Client Bios

At the age of 24, Richard T. had a house in Jersey City, a job in New York, a girlfriend of six years and a beach home. Some might say he was “living the life.” However, that August, Richard sustained a spinal cord injury due to a surfing accident. At the time, he believed that his condition was temporary. It wasn’t until after he had two or three surgeries, a tube in his neck, and an assortment of people making decisions for him that he realized his injury might be permanent. Richard endured months of treatment after his accident. He spent time in Jersey Medical Center’s ICU, Outlook Hospital, and Kessler Institute of Rehabilitation. So what is Richard’s life like today, four years after his spinal cord injury?

Today, Richard is married to the woman he was dating before his accident, manages a hedge fund and still goes to the beach. He does just about everything he did before his injury, just not as quickly. He is an extremely hardworking and motivated individual —admitting to working 100 hour weeks. Just recently, he had a house built to accommodate his new lifestyle.

Since joining Push to Walk, Richard has definitely seen improvement. He travels from Connecticut once a week to workout with Eric, one of the three trainers on staff. Thanks to Eric, and Richard’s own motivation, he was able to stand at his wedding! His sessions consist of working out with the standing bar, the Keiser Performance Trainer, and working on the mat. His standing was steadily improving until he recently took two weeks off. Richard’s goal last summer was to stand with a walker with the help of aides and he continues to set goals for himself. He explains that his family and friends are the most motivating people in his life and are the driving force behind his goal to recovery. Richard remains an optimistic person. Although he admits to feeling angry every day, asking the obvious question: “Why me?” he still has hope that he will one day get better. He believes in a hoping mechanism—remarking that you just have to move forward, and try not to let your injury change your life too much.