Amanda Anderson

[TwinTurbos]

Amanda is a girl we sent a care package to in May. Below is a letter from Barbara Bushnell who was her "Angel" as well as some pictures. Please read more about her in the injured rider section.

Amy,

I am sending you a series of pictures of Amanda and her mother and me, oh and my friend Don took these pictures when we delivered the package, she was very happy to receive the gifts and put the T-Shirt on for the pictures. Don's daughter was one of the nurses in the operating room here in Reno when Amanda under went surgery. Don is a former motorcyle rider and believes in what RiderDown.org is doing for people such as Amanda and her family. Doing this small task for RiderDown & Amanda and her family was great experience for me and my friend Don.


Thank You So Much - Barbara Bushnell

142 143

Thank you to Barbara for being such a great angel and to her friend Don for taking some wonderful pictures!!=!

[50ccMoM]

Amanda,

I hope things are going well. Keep us updated on your progress !

- Angie

[Tatonka]

FYI - there is more info on Amanda in another thread under "Injured Riders".

Thanks go out to Barbara (and all of the RiderDown ARC Angels) for helping!! :thumb

[688MOM]

I apologize for taking so long..... I have been having trouble with web sites that you have to sign onto.... Anyway ......

THANK YOU..... To everyone out there that has posted their prayers and thoughts for Amanda..... It is wonderful to know that you have friends; even if you have never met them in person.....

The care package that was brought to Amanda was just perfect!!!! Small thoughtful things that fit her perfectly!!!! It was as if you have know her forever....

The Arc Angels; WOW.... what two magnificent loving people!!!!

Amanda wears her Tshirt quite often and at Physical Therapy they all know about RIDERDOWN.org...... She has made sure they all know about you wonderful people!!!!
Sincerely, Amanda and Mona

[688MOM]

Greetings to all,

Finally got the computer to work correctly again (or the user) hahah....

Anyway, Amanda is progressing exceptionally each and every day.... We had a sort of setback about a month ago.... Everything she had gotten back was gone one morning when she awoke..... All of the Surgeons and Neurologists are not certain as to what happened, so she had numerous tests... still waiting on some of the results, however she is getting some of the feeling and movement back again.... It is so amazing as to how the body works..... How in an instance all can change and for no reason.

We are still doing Physical Therapy and her therapist is just awesome..... He really listens to her and plans accordingly from that... He fights for her and makes sure she is happy..... We could never have asked for anyone better!!!! He is a true believer as well as us; to the effects that take place with the use of Electric Stimulation.... That has definitely made a HUGE positive outcome....

Amanda still has a long way to go..... and has such a great outlook (as long as I get her to a race or two).... The races are absolutely a plus when it comes to the mental attitude !!!!!

Thank you again for keeping her in your thoughts and prayers....
Mona and Amanda

[688MOM]

I forgot to ask what are your qualifications for becoming an Arc Angel????

Both Amanda and myself would love to become one as it lifted her spirits so well... That was actually the 1st thing out of her mouth when the Arc Angels left the house.... She said as soon as she is able to walk.... she would like to do this (Arc Angel).... I agree with her completely.....

Since she is able to get around with either a walker (unsteady ground) or a cane she says she is ready!!!

So can you give us information on how we get our "wings"?????

Thank you, Mona

[Tatonka]

Mona - thank you for making my day! Something about your spirit really came through in that post...:)

I am really glad to hear that Amanda liked her gear bag and the items we chose for her....TwinTurbos gets credit for that one. :thumb Please keep us updated on how everything is going for both of you.

It's really easy to become a RDF Angel and I'm very happy that both of you are interested....you would make wonderful Angels! At the top of the RiderDown Home page simply click on the "Join RDF as a Volunteer" tab and submit the completed form. Just like that and you'll be on your way!! :D

Thanks so much!!!

BV

[Riding the Metro]

Mona- Great read. I love it when people want to help out. You both would do great as "Angels". Get better fast Amanda.

Wishing you the best
Art

[Tatonka]

Mona we got your Volunteer Intake form and look forward to working with both you & Amanda in our efforts to help other injured riders!

Thank You!! :thumb

[688MOM]

Greetings everyone,
Well, last week we received results from the last MRI that was done on Amanda.. We were fortunate to see a new Neurologist and she informed us that in her experience and all medical written knowledge regarding this type of injury; Amanda should not be walking in fact she should have permanent paralysis. She was completely amazed that Amanda had come this far... We explained to her that we started a Red Laser Treatment in Rehabilitation and Electric Stimulation as soon as she was released from the Hospital and we feel that this is what has made that huge difference. She said that she did not have much knowledge regarding Red Lasers or Electric Stimulation, but something definitely happened to get this type of results.

