BEING awakened in
But for Steven Mitchell of Spotsylvania County, who was paralyzed from the chest down after a shallow-water dive on vacation in the Dominican Republic, that itch was a godsend.
"In the past two months, each day I'm getting a little more feeling back," said the scrappy 27-year-old from his family's home last week. "Some of my doctors said I shouldn't hope to ever walk again, but I'm going to prove those rascals wrong."
This weekend, Steven and his family will have a host of folks in their corner. He's the beneficiary of the 26th annual Oyster Roast sponsored by Fairview Baptist Church and White Oak Equipment Co. Hundreds are expected to visit the Saturday event that's donated more than $590,000 over the years to local people dealing with special needs over the past 25 years.
The Mitchells--Steven, brothers Michael and Kelly and parents Kelly and Yvonne--have nothing but gratitude for the oyster roast and other events benefiting Steven over the past few months.
Though he has good health insurance from his job with the Spotsylvania County utilities department, there are yearly limits and expenses that go way beyond what insurance will cover.
"It's amazing how many people we've heard from since this happened to Steven who have family members dealing with similar sorts of injuries," said Kelly Sr. "It's helped to talk to others who have gone through something similar."
As explained in an earlier story on Steven, his accident happened during what was to have been a two-week vacation in paradise.
On a boat in the Atlantic Ocean, Steven dived headfirst into water he assumed was fairly deep.
It wasn't, and the collision with the bottom broke his neck, with bone fragments from two disintegrated vertebrae causing trauma to his spinal cord.
Three surgeries and four months in hospitals and a rehab center brought him home to Spotsylvania without the use of his legs and limited use of his arms and hands.
But anyone who knows Steven, who has the drive of a prizefighter and the determination of a billy goat, wouldn't bet against him.
When he began to regain some feeling in his legs and feet, the Internet-savvy Steven found a pedaling machine that he uses hours
The result: "Every day is
Though he's still a long way away from walking, or even turning himself over in bed, he's slowly getting more use of his hands and disproving some doctors' predictions that he'd never again sweat below the shoulders because of his injury.
"When I come off that pedaling machine, my legs are soaking wet," Steven said, with a take-that grin.
The family knows it's still an uphill battle, but they put much of their hope in the fact that Steven's spinal cord wasn't severed, but was reacting to severe swelling.
"We're hoping the improvement he's seeing is that swelling finally starting to go down," said Yvonne, who, like Steven, praised the way Spotsylvania County co-workers and others have rallied to help.
Another plus came recently when Steven's search for help landed him a two-week trial starting in April at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore.
The center focuses on children and young adults, including those with brain, spinal cord and musculoskeletal related disorders.
While there, Steven expects to get extensive therapy, ranging from nerve stimulation to assisted repetitive motion.
The Mitchells know there's no guarantee that the center will have the answer for Steven, or that treatment there will continue beyond the trial.
"But it's something to give you hope," said Steven's dad. "One thing we've learned through all this is how important a positive attitude is. Steven has that and then some."
Rob Hedelt: 540/374-5415
Email: rhedelt@freelancestar.com