Becky
Reeve
Hi, my
name is Becky Reeve from Salt Lake City, Utah. I am 66
years old. In 1962, while serving as a missionary, I was
involved in a car accident which injured my neck (C-6)
leaving me paralyzed from the neck down. Doctors gave me
no hope. I would be nothing more than a vegetable never
able to sit up or move again. For over 43 years I have
fought back against impossible odds to walk again.
I entered the Sit Tall Stand Tall Program in 1985 after
being injured for 23 years. I had worked for hundreds of
thousands of hours in the old medically established
programs. Only to find out that I had used leg braces
that were not made for walking, and worked out on
parallel bars and with a walker which focuses on using
arm muscles. When my arms got tired when I was walking
with a waker (usually about 50 feet) I would have to sit
down.
I experienced immediate changes in my physical strength
and in my physical abilities from the first day in the
Sit Tall Stand Tall program. My challenges have been to
retrain my muscles after 23 years of standing (using my
arms for balance) and throwing my legs to walk...to
learning the correct way to stand, balance, and step
without using my arms. It has been a terrible struggle
and it has no ben easy to change. My body is finally
adjusting to the vertical position and to taking steps
using my body instead of my arms. My goal is to walk
again.
In the 21 years that I have been in the program working
to retrain my muscles to walk again, I have experienced
so many great beneftis in my every day living. I have
been able to maintain my health and strength. I am up to
active 14 hours or more a day. I am able to control my
bladder infections. They are less frequent and I don't
have to spend time in bed sick. My immune system is
stronger in fighting off colds and sickness. I am able to
live my life to it's fullest. I am involved in many
interesting activities. I am looking forward to reaching
my goal of walking.