First steps

    On November 3^rd, Ralph suffered a Heart Attack. Which required open Heart surgery. His first surgery took place at Portsmouth Regional Hospital.      

    Due to complications during said surgery, Ralph was transported to Tuft’s Medical Center in Boston Mass. At that time, they redid that Surgery. During that second surgery, Ralph suffered two Severe Strokes, which landed him in a Coma for the next Two and a half Weeks.

  Shortly after being transported back to Portsmouth Regional Hospital, Ralph slowly came out of his coma.  At that time, he discovered that he had no feeling below his Elbows or Knees, non-use of his hands. As well as un-able to speak, founding himself in a vegetative state, left only to peer out into the limited world around him. While his whole body felt foreign to him. And even his thoughts were a hopeless jumbled mess. Ralph was surprised to learn that it was almost Thanksgiving Day, already.

    A month later, as Ralph’s two Neurologists were leaving for the last time, one paused by Ralph’s Bed just long enough to say: “You’ll be lucky if you are confined to a ‘Wheelchair’ for the rest of your life.” Then simply walked out. Because Ralph was unable to speak, he could not ask what he meant by that. At that moment, Ralph realized it was up to him to find his own way out of the mess he found himself in.

    Days later, Ralph also, realized that he had to come up with another way of thinking or later, framing his thoughts of (“I can’t do it”) each time he encountered something he now was unable to perform for himself. For, just thinking “I can’t do it” ends Negatively. Ralph knew he had to try to put a Positive Spin on it for, he can’t afford to allow his mind to accept it as fact discouraging him from trying.

   After much thought, Ralph finally came up with simply adding “Yet” To it. From that moment on, each time Ralph encountered or, later be asked to perform a given task he could not perform, he would think or say, “I can’t do it yet”!  

    (Fast forward, nine months later, Ralph became a client at one of Goodwill’s Nero Rehab facilities, he would use this simple idea by helping other clients to work their way through to becoming capable of performing a given task. Most of the time Ralph received positive feedback from those clients.

  Fast forward, after the next two months at (PRH), Ralph was moved to New England Rehab. (NER) of Portland Maine. There, he began intensive Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapies.

      When Ralph first arrived, he could not feed his self, and had to continue to be lifted in and out of Bed by a lift that was bolted the ceiling. After many OT sessions at NER, Ralph’s OT would have him try to support him-self enough to stand using a Walker. During OT Sessions Ralph learned how to rely on the feeling in his upper legs, to regain walking again.

     The next Five weeks, Ralph’s OT took time out of each session to also work on Ralph’s walking. (Seeing Ralph’s PTs relied on The Neurologists’ report.

     By the time of Ralph’s Discharge, he was able to walk one hundred Feet with the use of a Walker, before tiring.   

  *” Looking back, it is kind of ironic that my OT stated, “due to having no feeling in your lower legs, you won’t be able to walk again.” Yet, still at that time, I had no feeling below my elbows either. Yet, my OT had me standing using my arms to support myself.  (And in my estimation, this would also apply to Amputees, who *are willing and able) having a similar situation to contend with, (in order) to learn how to walk with one Prosthetic Leg.) “

     Months later, where on the first day as a client, at one of Goodwill’s Nero Facilities) Ralph was assigned to Two Physical Therapists, who, would work with Ralph to go on to walk while using various other Assistive devices. The first of, Crutches. By that time, Ralph was slowly walking with the assistance of a Rolling Walker, on his own. Over time, the PTs had begun introducing Ralph to using every Assisted Device, to get Ralph to eventually walk without any Assisted Devices. But Ralph could not adapt to anything tried.

       One day, while Ralph was (again) trying to use a Cane, he had a conversation while both PTs. Ralph pointed out” The walls in the Hallway are narrow where each PT was having Ralph walk, he suggested” they try him walking without anything. Adding should I feel myself starting to fall, I can reach out to the wall to steady myself, as you pull the Gare Bult. “Look! All I’m asking is, give me a week of trying it without anything!  Then, at the end of next week, we can revisit this, and go from there. For, I’m not ready to give up, yet! As that PT ‘hesitantly’ agreed. The other PT spoke up saying. “Didn’t get your hopes up for it has never been done before.

