JACKSON, Miss.—Carl E. (Gene) Delcomyn of Jackson has joined the Board of Governors of the Wilson Research Foundation, the fundraising arm of Methodist Rehabilitation Center.
The Honorable Judge Ginny Wilson Mounger, chairman of the foundation’s board, said, “Gene has been tremendously successful in business and as a community leader, and he will be a wonderful asset to our mission to support life-changing research and patient care at Methodist.”
After suffering a few busted lips, Ray Ishee of Stringer gave up fist-fighting back in grade school.
But on a recent weekday, the 68–year-old willingly put up his dukes for a round of make-believe boxing. It’s part of his “Wii-habilitation” therapy at a Jackson hospital.
Staff at Methodist Rehabilitation Center began using the Nintendo Wii video game system in inpatient and outpatient therapy sessions a couple of months ago. And they say even elderly patients have come to embrace the chance to play virtual baseball, tennis, golf, bowling and boxing.
As a TV camera whirs, Yvonne Porter executes some jumping jacks and jogs a few steps.
The Madison retiree is demonstrating how a new electronic device has helped her overcome the crippling effects of a condition called foot drop.
“I’ve told a lot of people I’m going to be the Bionic Woman,” said Porter, who volunteered to be the subject of a WLBT Medical Matters spot. “Now I can confidently go outside and walk without the fear of falling.”
Millard Frazier’s back hurt so bad, he could barely walk.
On the worst days, he would lie flat on his back, doped up on pain meds and thinking: This is no way to live.
Unwilling to undergo surgery, Frazier feared he might be in agony forever. Then he began seeing Dr. Kenneth Fox, a physician who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R). And within a month, he was “walking straight and pain-free.”
“It was a blessing the Lord sent me to him,” said the Clinton resident. “Now my back very seldom hurts.”
George Haden wants to finish the autobiography he was writing before surgery complications took away his ability to type.
Caroline Duckworth wants to stay in better touch with her three children, who haven’t lived with their mom since Duckworth became paralyzed from the neck down.
And quadriplegic Tony Watts longs for an easier way to e-mail friends and surf the Internet.
All three residents of Methodist Specialty Care Center in Flowood expect to benefit from a new Adaptive Computing Lab at Methodist Rehabilitation Center in Jackson.
“Your son has been hit by a car and critically injured.”
It was April 27, 2007, and the words coming over the phone line shook Leila Lane to the core. “I knew from the sound of her voice how very bad it was,” Leila said. “I asked: Is he alive?”
“He was when they brought him in,” replied the hospital social worker. “Let me go check.” Minutes later, Leila learned that her middle child was alive, but breathing with the help of machines. “Get here as soon as possible,” said the caller.
How far will Connie Flanagin go to help patients take advantage of the services available at Methodist Rehabilitation Center?
Here’s a hint: Her 1999 Lexus has 360,000 miles on it.
As manager of the hospital’s community outreach representatives, Flanagin is definitely driven, says Chief Financial Officer Gary Armstrong.
“She enjoys going around the state and outside the state telling the story of Methodist Rehab,” Armstrong said. “She will travel weekends, nights or whatever it takes to ensure patients are seen in a timely manner.”
LAUREL—Wheelchair user Drenda Barrett used to fear a literary avalanche every time she grabbed a book off an overhead shelf.
“I’ve pulled books down on my head a time or two – and some of our books are not light,” said the Laurel librarian.
So there’s no disguising her delight with a new power wheelchair that allows safe access to the library’s loftiest perches.
PEARL—Playing charades used to be a never-ending pastime for Gayle and Ken Heckman.
She would gesture, and he would guess what she was trying to say. It’s how the Pearl couple communicated after a 1993 stroke left Gayle struggling to speak or write.
Now the Heckmans are happy to report that there’s a new game in town. Today, Gayle just taps a touch screen to tell Ken everything from “I love you” to “the plants need watering.”
Dr. Alyson Jones finds something achingly familiar in the faces of her stroke patients at Methodist Rehabilitation Center in Jackson.
Their suffering calls to mind her paternal grandmother, whose stroke-related disabilities left a lasting impression on an empathetic little girl.
“I was young, maybe 5 or 6, and I remember going to her house,” Dr. Jones said. “Whenever she saw me, she would start crying. I wanted to understand her, but I couldn’t because the stroke left her unable to speak. That affected me. I would sit there feeling sad because I wanted to help her.”