We then asked if Amanda would ever get full use of the right leg and she said in my Medical opinion NO, she will not; but of course in her medical opinion she should not be walking either... So it was good news and I guess bad news too.... It is hard to get support from the Medical Community when you are able to get results like Amanda has....

You as other parents; what does your Health Care Provider say to you when you tell them about "New Techniques" that you are interested in trying??? If the Medical Community tells you it is a bad idea do you go ahead and try it??? While Amanda was still in the Rehabilitation Hospital our Chiropractor came in at night and used a Red Laser Treatment... We did see improvement with that; when we asked the Rehabilitation Physician about it he laughed in our face and said it was a waste of time... I can't but wonder now, did this give Amanda the jump start that was needed and then the Electric Stimulation took over as she progressed????

As a parent, I am glad that we chose to try these different treatments and we will continue to search for other treatments. Like the Neurosurgeon had told us from day 1; every day they learn something else that helps Spinal Cord Injuries. Every Day...... That is pretty impressive in my eyes. So if your Doctor says "don't try this or that (as long as there is no way possible to re-injure the injury), I say what do you have to lose??? Something obviously helped Amanda, what exactly we probably will never know.... I do know that the Prayers have helped tremendously too.

As of today, Amanda's right leg still has paralysis. She is able to push down with her foot, but the pulling up is still not there. In order to walk she hikes her hip high to clear the foot that sags.... She uses a cane for support and will not use her wheel chair for anything.... She may take you up on a piggy back ride though if she gets too tired !!!!!

We also received a card and a check from RiderDown today and yes we both sat there and cried.... THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for your Emotional support and your Financial support you have given us... Really, you have no idea how much that will make a difference in her day to day living.

Thank you again, Sincerely, Mona and Amanda

[Riding the Metro]

Hang in there Amanda, we're praying for you. Mona, thank you for your kind words of RiderDown.
Merry Christmas and a Happier New Year.
AJ

[KTMissouri]

Dear Mona and Amanda:

Thanks for the update. Hang in there, we are still here and still rooting for you.

All the best in the new year.

Shawn

[50ccMoM]

Wishing all the best to Amanda and her family. Stay strong , we are all still cheering for you.

Happy New Year !

[688MOM]

Greetings to all,

Well we went to Amanda's Neurosurgeon last week and he is still in disbelief at Amanda's recovery.... He informed her that her Spinal Cord injury surgery site was as healed as it would get.... That what ever she has done to keep doing it as this has made the day and night difference in her recovery... He finally told us that he believed she would never walk again... but saw the "want in her eyes" and he could not let her down...

For those that are not familiar with Amanda's injuries;
Crashed on March 11th, 2007
Fractured L1, L3 and L4
Burst Fracture of L2 in which bone fragments punctured the Spinal Cord
causing major paralysis. She was paralyzed from the waist down, now has
small amount only in right leg.

The therapy that Amanda went with is called Electric Stimulation. When the Therapist told us that this had not been proven and that studies are still being done and most Physicians do not approve this; we were a little hesitant.... But at that time we thought we really had nothing to lose...

When the Therapist started Amanda had no movement in her right leg and no feeling.... He was digilant though, making it his goal to get those nerves to at least twitch... By the end of the first day (1 hour) he had her big toe bouncing to the beat of the electrical current... Although he only got it from about an inch away, it was still moving... We have gone to Jerry Jackson (therapist) for a little over 9 months and I can not tell you how impressed we are with this man!!!! He worked with Amanda and worked with her never giving up and being criticized by some of his fellow therapist in the local area...

To try and make this a little shorter, Amanda is walking without a cane most of the time... She has movement in her leg that the Medical community told us she would never have and is still making improvements daily.... The Neurosurgeon says he is a true believer in Electric Stimulation and will push for more studies on this as it in his opinion has made the difference between walking and getting on with life to staying in a wheel chair....

If you have any type of Nerve Damage please look into this... Just make sure that the Therapist is trained on the use of the machine as more damage can be done if not used properly....

[jcook12345]

This is great news! Keep up the hard work Amanda. We will Keep You in our prayers!

Jody

[mommotox]

It's so great to hear about Amanda's amazing progress!!!

We'll be keeping her in our thoughts, and wishing her even more improvement!

