JACKSON, Miss.—For Chris Gill, playing with his band, Gillmore, before a rowdy crowd is a pleasure that was almost lost forever. On a Tuesday afternoon last April, the 34 year-old Ridgeland man was driving to a Jackson restaurant to perform when an 18 wheeler struck his car. He never made it to the show.
Gill suffered numerous broken bones and a traumatic brain injury. After emergency surgery, he underwent intensive therapy at Methodist Rehabilitation Center to learn how to walk again.
LUCEDALE, Miss.—This time last year, James Havard was looking pretty bad.
The 18 year-old senior at East Central High School had several broken bones and a tube placed in his throat to alleviate internal bleeding after a life-threatening car accident near Lucedale.
Havard, a tight end on the football team, also suffered a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the chest down.
FLOWOOD, Miss.—On a day with perfect, cool, fall weather, hundreds of runners, wheelchair racers and volunteers reunited at Methodist Rehabilitation Center’s east campus in Flowood to raise money for spinal cord and brain injury research.
Reunion Race, now in its 16th year, has grown into an annual tradition that draws able-bodied and physically challenged athletes from across the South.
JACKSON, Miss.—As a part of Think First, Methodist Rehabilitation Center’s statewide injury prevention program, physicians and staff at the Jackson hospital are working with firefighters and paramedics to encourage children in Mississippi schools to always think first about bicycle safety.
Sammy Safety, Methodist Rehab’s injury prevention mascot, and the Jackson Fire Department have teamed up to teach students at McLeod Elementary School in Jackson proper hand signals and the importance of always wearing bike helmets. The Think First team encourages students to:
JACKSON, Miss.--After a traumatizing burn accident, Melissa Nixon is moving forward and giving thanks to those who helped piece her life back together.
With a cheerful smile and dancing blue eyes, Nixon walked around the east campus of Methodist Rehabilitation Center on Tuesday afternoon, greeting her caregivers with red roses and hugs to show her appreciation.
JACKSON, Miss.--Hundreds of health care workers crowded into Methodist Rehabilitation Center’s two-story Atrium Mall to show their sympathy and generosity for those killed in terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pittsburgh.
Methodist Rehab officials estimate more than 500 attended the hour-long memorial service where prayers were said and donations were taken for the American Red Cross disaster relief fund. The audience also learned how they could donate to memorial funds for the families of fire fighters killed at the World Trade Center.
MADISON, Miss.—Methodist Rehabilitation Center is working with American Medical Response and the Madison fire and police departments to encourage children to think first about safety during National Childhood Injury Prevention Week (Sept. 1-7).
As part of Think First, the Jackson hospital’s statewide injury prevention program, Methodist Rehab employees will promote the Sammy Safety Seatbelt Patrol at Madison Ridgeland Academy on Wednesday, Sept. 5, from 7:30-8 a.m.
JACKSON, Miss.—Scott Therell loved to kneeboard before he lost the use of his legs in a 1995 car crash. When he left the hospital he vowed he’d find a way to water ski once again.
“I didn’t know what kind of water sports were available for the disabled,” said Therell of Chunky. “I had tried to kneeboard, but it was tough without the use of legs.”
RANKIN COUNTY, Miss.—Methodist Rehabilitation Center’s newest employee, Sammy Safety, is teaming up with the Reservoir Patrol at the Ross Barnett Reservoir to encourage boaters to always think first about safety, especially during the long Labor Day weekend.
Sammy, his Methodist Rehab co-workers and Reservoir officers are promoting the Sammy Safety Boat Patrol which reminds both children and adults to always wear their life jackets, follow safe boating rules and act responsibly on and in the water.
SARDIS LAKE, Miss.—When Jackson resident Josh Sharpe looked out over the water at Sardis Lake and prepared to race in the Dragonfly Triathlon, he faced a greater challenge than the other few hundred competitors.