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THE GAZETTE-TIMES, Heppner. OR, TWdy, Dee. 23, 1976. Tmi
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Laurie walks away from RIO with smile and parents following.
"Slow down," the photographer called to
luiuru- McCalw as hc walked down the ramp
outside the Hehalxlitation Institute of Oregon
(lUOl.
lune winked as she picked up her pace
Her parents, Mr. and Mrs Ernest Mc('alx
smiled.
Iiurie McCain, slow down? Not now, it
(eels too xd to move auai".
Severely injuri'd in a car accident last
summer, Uiune entered Cood Samaritan's
rehabilitation institute in a wheelchair.
I was told." she said, " that I was a
qu.idraparetic that both arms and lejis were
paralyzed. I learned to move my left ankle
and left thumb first. Then my ripht ankle
"Would I be abb- to move attain. I mean
really move No one could tell me "
I-aurie smiled, then continued "I'm very
lucky. Although I fractured three vertebrae in
my neck, damage to my spinal cord was not
complete "
Iturie was fortunate Hut retraining her
muscles to move took more than luck It look
IhriH- months of hard work and determina
tion It took two hours a day in physical therapy.
"Initially." her therapist. Mary Edwards
says, 1 I-iune had difficulty siltint" up. Her
"up" tolerance was poor because of postural
hypotension (low blood pressure). We worked
to improve this tolerance, and gradually the
length of time she was able to be 'up'
increased."
Then. Miss Edwards says, we began
strengthening exercises, a mat work pro
gram, and gait training.
"AH gains were slow, but steady. The more
Ijiurie was able to move, the more de
termined she was to move in new ways."
In learning to walk Laurie used parallel
bars, then a wide based quad cane. She also
used a narrow based quad cane and a straight
cane In-fore she was able to move on her own.
When she left RIO. she could walk a quarter
to a half mile without tiring.
She still experiences some weakness, Miss
Edwards says, and needs to increase her
endurance. So at home Laurie is learning to
II took two to three hours a day in
Occupational Therapy, which aims to make
patients independent in daily living activities.
These activities, therapist Nancy Wirtz says,
include self -rare, coordination, manual
dexterity and homcmaking.
"At first. Laurie was dependent in all such
activities." Mrs. Wirtz says. "Her arms and
hands were very weak. Through exercise we
worked to strengthen the muscles in her
arms, hands and fingers, and by the time she
left, she was totally independent.
"Changing dominance." the therapist says,
"was one of the biggest problems. Although
Laurie is right-handed, her strongest hand is
now her left. She's still learning to use her left,
hand for such things as writing, eating and
grooming."
Laurie spent her last four days at RIO in the
Homemaking Unit. "Many patients live in the
small apartment," Mrs. Wirtz says, "before
they leave. It's a testing ground to make sure
that they can live independently, and that
they are safe."
"I couldn't go home on weekends," Laurie
explains. "Heppner, Ore., was just too far. So
each weekend Pam and Jim picked me up.
Their support was so important.
"Actually this whole experience has
probably been important. You never ap
preciate anything until ou've lost it."
Laurie jumped in the front seat of the car.
In four hours, ihe'd be home. She looked at
the photographer, smiled and "slowly" shut
the car door.
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Merry Christmas
Slow down,
Laurie McCobe
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Learning to walk again with aid of therapist
and quad cane.
Story & photos
appeared in the
'good Samaritan'
magazine
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Testing herself In the homemaking unit.
Walking, using stronger left arm,
and parallel bars.