[KTMissouri]

Mona:

That is just awesome. That really goes to show how little the medical community knows about the desire of someone that rides a dirt bike.

Please send Amanda our best and tell her that we are celebrating her success. Keep up the great work. (both of you)

Thanks for the update, we really love to hear the follow ups.

Shawn

[50ccMoM]

Mona,

Tell Amanda that we are celebrating in PA ! What wonderful news ! :thumb As Shawn stated we love hearing about the "ups" . Keep the good news coming !

Angie

[motox247]

688MOM, as I write this I am sitting with my feet propped on my son's hospital bed. He broke his neck February 19th while practicing at our track at home. They call it an axial load/hyperflexion injury, basically he shattered C6 & C7 when he went over the bars and head first into the next jump. His spinal cord was severely bruised and he suffered temporary paralysis in his legs with partial paralysis and hypersensitivity in his arms. His progress has been amazing! He has regained nearly all the sensation and strength in his legs and is walking unaided. However, he has very little strength or feeling in his hands, so I am extremely interested in the electrical therapy that you are talking about. Could you please post a link or other information? Or you can just email me directly.

Thank you much,

Valerie@northwestmotocross.com

[jeremy68mom]

Amanda, What a fantastic recovery you've made. We know how hard therapy can be and what tremendous dedication it takes. Congratulations to you for coming so far in such a short time. Keep up the hard work and keep us informed.

[MxMom94]

Great news about Amanda--isn't amazing what determination and preserverance can do? and Val--glad you found us over here. I have been so impressed with Joe's recovery-I've been keeping up on it on EW's site. I'm hoping we'll be able to go to PRO rounds #3 & 4 if Cody can be walking a bit and if so, I'll be sure to come up and introduce myself.

Dawn Bristlin

[688MOM]

Well, I know it's been a while since my last update on Amanda and I apologize.. As most of you know, Doctor visits, Physical Therapy and the Gym takes most of your week... It seems like one day goes by when in actuality it has been 3 days go by. Anyway, I will try and fill you guys in on the newest...

We got some bad news on Monday this week... Amanda will be having surgery to remove a bone fragment that is stuck in her ankle joint. Amanda slipped and fell out of our pickup in early June of this year.. She broke her "good" foot (left leg)... so that put us back again... Then we had trouble with Blood Clots again as she was not able to move her "bad" leg (right leg). The Orthopedic Surgeon says she will be down for at least 4-5 weeks... This is heartbreaking as you think we are almost to the top of that mountain and then something else happens... You can see the disappointment in her eyes; just heartbreaking that you can't make this thing better.... She sat and cried when I had to bring her shower chair and wheelchair back into the house.

As for her daily progress?? Actually I still see improvement in her Right leg almost daily. She gets frustrated and says she can't see improvement, however everyone else can see it... I still can't say enough about the Electric Stimulation... The Neurosurgeon even has said he should have released Amanda months ago, but he truly enjoys seeing the improvements she has made, he is seriously looking at Electric Stimulation as being part of his recovery requirements for future patients....

Amanda's Physical Therapist, Jerry Jackson (Electric Stim Guy) had Amanda go see an Acupuncturist this week. He felt that it was worth a shot to see if we can't get anymore out of the nerves. The Doctor was impressed with her improvements and the lack of problems she has compared to most others with the same injuries... He said she should not be where she is today with the severity of her injuries. He did relieve some of the pain in her back as in his own words "she is so little, with nothing between the hardware in her back and her skin, that she should be in severe pain"... Amanda really does not complain about the pain that much. Only when she has been without sleep for a couple of days. I really have to push her to find out what hurts. I guess that is both good and bad...

I truly feel Amanda will make more improvements with walking... She threw out her cane last month... I still have to laugh... I will walk into the garage and there is her wheelchair, actually thrown from the door to where ever it lands.. Then a week or so later, there's the shower chair thrown in the middle of the garage floor... Then the cane... It just makes me giggle...

We would also like to ask for some prayers for a young man named Josh Morros from Reno. He races Desert Racing and was injured over the weekend. He was Air lifted to a Salt Lake City Hospital this last weekend from Eastern Nevada. It is said that he has numerous broken bones and is currently in a Coma due to Brain Trauma. No news of the severity. Josh is a fighter and a great kid... God Bless him and his Family...

I promise I will post an update as soon as we find out more about the ankle surgery..

[racingmom07]

Amanda,
we hope that you continue to make progress, being the momof a racer who has been racing for 11 yrs, your mom has to be a strong woman but it is a great sport with
a lot of great people we all are in this together.