What Happened and What I Have Had Done

My name is Ernest (Tim) Bishop and I am a T-6 Level Paraplegic, I am married and I have a 5 year old daughter. This is what I remember.....On November 26th 2008, the day before Thanksgiving I was on my way home to help my wife and daughter finish making the pies for Thanksgiving Day. I was coming off of Reed Wade Road and came to a stop and turned my blinker on to make a right. I looked to the left and it was clear so I went to take my right.The vehicle that hit me was coming from the right so it does not make sense to me as to how this happened. One of the state troopers from the scene of the accident came to the ER and handed my wife 4 tickets right before I was life flighted. I was unconscious so they took the other driver's word and he wrote a statement that I failed to yield. The next thing I know I am in the ER and being life flighted to the Elvis Presley Trauma Center in Memphis, TN. I spent from November 27th to December 30, 2008 in the Memphis Trauma Center. I sustained a T-7  Spinal Burst, broke almost all ribs, spleen lacerations, shoulder blade fractions, collapsed lungs, cyst on the brain from head trauma and a cervical fracture. I stopped breathing on the operating table and had to be put on life support. I developed pneumonia, ICU psychosis and a stage 4 bed sore. On December 30th 2008 I was transported by ambulance to Shepherd Center in Atlanta, GA. This was impatient rehab and where I had skin flap surgery on my bed sore. I came home on February 24, 2009. Since then I have been researching stem cells and all other avenues I can in hopes of regaining the functions of an able bodied person. I found Costa Rica and a lady (Trish) who had already been to Costa Rica. She went to Costa Rica for one month. I have her blog in the right side of my blog if you want to check out her progress. I only got to go to Costa Rica for 2 weeks because of funds and my wife was out of vacation time. I went in March 2010. I am hoping to raise enough money to go get more stem cell therapy and bone marrow like Trish did. I have had some significant gains since I have had the stem cell shots. I have gained from my chest right below the breast bone to my pelvic area. I can now feel sensations and have gained muscles in my stomach and back. Before my first set of stem cells I had none of this...I just think of where I might be if I would of been able to stay for a month of treatments. I will know the full benefit of my stem cells up to six months after the treatment and that will be around September 2010. The therapy in other countries is also so much better than in the US. In the US therapy is all about teaching you how to live with the way that you are and about taking notes during what is suppose to be your time. In Costa Rica the therapy was about not settling for less and trying to get you you to focus on and do things that you would never think was possible.  All of the US doctors have said " your are paralyzed and you will never walk again, that's just the way it is." That does not give one hope at all. In Costa Rica I was treated with hope. They encouraged me to try to move my legs, to stand in walker and got me to do it. They got me to do things that I haven't done since the accident. It felt so great just to stand...While I was there, there was three  T-6 complete paraplegics. Two of them was walking with braces and the other one was me. The two that was walking with braces were on there second  trip. Hopefully, I will soon be on my second trip. Were home and back to therapy. I soon start noticing my ribs starting to hurt were I'd never felt them. The stomach muscles started to come back and my side muscles. One at a time and over seven months. I have gained all my stomach, my back muscles and side muscles. I no longer need medications to be intimate with my wife. It now works on its own. Now, when I would go to therapy I wouldn't slouch when I sit. I was actually sitting on my body or it was making me sit up straight I lost all balance again and had to start over. Before I was catching a five pound ball. On January 9, 2011 I am leaving for Panama for my second round of stem cells. I am very hopeful and looking forward to the trip.