Three years later...

Hey Everyone!

Three years ago today, I was injured in Big Bear, CA by a freak sledding accident. I landed on my back causing a dislocation at my T10/11 vertebras. I was told that I would never walk again, but today, because of your support and donations, I am proving them wrong.

I recently finished my first semester at the University of Southern California (Go Trojans!). I have always wanted to attend USC. My older sister is a graduate and I’m proud to continue the tradition. I am majoring in Biomedical Engineering and minoring in Psychology. I am balancing my time between school and therapy. When I first started the semester, I felt a wave of independence. I was now driving myself to school and living on my own. I have a one bedroom apartment two blocks from campus. I have classes Monday through Thursday and I attend therapy with Taylor Isaacs on Wednesdays from 2:30-4:30 pm and Project Walk on Fridays from 2:00-5:00 pm. I come home Thursday nights and spend the weekend with my family. I am also the Secretary for the Lebanese Club at USC. And yeah, I love watching the Trojans play football at the Coliseum. It is a dream come true!

Despite the busy schedule, I have been making significant improvements in my therapy. I continue to use my Ankle Foot Orthopedics (AFOs) to walk independently. I have graduated from the walker to forearm crutches. These crutches are the step in between a walker and a cane. When I first transitioned I could immediately feel a difference. They are less stable when compared to the walker. But as you all know, I enjoy a challenge! They allow me to stand taller and promote a more regular gait pattern of opposite leg to opposite arm. My other improvements include stable standing balance, the ability to do alternate knee bends on the Total Gym, and overall better control of my legs.

Click here to view my 3 year anniversary video

Looking back at the past three years, it has been an uphill battle. I wouldn’t be able to keep fighting without your support, I have made it this far because of my donors and angels. I am getting closer to my goal of walking without any assistance. My donations have decreased and in order to accomplish my goal, I need your continued help. I need to be able to continue my therapy. I know the economy is bad, but anything you can donate will help. Please donate at www.helpjenwalkagain.com to fund my fight to walk again.

Thank you!

God bless and love always,

Jen Bou Lahoud

Summer 2011

Hey Everyone!

I know I haven’t written a post in awhile but I was extremely busy these past couple of months. During that time, I made significant improvements which I want to highlight for you!

My first year in community college is complete! I balanced 16 units a semester while continuing therapy at Project Walk and at Taylor-Kevin Isaacs’ facility while maintaining Dean’s List status for both semesters. In addition, I was accepted into the University of Southern California (USC) as a transfer student. If this wasn’t enough good news, I also learned that I received a full scholarship thanks to Swim with Mike. I will begin at USC on August 22. I know that as a begin my new life at USC I will continue to focus on my ultimate goal of walking again.

I also was maid of honor at Kristel’s wedding. Since her engagement to Serge in October 2009, I had the goal of walking down the aisle unassisted and standing by side as her maid of honor. I have focused on this goal and May 29, 2011, it was accomplished! (You will see some footage in the video attached at the end of this post.) It felt so amazing to not only stand proudly with my sister on the biggest day of her life, but to walk down and know that I have almost reached my ultimate goal. I walked assisted with my AFO (Ankle-Foot Orthotics) braces and a walker. If you recall, last year, I was only able to walk with my trainer Jillienne locking out my knees. Now, with the AFOs, I can walk with the walker and lock out my knees independently.

These past months have been filled with amazing progress. One of the most impressive is my endurance and strength. I am now able to walk about 200 feet without taking a break. Before, it was on average 75-100 feet. Also, I have been trying to walk with the AFO braces but without a walker! Instead of using a walker, I would be holding on to my Jillienne’s forearms. This has been very difficult because it creates less stability. I began by taking about 5 steps and then would fall down. Now, I can take about 15 consecutive steps before resting. I am inching closer to walking again, without a walker, without braces, and without any trainers assisting me.

In addition, I have completed my driving classes using a modified car with hand-control gears. I will hopefully be getting my driver’s license by the end of summer. Thanks to the Travis-Roy Foundation, I was sponsored through a grant to pay for the hand control modifications to our car. I can’t wait to drive myself around. It is one step closer towards my effort to be more independent.

Unfortunately, as I have mentioned in the past post, I have had to cut back significantly on my therapy hours. Instead of attendance 3 times a week at Project Walk, it has been to 2 times a week. I am almost to the point of reaching my goal of walking again, completely independent. In order to do so, I need your help. I need your help so that I may continue moving forward.

To see my latest improvements, click here.

Please note, that both means of donating, NTAF and Our Lady of Mount Lebanon, go directly to a medical fund set-up specifically for therapy. Those funds are only released when administrators from NTAF and Our Lady of Mount Lebanon pay my therapists directly.

To donate please visit, www.HelpJenWalkAgain.com and click on the Donate tab.

Thank you!

God bless and Love always,

Jen Bou Lahoud

Will you fund my fight to walk?

Hey Everyone!!

I hope everyone is having a great 2011 so far! I have made various improvements in the past two months. When walking with the AFO leg braces, I am able to take continuous larger steps. Also, I am able to initiate a mini kick when sitting on the edge of a table. Though the improvements are small, they are very important in my overall recovery.

In order to continue my fight to walk again, I need your help. I had to cut back on therapy because there are not enough funds to continue to go 3 times a week. I am now going to Project Walk only 2 times a week. It is difficult to cut back because I know the more hours I train, the faster I will recover. I have started to work out at home. I have been focusing on core exercises that I can do without the assistance of a trainer. Though I am glad I can do some exercises on my own, having trainers who create new exercises modified for my condition and progress as well as monitoring and giving me feedback on my gait mechanics are all essential to my recovery. I need your help to continue to donate so that I may continue moving forward. I know the economic times are hard, but I would greatly appreciate any donation you can make. Will you fund my fight to walk again?