  *Both PTs remained skeptical of Ralph ever being able to move forward by walking, without having to rely on any device, at least for a time.

 Due to that, Ralph wholeheartedly credits his ability to walk due to (both) his OT at NER,

 and later, the two PTs at Goodwill for allowing themselves to think outside of the “BOX”, for Ralph to walk as he does now.

1. “Just because there are things I can’t do; it doesn’t mind I should not do what I can”.
2. “Great achievements are not performed through strength but through Determination.” Author not known.
3. The Serenity Prayer “God give me the strength to change the things I can’t except, The Courage to except the things I can’t change. And the wisdom to know the difference. “ 

  Since then, Ralph began the process of reinventing his-self.

The resents of which are as following:

 Ralph’s life is pretty much back on track. his first job post strokes were, working part time at a local Wal-Mart, as a Floor Assistant.  That job involved things like cutting keys, mixing paint, stocking shelves, and assisting customers.  Then in 2017 due to health reasons Ralph left that job. where he had been working part time for over seven and a half years strokes. In 2015 He join and remaining servicing on the BIA-Maine chapter.

 Ralph’s achievements after reinventing himself. Ralph has been volunteering in Plant Ops since March of 2009. As well as volunteering in CMMCs Rehab Unite every Saturday since September 2009. In addition, Ralph has also been serving on BIA-ME’s advisory board snice 2015. As with CMMCs Patient &Family Advisory Council. Ralph’s story has been published in Goodwill Northern New England’s “Our Stories” in 2010, BIA Maine Chapter’s Newsletter July 2015 Edition. Then in 2017, in the online TBI magazine March issue. Then, again in the April 2017’s Edition his article ‘Equating a brain injury to personally experiencing a sinkhole’ was also published entitled “

 Then, in October 2023 Ralph received an award for Volunteer Service during 2023 for Safe Voices of Lewiston Maine. 

  Since then Ralph began the process of reinventing his-self.

The resents of which are as following:

 Ralph’s life is pretty much back on track. his first job post strokes were, working part time at a local Wal-Mart, as a Floor Assistant.  That job involved things like cutting keys, mixing paint, stocking shelves, and assisting customers.  Then in 2017 due to health reasons Ralph left that job. where he had been working part time for over seven and a half years strokes. In 2015 He join and remaining servicing on the BIA-Maine chapter.

 Ralph’s achievements after reinventing himself. Ralph has been volunteering in Plant Ops since March of 2009. As well as volunteering in CMMCs Rehab Unite every Saturday since September 2009. In addition, Ralph has also been serving on BIA-ME’s advisory board snice 2015. As with CMMCs Patient &Family Advisory Council. Ralph’s story has been published in Goodwill Northern New England’s “Our Stories” in 2010, BIA Maine Chapter’s Newsletter July 2015 Edition. Then in 2017, in the online TBI magazine March issue. Then, again in the April 2017’s Edition his article ‘Equating a brain injury to personally experiencing a sinkhole’ was also published entitled “

 Then, in October 2023 Ralph received an award for Volunteer Service during 2023 for Safe Voices of Lewiston Maine. 

The resents of which are as following:

 Ralph’s life is pretty much back on track. his first job post strokes were, working part time at a local Wal-Mart, as a Floor Assistant.  That job involved things like cutting keys, mixing paint, stocking shelves, and assisting customers.  Then in 2017 due to health reasons Ralph left that job. where he had been working part time for over seven and a half years strokes. In 2015 He join and remaining servicing on the BIA-Maine chapter.

 Ralph’s achievements after reinventing himself. Ralph has been volunteering in Plant Ops since March of 2009. As well as volunteering in CMMCs Rehab Unite every Saturday since September 2009. In addition, Ralph has also been serving on BIA-ME’s advisory board snice 2015. As with CMMCs Patient &Family Advisory Council. Ralph’s story has been published in Goodwill Northern New England’s “Our Stories” in 2010, BIA Maine Chapter’s Newsletter July 2015 Edition. Then in 2017, in the online TBI magazine March issue. Then, again in the April 2017’s Edition his article ‘Equating a brain injury to personally experiencing a sinkhole’ was also published entitled “

 Then, in October 2023 Ralph received an award for Volunteer Service during 2023 for Safe Voices of Lewiston Maine.