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From Paralysis to Parenthood
Tammy Voynik gave birth to her first child, Joseph, at 31 and two years later to Anna Kate. Sixteen years earlier, after a car accident left her paralyzed, she feared she would never be a mother.
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Featured News
Methodist Rehab only MS hospital to receive specialty accreditation for brain and spinal injury programs
Methodist Rehabilitation Center recently became the only hospital in Mississippi to receive specialty accreditation for brain and spinal injury rehabilitation and one of only six with specialty accreditation in stroke rehab.
The Jackson hospital received the three-year accreditation from CARF International, an independent, non-profit organization that has been measuring the quality of medical rehab programs since 1966.
“While we’ve been CARF-accredited since 1992, we believe this latest stamp of approval reflects our unique expertise,” said Mark Adams, chief executive officer of Methodist Rehab. “We earned accreditations in all three of our specialty programs – both inpatient and outpatient – because we’ve built an in-depth program that focuses on the lifelong health care needs of people with disabling injuries or illness.”
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Hattiesburg pediatrician helps illustrate Now I Can campaign
Hattiesburg pediatrician John Gaudet likes to get up close and personal with his young patients.
So when muscular dystrophy began to hamper his hands-on style, he sought help from the Assistive Technology (AT) Clinic at Methodist Rehabilitation Center in Jackson.
Clinic staff looked at Gaudet’s health and lifestyle needs, and custom-fit the active physician with a standing power wheelchair. Now he can rise high to reach babies in hospital bassinets or go low to capture wiggly toddlers at his Children¹s Medical Group office.
“It gives me more flexibility – it’s liberating,” he says. “I really wouldn¹t be able to do my job efficiently without it.”
Gaudet’s success with his high-tech wheelchair has earned him a role in Methodist Rehab’s Now I Can campaign. Through a series of posters, the campaign highlights the achievements of former Methodist Rehab patients.
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Methodist Orthotics & Prosthetics in Hattiesburg helps Brazilian woman gain new lease on life
Thanks to the combined efforts of a local family, many friends and several businesses, a Brazilian woman will soon be on her way home with a new spring in her step.
Valdisa Santos, a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, is the recipient of a new prosthetic leg, thanks to the caring hearts of a group of Pine Belt residents and businesses -- including Methodist Orthotics & Prosthetics in Hattiesburg.
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Methodist Rehab fields largest wheelchair fencing team in nation
Sonia Fogal and Joey Brinson make no bones about their competitive spirits.
Fogal, 42, and a Jackson resident, has played softball and volleyball. Brinson, 33, a Brandon native now living in Okolona, says he’s always liked “different” sports
Neither lost that spirit when separate traffic accidents took away the use of their legs.
Now both athletes are using their competitive drive to become among the best wheelchair fencers in the nation. The pair was recently named to the U.S. National Wheelchair Fencing team, and they have hopes of earning medals in the 2012 Paralympics in London.
Meanwhile, they’re participating in tournaments across the country as members of the Blade Rollers, a wheelchair fencing team begun by Methodist Rehabilitation Center (MRC) in Jackson.
MRC Therapeutic Recreation Director Ginny Boydston -- who now serves as team leader for the U.S. Wheelchair Fencing team -- introduced the sport to Mississippi in July, 2006. The Blade Rollers were formed the next year, and have since grown to be the largest wheelchair fencing team in the United States.
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Now I Can campaign celebrates triumphant return to work for St. D. secretary
Ruby Nunnery has spent more than 28 happy years as unit secretary for St. Dominic Behavioral Health Services in Jackson.
So when a stroke threatened her reign as everyone’s favorite Girl Friday, Nunnery was heartbroken – until she found the help she needed to reclaim the job she loves.
“It was one of the happiest days when I came back to work,” she said.
Nunnery says the transition was made easier by her hard work at Quest, Methodist Rehabilitation Center’s community reintegration program for brain injury survivors.
Indeed, Nunnery’s recovery was so successful, she was asked to be part of Methodist Rehab’s new Now I Can campaign. Through a series of posters, the campaign highlights the achievements of people who have triumphed over disabling injuries or illness.
“The posters are prominently displayed on Methodist Rehab’s second floor, and we did that for a reason,” said chief executive officer Mark Adams. “We believe it helps new patients realize that recovery is within reach.”
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