MRC News

Sigma Nu Charity Bowl raises $100,000 for Delta teen paralyzed in football game

OXFORD, Miss.—Until he googled the word “paralysis,” University of Mississippi senior Matthew Marks had never heard of Robert Cassidy.

But after reading about the Ruleville teen, Marks was sure he had found the perfect recipient for funds raised at the Sigma Nu Charity Bowl.

Who better to benefit than a guy whose courage mimics that of the late Chuckie Mullins, the Ole Miss defensive back who first inspired the annual event. Both athletes broke their necks playing football, yet neither let the tragedy define his future.

Outpatient rehabilitation expands

RIDGELAND, Miss.--Methodist Rehabilitation Center recently opened a physical therapy clinic at Fitness Lady in Ridgeland, a move that makes perfect sense to gym member Monique Guimbellot of Madison.

“If you need physical therapy, your gym would be the best place to have it,” she said. “It’s so convenient.”

Guimbellot was among the hundreds who took advantage of a March health fair and open house at Fitness Lady. For most, it was a time to take advantage of free health screenings and learn more about the services offered by Methodist Rehab.

For the love of Charity

RICHLAND, Miss.—A 2-year-old’s birthday party just naturally prompts smiles. But the grin on Tiffany French’s face is especially wide as she watches daughter Charity tear into her gifts.

This is one young mom who feared she’d never see the day. Just three months after giving birth, French suffered a paralyzing stroke.

From the brink of fame to the brink of death

JACKSON, Miss. — It has been four long months since Brandon Young grasped the long neck of his electric bass and laid down the low notes for The Terms rock band. A near-fatal Sept. 30 car crash put his rising music career on hold.

But not even a severe brain injury could make Brandon forget the familiar feel of strings and frets beneath his fingertips.

The Shreveport rocker recently grabbed a toy guitar and demonstrated a few bass notes for the staff at Methodist Rehabilitation Center in Jackson, Mississippi.

You've just got to roll with it

JACKSON, Miss.—As Robert Cassidy wraps his right hand around the joystick of a power wheelchair, he acts as nonchalant as a kid playing “Need for Speed” on his Nintendo.

“How fast can I go?” he asks Methodist Rehabilitation Center physical therapist Allison Fracchia, as she fits his lanky frame into the sleek chair.

“Six miles per hour” is her answer, a reply that prompts a wry observation from Cassidy’s aunt Birteen Burnside. “I can just hear his principal saying: ‘Cassidy, no running in the halls,’ ” Burnside says.

Mosquitoes no small threat

FLOWOOD, Miss.—After winter’s first freeze, most people quit worrying about mosquitoes bearing West Nile virus. Not Melanie Smith. “I see something flying around and I freak out,” says the 42-year-old Jackson resident.

Smith has just cause to be jittery. West Nile virus put her in a wheelchair. “See what a mosquito can do,” she says, as therapists at Methodist Outpatient Rehabilitation in Flowood help her struggle to her feet. “You can go to bed fine, then wake up and you can’t walk.”

Hands-on therapy eases pain of disabling neurological disorder

FLOWOOD, Miss.—Frances Nash couldn’t keep her head on straight.

Sometimes, it tilted so far to the left that her ear nearly touched her shoulder. Other times, it lolled backward like a helpless newborn’s.

All the time, her head and neck hurt so badly that Nash didn’t know if she could bear it. “What I have won’t kill you, but sometimes I wished it would because it was so painful,” said the 70-year-old Pearl resident.

Do Grandma a favor, rid home of holiday fall hazards

JACKSON, Miss.--Don’t worry about Grandma getting run over by a reindeer this Christmas. She’s more likely to be done in by a decorative doormat.

“Anything that might trip the elderly can be deadly,” explains Susan Geiger, a physical therapist for Methodist Rehabilitation Center in Jackson. “Falls are the No. 1 cause of fatal injuries for people over age 65, and 60 percent of falls occur in the home.”

The holiday season contributes to fall risks because many elderly are visiting homes that may not be “grandparent proof.”

National research organization recognizes contributions of Methodist Rehabilitation Center neuropsychologist

JACKSON, Miss.--Dr. Mark Sherer of Madison, director of neuropsychology at Methodist Rehabilitation Center in Jackson, is one of only four professionals this year to be named a fellow by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM).

The award from the world’s leading nterdisciplinary rehabilitation research organization recognizes Dr. Sherer’s significant contributions to the field of medical rehabilitation and to the ACRM.

Going the extra MILES--Brain injury group gives Florence woman chance to help others

JACKSON, Miss.—What is my life going to be like now?

Jan Nash remembers thinking that as she rolled up the newly constructed wheelchair ramp to her Florence home. Her brain had been damaged by both an aneurysm and a stroke, leaving the normally self-reliant Nash feeling helpless and hopeless.

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