Matt and Jen Hellstern are my guests this week on the QP. Find out how a seemingly innocuous fender bender one day on the way to work changed their entire family's life forever! They share their personal experiences of navigating a new normal following Matt's SCI. From the confusion of how it all came to be, to hours and hours of PT and OT, his participation in numerous clinical trials, and more.

You will hear what an amazingly resilient family unit they are, and how along their journey, they founded the Rise Through Resilience Foundation. RTRF exists to expand access to high-quality rehabilitation, equipment, education, and clinical support for individuals living with spinal cord injuries and other neurological illnesses or injuries. Through partnerships with evidence-based care such as Adaptletics, they aim to ensure that more people receive the kind of care that changed their lives—and that more families experience the hope and progress they were lucky enough to find.

Takeaways

• Importance of family support
• Advocacy for spinal cord injury awareness and research Family support is crucial in the recovery journey.
• The Rise Through Resilience Foundation aims to bridge the gap in access to recovery resources.
• Recovery is a journey without a fixed timeline, and small improvements are worth celebrating.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Background
• 06:07 Spinal Cord Injury
• 14:29 Support and Advocacy
• 20:25 Advocacy and Awareness
• 26:02 Support and Family Involvement
• 31:24 Resilience and Recovery
• 44:10 Looking to the Future