“I want to be like that guy!” That’s what Marlon Shepard recalls thinking when he first met Shepherd Center physiatrist John Lin, M.D., who smoothly maneuvered his wheelchair to introduce himself to Marlon. It was 2007, and Marlon was participating in rehabilitation in Shepherd’s Spinal Cord Injury Day Program after sustaining a spinal cord injury when he fell from a balcony. Marlon says his therapists in the Day Program helped make him the confident, capable man he is today. It was at Shepherd that he developed an interest in occupational therapy. He went on to get an occupational therapy degree in the United Kingdom and now works in neurological rehabilitation there. Last week, 17 years after he graduated from Shepherd, Marlon and his wife, Lyndsay, returned for a visit. Marlon wanted to show Lyndsay the place that he says, “quite literally changed the trajectory of my life,” see how Shepherd Center has changed, and check out new equipment and tools our clinicians use in therapy. Kathy Farris, OTR/L, Shepherd’s Brain Injury Program Education Coordinator and OT Fieldwork Coordinator, gave Lyndsay and Marlon a tour of the center, including therapy gyms, the I Can Studio, and the Innovation Institute. While visiting a therapy gym, Lyndsay, a first-time visitor, remarked, “I feel like there’s such a community here — no one’s alone.” The trio stopped by the Livingston Gym and talked with Becky Washburn, MS, the wellness manager for Shepherd Center’s Beyond Therapy® and ProMotion Fitness Center, about what has changed in Beyond Therapy since Marlon was here. Throughout the tour, they discussed the latest tools and technology Shepherd therapists use to improve patient outcomes, visited some familiar spots, and even saw some familiar faces. In one “only at Shepherd” moment, Marlon and Lyndsay ran into Nic Dietrich, MS, ACSM-CEP, one of Marlon’s exercise physiologists in Beyond Therapy, on the elevator, and even after 17 years, Nic instantly recognized Marlon! The tour wrapped up with an opportunity to catch up with Dr. Lin. Upon seeing all the changes at Shepherd, Marlon said, “I thought it was incredible when I was here, but you all have definitely taken it up a notch.” It was a real treat for Shepherd staff to see Marlon and how well he’s doing! He’s returning home with good memories of his visit and new ideas and inspiration for his professional practice. #ShepherdCenter #OnlyAtShepherd #SCI #SpinalCordInjuryAwarenessMonth (fb)

Several of our Shepherd Center team members recently traveled to Philadelphia for the American Spinal Cord Injury Professionals (ASCIP) Conference, where they shared their expertise with spinal cord injury professionals. Here's a glimpse at how our staff represented Shepherd: 🎮 Jared Grier co-led a pre-conference session, "Mission Unlocked: Adaptive video gaming for individuals who have motor paralysis," providing attendees the opportunity to learn about the wide variety of assistive technology for video games and ways they can be used for recreation and therapy, complete with hands-on equipment demos. He also competed in ASCIP's Innovation Lab and won the High Tech category for his Adaptive Hair Straightener invention. 🧘‍♀️ Katie White presented "Your Therapy Power-Up," showcasing how power yoga principles, including strength-forward poses, breathwork, prolonged stretching and floor transfers, can be integrated into SCI rehabilitation to improve functional mobility and endurance, support ventilator weaning, improve overall wellbeing, and facilitate long-term independence. 🏥 Lindsay Mayr and Marie Alexander tackled the issue of accessible healthcare, presenting a project on improving medical appointment access for individuals with SCI. They're building an online resource to increase knowledge, self-advocacy, and confidence to navigate future appointments. 🦠 Dr. Wesley Chay, Dr. John Lin, and Ali Anderson presented an improvement project on reducing urinary tract infections after spinal cord injury. Their analysis revealed that keeping Foley catheters in place during bowel incontinence and hand dysfunction correlated with fewer UTIs, leading to updated best practices for inpatient SCI care. We're proud of our team and grateful to ASCIP for providing space to collaborate and share the innovations shaping the future of SCI care. #ASCIP2025 #SpinalCordInjuryAwareness #ShepherdCenter #RehabInnovation #AdaptiveTech (fb)