones worn by his Brandon Bull Dawgs teammates.
But hidden inside Kaleb Sessions’ cap is something special – a one-of-a-kind liner that lessens the impact of line drives to a pitcher’s head.
The ingenious safety feature was custom designed at Methodist Orthotics & Prosthetics in Flowood, a division of Methodist Rehabilitation Center in Jackson.
World-class wheelchair fencers from across the nation – including former Paralympian Mario Rodriguez of California – will gather at Methodist Rehabilitation Center from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 4 to hone their skills in preparation for the 2012 Paralympics in London.
The Jackson hospital was chosen as the site for the Team USA Training Camp because of its commitment to the adaptive sport.
The Rev. G.R. “Ricky” Gray was gathering his courage in a back room at Flowood Baptist Church when his youngest son, Michael, found him there.
“Are you scared?” he asked.
“Son, I’m more scared now than I was 42 years ago,” his father said.
After more than four decades of giving sermons week after week, Gray was struggling with a preacher’s version of stage fright. It had been eight weeks since he’d last been in the pulpit — six weeks longer than he’d ever gone before. And a lot had happened in that time.
Ettalynn Tracy of Brandon never wanted to spend nine days in stroke rehab.
But she's happy, at least, that her need for therapy coincided with the Feb. 24 re-opening of Methodist Rehabilitation Center’s remodeled stroke floor.
“Compared to other places, it’s like the Hilton,” she said. “I like everything about it. It’s so nice, so roomy and so clean.”
The Junior Auxiliary of Rankin County (JARC) will honor Robby Scucchi as its Community Volunteer of the Year on March 26.
In a sense, the award will pay tribute to two people. Scucchi says it was his late mother, Brenda Scucchi, who taught him that “time and compassion are meant to be given away.” Even when she was sick with cancer, she never stopped thinking of others.