College bound 18-year-old starts to regain arm function after a brachial plexus injury.
On June 6, 2008, 8-year-old, Zeke was involved in an ATV accident where he hit a tree. He was care flighted to Dayton Children’s Hospital where they discovered that he suffered a brain injury, a spinal cord injury, and a brachial plexus injury. Zeke received a lot of therapy and had to learn how to do everything again with one functional arm.
After some time at Dayton Children’s hospital, Zeke underwent surgery at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital with the goal of increasing function and feeling in his arm. First, they took a nerve out of his right shoulder and placed it in his left shoulder, then they took a muscle and a nerve out of his thigh and placed it in his bicep. Unfortunately, after the surgery, Zeke did not experience much progress.
At first, it was difficult for Zeke to go back to school and watch his peers participate in physical activities without struggle. However, Zeke refused to let his injury define him. He has an incredible outlook on life and always tried until he failed. He challenged himself to do the same activities a two-arm kid could do, even though he couldn’t quite do everything at the same level.
Now Zeke is 18 years old and he took the initiative to find a solution for his brachial plexus injury. One night, when he was feeling down about his arm, Zeke decided to do a Google search on brachial plexus injuries. That’s when he found out about the MyoPro. He reached out to Myomo and he quickly received a response to set up an appointment to try the MyoPro.
“The first time I tried the device on…it was crazy! Putting the device on and watching my fingers move and watching my arm bend for the first time in 10 years…I couldn’t even picture it. It was new to me! The whole time they were talking to me and explaining the device, I just couldn’t listen because all I wanted to do was bend my fingers and bend my arm as much as I could before I left,” Zeke explained.
Zeke has been using his MyoPro for over a month now, and he’s already seen results. He notices that he holds his shoulders better and that he uses his left arm more than he ever did before. He encourages everyone in a similar situation to never give up. There is always an answer out there, and for Zeke, the answer is the MyoPro.
Zeke plans on working with his brother this summer and then he is off to college in the fall. He is thrilled because he believes that his MyoPro will help him do all of the above.