Please visit: www.HelpJenWalkAgain.com on ways to donate.

Thank you!

Love you and God bless,

Jen BouLahoud

New Year. New Improvements. 2011

Hey everyone!

Happy New Year!! 2010 had its ups and downs but overall I thought it was a good year for me. I hope you enjoyed it too. I have a feeling 2011 will be even better! With the new year, comes new improvements. This video shows me walking with my new Ankle Foot Orthotics (AFO) braces.

The first steps were shaky and very slow; but I did it! I am one step closer to walking by myself without assistance. I went across the entire gym! It is an amazing feeling to be able to get from point A to point B. This is only the beginning. My goal is to walk without the AFOs and walker. I know it is possible!! 2011 is the year!

To see the video, CLICK HERE

I can’t thank you enough for everything you have done. I still need your help. Please fund my fight to walk again. I am almost there! I know it!

Thank you! Happy New Year!

God bless! Love always,

Jen Bou Lahoud

Angel Appreciation Banquet

Hey Everyone!

On December 12^th I had an Angel Appreciation Banquet to thank everyone who has donated and supported my fight to walk again. It began with a blessing from Father Zaidan of the Our Lady of Mount Lebanon Church whose words touched the audience: “When one member in our community is sick, the entire community is sick. It is important that we come together and help as much as we can.” Then my older sister, Kristel, gave her perspective of my accident as well as my progress. Her words made not only me but the entire audience tear up. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Then two of my most important trainers, Jillienne Feather and Taylor Isaacs, talked and informed the audience of the overall aspects of Spinal Cord Injury and my progress. The words that touched me the most were from Jillienne, “Together me and Jen share our blood, sweat and tears. You are my best friend, my sister and I am going to continue fighting my whole life for you.” Taylor also expressed, “It is an honor and a privilege to watch Jen strive for excellence every step of the way.” Then at the end, I surprised everyone by taking independent steps across the stage. It was amazing to see the number of people, some who don’t even know me, cheering me on.

As many of you know, insurance does not cover the cost for exercise-based therapy. Project Walk and Taylor Isaacs cost over $100/hour each. This equates to over $3,600 per month in expenses for therapy alone. To cover this amount, I depend on the generosity of those that believe in me and the contributions of my Angels. Each facility contributes to my progress and brings me one step closer to walking unassisted.

During the Banquet, videos were showed to illustrate my journey through the past two years.

To see the video of the moment of the accident that changed my life CLICK HERE

To view a slideshow that honors all my Angels CLICK HERE

To see how my cause is spread around the world CLICK HERE

And to see the most important video my TWO YEAR PROGRESS video CLICK HERE

Again, thank you all for everything! I am eternally grateful!

Love always and God bless,

Jen Bou Lahoud

Fall Update

Hey Everyone!

On October 16, 2010, I walked at Project Walk’s annual fundraiser, Steps to Recovery Event. I was asked to participate in the walk outside. It was an honor to be chosen to show my improvements to the public. I had the largest support group, about 25 people. I can’t thank everyone enough that came to cheer to me on. It means a lot to me to have so many supporters in my fight to walk again. Thank you!

I have been improving a lot within the past two months. I have been focusing a lot on my quad muscles in order to be able to walk on my own. Little by little it has become stronger. Not only are my muscles getting stronger, but my sensation as well. Within the last couple of weeks, I have been able to feel my legs shriving, upto my knees, when its cold. It is amazing to start getting my sensation back! I have also begun the process of ordering an Ankle Foot Orthosis (AFO )brace to assist me as I am walking. In the beginning of my injury I was given a Knee Ankle Foot Orthosis (KAFO) brace to help me walk around. The down side of this brace is that it did not allow me to do the full range of motion as I walked: My legs were basically kept straight. But with this new AFO, its goal to allow me to go through the range of motion with my knee bending and locking out. It is expensive and not covered by insurance.

To see my latest progress, CLICK HERE

So again, I ask for your continued donations. I am almost to the finish line, I can feel it but I need your help. Please help me in my fight to walk again. Visit www.helpjenwalkagain.com on ways to donate.

Thank you!

God bless and love always,

Jen Bou Lahoud

Summer Progress

Hey Everyone!

This summer has been intensive and I have been keeping myself really busy:

· Project Walk 3 hours a day, 3 times a week

· Casa Colina for 2 hours a day, 3 times a week

· Acupuncture 1 hour a day, 3 times a week

· Working out on the weekend for 6 hours

· An online college history class 1 hour a day 5 times a week

It is a tough schedule but I do it to reach my goals. My summer progress has been amazing! I am always trying new exercises to challenge myself. I am trying to stand while lifting a 45-pound bar. Though it sounds simple, it is very difficult to maintain my balance. I also practice walking in different directions. I work at stepping sideways. When I take steps, I have the ability to bend, pick up and swing my leg, but I am still unable to lock my knees in place. In order to do so, I need to gain more strength in my quads. I now focus my energy on locking out my knees when I am on the treadmill. My trainers tie me to the treadmill in order to restrict my hips from moving my legs. The point is to only allow my legs to do the work.

Thank you for your continued support and donations. I can not achieve this success without your help. Since I am attending Project Walk and Acupuncture more often, my monthly costs has gone up to over $4,000. Every day, I get a little closer to my goal, but I need your continued support to cross the finish line.

For ways to donate, visit www.HelpJenWalkAgain.com.

Click here for the latest video!

Thank you!

God bless and Love always,

Jen Bou Lahoud