Success Stories

CARLOS

When asked how coming to The Recovery Project has helped him reach his goals, Carlos laughed kindly and said, “It’s everything. They’ve done so much, it’s hard to really simplify it. But I’ll try!”
Carlos was paralyzed and confined to a motorized wheelchair in November 2013. In the year and a half since his injury, which has primarily been spent with The Recovery Project, Carlos has achieved incredible results. It took him one month to get to a mechanical wheelchair, a month and a half after that to progress to a walker, and two months later he was using a cane. Today, he is working on trying to run.
“The Recovery Project really works with you, and they build a program completely customized to YOU,” Carlos said. “At the place I went to before, they stopped a lot of things I wanted to do, they didn’t understand my concept of training. I’d been working out, I was in the military. For me, when you make things harder, I enjoy it more and perform better. The other facility didn’t understand that, they wanted to stick to their outlined programs, so they stopped me from doing some things I wanted to do.”
“At The Recovery Project, they’re more for you than for any set program. They’ve worked with me to develop my own program, which I love, and they don’t hold me back,” he continued.
Carlos currently participates in physical and occupational therapy, as well as athletic training, four to five days per week. In addition to enjoying the customized, high-intensity programs, Carlos loves working with The Recovery Project team and how engaging and effective they make each session.
“The staff is so encouraging, everyone is in it to win it. All of the therapists know me, and I know them, whether or not they’re actually the therapist I’m working with at the time,” said Carlos. “Even when I’m working out with one therapist, others will come by to suggest different things to try. At other places, people stick to just their client, but at The Recovery Project, it’s an “OUR client” mentality, not just one person’s client.”
This integrated, connected approach has also helped to maximize his time spent there. He shared that with other rehab facilities, time would have to be spent each appointment by clinicians asking what he had been working on, and what he had tried already. “Here though,” he says, “everyone knows what you’re working on because you’re in the same space, and it keeps me on pace.”
Lastly, Carlos loves the open, fun and encouraging atmosphere at the clinics.
“I’ve built some nice friendships with other clients at The Recovery Project, and it’s just a great place to be. It’s more fast-paced, up-tempo, fun and funny,” he concluded. “I enjoy myself there, and I like to go.”