Story - The Meade County Messenger


Vol. 114, No. 38	September 19, 2007

Hope for renewal after paralysis

Photo courtesy Barbara Schmidt
Brandon Schmidt next to his pride and joy. He’d had plans of working with cars, but that changed. Now he’s working and attending McKendree University to earn a business degree.

By SANDRA STONE
Messenger Staff

When he was barely 18 years old, Brandon Schmidt was riding his motorcycle at a friend’s house. As he was going up a 70-foot jump, the bike malfunctioned and cut out. He went over the handlebars and landed on his back. When he tried to roll over, he realized he couldn’t feel his legs.

That was the day, three years ago, that Brandon Schmidt’s life, and the lives of his parents, Barbara and Steve Schmidt, changed forever.

Brandon had two operations and was at Frazier Rehab for two months. The doctors told Barbara her son’s spinal cord was bruised, probably due to the swelling and blood, and they classified him as a complete paraplegic, giving them no hope he would ever walk again.

But there is always hope, especially for a mother who wants the best for her son. Barbara Schmidt has read and researched spinal cord injuries and has learned about two machines which could help Brandon.

The first is an Easy Glider. The machine would get Brandon on his feet. The main purpose, said Barbara, is to get his weight on his legs to keep his muscles working. A variety of secondary health problems plague paraplegics, and this machine, she said, would help prevent those, would help keep his muscles and bowels working, help him keep his weight down and help prevent diabetes.

The second machine is a Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) machine which sends electrical current through the body, stimulating the nerves and moving the paralyzed limbs. “It can unblock and reroute circuits,” said Barbara, “essentially wake them up.” Some spinal cord patients who have used this machine have been able to walk again. Brandon is a candidate for the machine and had used it while in rehab. His doctor, said Barbara, also believes he would benefit from the use of the FES and wrote an order for it as well as a letter stating he felt it would be beneficial.

Everything sounds good so far, but the last hurdle remains. Barbara Schmidt has been trying to get the insurance company to provide these two machines, but their response, she said, is they don’t cover durable medical equipment or exercise equipment, which they consider these two machines to be.

In an effort to raise the funds for these two devices, the Schmidt family is holding a yard sale Sept. 29 at the Flaherty Firehouse, made available to them by Flaherty Fire Chief Alan Sipes. The family is requesting donations of any kind to sell in their fundraising yard sale. They will be accepting donations at the firehouse Sept. 28 and will open the doors at 8 a.m. Sept. 29 for all who wish to purchase items. “Any donations of any kind will be greatly appreciated,” said Barbara Schmidt. “This machine has given us some hope. We are asking for help in being able to continue to hope.”

For information about donating items for the yard sale or how you can help, contact Barbara Schmidt at (270) 877-5175.

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