TMC PULSE

September 2018

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T M C » P U L S E | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 8 22 Approximately 288,000 people in the United States are living with a spinal cord injury, with 17,700 new cases occurring each year, accord- ing to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center. Most of the injuries are caused by vehicular accidents, falls, acts of violence and sports and recreation activities. Nearly 70 percent of all cases result in incomplete spinal cord injuries. "The big cable that comes into your house and powers all your TVs [has] a million little wires," Mary explained. "If that's cut, you can't just attach it back altogether. You might [attach] some of them. You might get some audio. You might get some video. But there are too many little wires. That's sort of how Gene is." Alford remained in Houston Methodist's intensive care unit under heavy sedation for a week and a half. "We definitely worried about him dying during those 11 days, but I never worried about, 'Oh my good- ness, how are we going to spend the rest of our lives like this?'" Mary said. "We just didn't allow ourselves to think that way." On Jan. 10, Alford moved from the Houston Methodist ICU to TIRR Memorial Hermann, a rehabilita- tion hospital for patients with brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke and other conditions. He spent a grueling six weeks in physical and occupational therapy to relearn basic functional skills—how to feed himself, use the bathroom, shower, get in and out of a wheelchair, and more. This was his new normal. "When I was at TIRR, I was sur- rounded by therapists, enthusiastic people," Alford said. "TIRR's a sad place with what people are going through there, but if you think about how much recovery people are mak- ing, it's a really happy place." Alford returned home for two months in March and April 2008 and spent many days in solitude while Mary, a dentist, went to work. He filled his time writing thank you notes to family and friends who had sent food and flowers, but it was a struggle. "It used to take me two minutes to write a thank you note, but now it takes 10 or 15 because I'm in this funk," Alford said. "You're trying to say thank you, which is a happy emotion, but there's not any happi- ness at all." • • • Advance your career with the Master of Health Administration Degree from Texas A&M University The Executive Track of the Texas A&M University Master of Health Administration (MHA) Program is tailored for mid-career health professionals ready for their next step. Our 12-course, 48-credit hour master's degree takes 24 months to complete; spans both fundamental and contemporary topics in health administration; and emphasizes the leadership skills and practices required to address the range of issues currently facing health organizations and their leaders. For more information: https://sph.tamhsc.edu/degrees/mha/emha/ (979) 436-9483 MHA_info@tamhsc.edu Our MHA Program matches the lifestyle of busy health professionals: x Format: Face-to-face class sessions meet one weekend each month x Convenience: Courses are taught at the Texas Medical Center in Houston x Focus: One 4-credit hour course at a time x Expertise: Learn from nationally recognized faculty Alford shares a moment with Charles Soparkar, M.D., Ph.D., outside the OR.

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