Are you ready to Walk It Out?! Magee Rehabilitation’s 3rd Annual Walk 2 Victory Step-a-Thon to benefit people living with paralysis will begin at 5:00 PM on this Friday, October 23 and continue through 5:00 PM on Saturday, October 24. The event will take place at Magee Riverfront at 1500 South Columbus Boulevard in South Philadelphia. Current and former patients will walk on a treadmill in the Locomotor Training Clinic (assisted by therapists as needed) continuously for 24 hours. Buddies will walk alongside them for support on traditional treadmills. It is a festive atmosphere with dance music, decorations, and delicious treats. When not walking, friends, family, and staff can enjoy refreshments, try their luck at raffles, catch up with former therapists and fellow patients, and cheer on the other participants.
There are nearly 1 in 50 people living with paralysis — approximately 6 million people. That’s the same number of people as the combined populations of Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. The mission of Magee is to improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities by providing high quality physical and cognitive rehabilitation services.
Locomotor Training (LT) has helped hundreds of people with paralysis improve their function and quality of life – people like Donna. After sustaining a spinal cord injury after a fall down the stairs, Donna started LT at Magee’s inpatient facility while at the same time also working on transfers and standing. During this time Donna recalls the first time she stood and took steps with a walker. It was a huge milestone for Donna and her confidence continued to grow along with a sense of rejuvenated happiness, which she would then carry with her to Magee’s outpatient facility. Donna felt like she was gaining more and more independence, but unfortunately had a setback. A few weeks after entering Magee Riverfront, Donna broke her ankle at home and was discharged. Despite all of this, she remained determined to progress back towards the independence she felt was gained. She received PT and OT at home and remained motivated to get back to Magee Outpatient where she could continue more intensive rehab.
About three months later Donna returned to Magee Riverfront to continue her rehabilitation. She was still shaken up from her set back but progressed beyond her previous improvements. She recalls a time on a Day Rehab field trip when she was utilizing a walker and stood atop a stairwell. “I was crying hysterically.” Donna realized that this was one of the first times she was looking down stairs since her injury. With the help of her PTs and OTs, she now looks at stairs as a challenge instead of a fear. This remains one of her main goals, along with gaining more independence with walking.
All proceeds from Walk 2 Victory go toward The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation NeuroRecovery Network and Magee’s Locomotor Training Clinic. If you would like to participate, please contact Erin O’Donnell at EODonnell@mageerehab.org. If you would like to sponsor one of the participants or make a general donation, please vist our event website.
We would like to thank the following generous businesses who donated raffle items: the Eagles franchise, the Flyers franchise, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Mutter Museum, Longwood Gardens, Chima, Yards Brewery, Row Zone Fitness Studio, Adventure Aquarium, Philadelphia Sports Massage, Parc Restaurant, Philadelphia Rock Gym, Iron Hill Brewery, Wegmans, Rim Café, Temple University Athletics, Temple Basketball, Target, and Chick-fil-a. Food donations will come from Insomnia Cookies, Couch Tomato in Manayunk, and Fork Restaurant. Also, a special thanks to all the individuals who raised money or donated food and raffle items. Lace up your sneakers! We hope to see you there!
