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Subscribe to RSSA rare spinal cord injury left 18-year-old surfer Kristen Adlhoch paralyzed, but thanks to special neurostimulation braces, she is walking again.
A freak injury stole Kristen Adlhoch's ability to walk, but the 18-year-old decided she wouldn't let it take away her hope.
Fifteen months after she collapsed on the beach, paralyzed from the waist down, Adlhoch walked across the TODAY studio, aided by crutches and an electronic device called the NESS L300 that stimulates her muscles, allowing her to walk.
Adlhoch was injured after she tried surfing for the first time during a family vacation to Hawaii. Her legs started feeling strange, so she headed to shore -- and made it about 50 yards before she collapsed. The diagnosis: Surfer's Myelopathy, a rare condition in which repeated hyperextension of the back causes a loss of blood flow to the spinal cord.
Adlhoch returned home from vacation in a wheelchair, and was told by doctors she may never walk again. But thanks to physical therapy, the electronic stimulator -- and her seemingly endless supply of positive attitude -- Adlhoch is now taking steps.
"I think from the very beginning I knew there was a reason that it happened, and I knew that something good could come out of it, if I let it," Adlhoch told TODAY's David Gregory. "If I allowed it to be a negative thing it would be, but if I allowed myself to grow from it, it would be a positive thing."
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Congratulations, Kristen, you are truly an inspiration! Not that long ago you would still have been in a wheelchair, now look at you. Joe and Angel, you raised an incredible young woman!
Thanks Jim, I think we got a little bit lucky, too.
I'm glad her therapy went well. As a physical therapist, I see alot of healing. But in this case, when it seems a God-sized problem, the "miracle" is not coincidence. It truly DOES 'happen for a reason' if it is His will. She was chosen, to witness to others, today via the media. Thanks, Today show, for revealing an uplifting story!! It is refreshing in today's times.
I couldn't agree with you more.
22 months ago, my daughter Kendall suffered from the same accident while surfing in Maui. Thank you so much for sharing this because it gives Kendall hope that someday soon she may be standing as well. Good luck to you and God Bless!
Dara, I wish the best for you and your daughter. She will be in my prayers.
Glad to see she can walk, even if it's with crutches and the stimulator. I bet she won't be needing either one in a short amount of time thanks to her positive outlook and her efforts in therapy. I wish they would have explained more about the condition and what exactly triggered it, though.
Actually, from what I understand the causes are mostly theory because it is rare and thus, not well studied. But basically it is like a stroke in the spinal cord caused by a combination of several things that may include; the prolonged arch in the back while lying on the board, possible dehydration caused by saltwater and sun, cold of the water, and an individuals personal predisposition. It is rare. In fact, Kristen was only the 19th patient at the hospital that she went to in Hawaii to have this condition since it became a recognized condition in the early 2000's. Hope this helps.
Way to go Kristen and the Bioness L300! Everyone in outpatient therapy at Life Care Center of Littleton is so proud of the acomplishments you have made.
You looked pretty good on there, too!
God Bless and hope you continue to improve - Benedictine College Nursing Department.