T h e   M i c h a e l   J .   M o o r e   H o m e   P a g e

D e v o t i o n             D e d i c a t i o n         D e t e r m i n a t i o n

June 11, 2004 is a day that will never be forgotten in the Moore family.  Michael was driving his future wife home from work when the car mysteriously went off the road less than 5 miles from home.  The site of the accident is familiar to the local community. Many accidents happen in the very same place that Michael and Kimmy had their wreck.   The cause of the accident was inconclusive, with no witnesses and only one car involved.  Michael and Kimmy think they were blown off the road by a burst of wind.

Whatever the cause, the results were devastating.  After being removed by the jaws of life, Michael and Kimmy were flown by helicopter to Desert Regional Medical Center where Michael spent the next month in ICU. Kimmy was released after 5 days with broken vertebrae and broken teeth.  Her recovery took a year, and now she cares for Michael and works to try to pay the bills. Michael died for 2 minutes while at the hospital, and thanks to his nurse, Jenny noticing his flat line, he was revived and started the hard road to recovery.

Michael was told he would never get any better than being a full quadriplegic. He was moved from hospital to hospital, winding up in a nursing home, an overwhelmingly depressing place.  Anyone who has been in the medical recovery system knows how frustrating and dismal the experience can be. That was the first of 3 nursing homes for Michael.  Every time we tried to get him into an aggressive therapy program, the insurance told us he had to go to a nursing home to prove he could sustain acute rehab. Every time he got depressed by the poor care and dispiriting atmosphere.  The attitude was more in the direction of complacent digression rather than recovery and Michael’s sensitive spirit was strongly affected by these surroundings.  He told Kimmy he would die if he had to stay there, so she took him home.

Michael is a positive inspiration to us all. Never giving up, he went home, got married and decided to achieve his goal with or without the help of his insurance company. With the help of his new wife, Kimmy, and daughter, Anna, Michael started home therapy. Progress was slow, but Michael never doubted he would walk again. Even when the doctor told him walking was impossible, even when the therapist showed him a chart that showed, with his injury, walking was not an option.

Project Walk gave Michael a new view on how to recover.  Check out the website (projectwalk.org) to see how many people in Michael’s situation they have helped to go beyond what traditional health care will say is possible for Spinal Cord Injury patients.  Project Walk is very expensive and Michael’s insurance (medicare) will not pay for this progressive form of recovery.

Michael is now in his 3rd year of recovery and beginning his second year at Project Walk. He is walking with assistance in a walker, as well as a rigorous exercise based program that includes doing squats, sit ups, standing in a standing frame (30 minutes), riding a stationary bike (1 hour), and over an hour a day of stretching! He is making slow but steady progress and believes 2007 will be the year that he walks again.

Finding caregivers has also been quiet a challenge in this emotional roller coaster ride.  Consistent care seems hard to find and impossible to keep. We have been fortunate to find a couple of fabulous people-Randy and Deanna-who are dedicated to helping Michael reach his goal.

Michael only goes to Project Walk once a week due to the expense of the therapy and traveling. If we can raise enough money to pay for another day so he can go 2 times a week, the reality of walking will come that much sooner, and Michael can focus on a life of independence and quality.  By donating to NTAF in Michael's name, you can help him achieve his goals!

MICHAEL MOORE WILL WALK AGAIN

You can be a part of his story.

Make checks payable to: 

NTAF Southwest Spinal Cord Injury Fund

150 N. Radnor Chester Road

Suite F-120

Radnor, Pa 19087

Please put Michael Moore in the memo section of the check,

 or he will not receive the donation.

Or, donate online at:

www.transplantfund.org