Battling back: Addie Killam’s wild Wenatchee ride

One month ago today, we told you about West Seattleite Addie Killam‘s plan to ride her new hand-operated bicycle (photo above) in a Wenatchee-area ride presented by the Mike Utley Foundation, to raise awareness of and money for spinal-cord injuries — Addie is fighting back from paralysis caused by a freak surfing-related injury. Now she’s back from the ride, and telling the story, including: “I can’t believe I never did a ride like this as an able-body.” Read her story at her Caring Bridge site.

rockergirl September 30, 2008 (10:32 am)

WAY TO GO ADDIE – You are an inspiration and I am so glad you had a good ride and lots of yummy BBQ! Looking forward to seeing some pics soon!

rockergirl September 30, 2008 (10:35 am)

Addie has also had an amazing breakthrough recently in her recovery – read about it below or on her website –
This is pretty big news: today my hip-flexors started working!

First of all, the hip-flexors are the muscles on the inside of your hip bone in the front. I don’t really know how to describe it-just Google “hip flexor” and there are lots of results and photos to check out. The hip flexor is an essential muscle to have for walking because it helps you move your leg forward and also to allow it to stretch behind you during the second half of a step. I am sure it’s more complicated than that but those are the basics.
How it all happened:

Previously, I have had some sensation (not completely normal feeling) around the top to mid hip bones; however, I was unable to move any part of my hip muscles or related leg muscles.

Anyways, today I was between classes and reading a book in the library when all of a sudden I felt something in my hip move. I was like hmmm, what was that…and tried to move legs and I felt it again-that’s when I knew it was my hip flexor. So I put hand down on my hip and tried to move it on command, and it worked…so I did it again, and again, and again-and still it was working. Now only the left one was working so I tried to make the right one work too. The right one works but it is a lot weaker and does not flex on command every time YET! Anyone who knows me knows that I was not about to simply sit in the library when such an important thing just happened…I was tempted to ask one of the other students (who I didn’t even know) to come feel it to make sure I wasn’t just crazy-but I decided against that and went to call my mom to tell her the good news. From there I was just so excited I almost didn’t even know what to do with myself-I just wanted to stand up and jump up and down! I’m not that far yet, but that’s all I wanted to do. So I went to class and on my way to my class I found a penny head’s up on the ground with 10 minutes of having some new movement. Now, exciting things like this just don’t happed together for no reason at all (or at least that’s what I believe and will continue to believe). The penny was hard to pick up and my hands were cold, so after about 4 or 5 minutes of trying to get it with a bunch of stuff in my lap I finally got it! Then I ran into a friend (who I know quite well) and had her feel my hip to make sure it was really moving-and it was! So one, that meant that I wasn’t crazy and two, that it was moving on command! So all through my last class and all day now I’ve been moving my hip flexors as much as I can, they seem to get fatigued so I give them a break and move them again and again and again. Still the right one is a lot weaker than the left one but they are doing something-something I like. Also, it is hard to see through my pants, but when I flex the hip flexors you can see the skin on the inside of my thigh pull inward slightly!

This is a day I won’t ever forget (plus it’s easy to remember because it’s my dad’s birthday too). My last entry was about how it has been 6 months since my injury…I’ve stuck it for six long months and I finally got one more little flicker of hope that reassures me things will eventually come back and return to normal! I know this is a long process and I must wait it out. However, that does not mean that I am not going to try hard (still) to get more and more back! From the beginning I have known and been fully aware that this journey I was somehow put on would be a long, difficult, and winding road. I know where I want it to lead but I’m waiting to see just where this path puts me. After all don’t most long, winding roads lead to something amazing and gorgeous at the end? I hope so and won’t give up (even a little) until I’m the spectator view point at the end!

Love,

Addie

KM September 30, 2008 (3:45 pm)

Addie really is an amazing person – and I’m so thrilled to read her description of her hip flexor muscles starting to work! Very encouraging! Regardless of physical progress, Addie is already streets ahead of a lot of folks in mental and spiritual progress in her life. Thanks WSB and rockergirl for the updates. I sure wish her, her family and her friends all the best.

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