Dave Kemp

David Kemp – T5/6 ASIA B Incomplete (original diagnosis)
Hello, my name is David Kemp and I am 51 years old. In July 2009 I sustained a spinal cord stroke, which is a very rare form of stroke. In the span of less than 24 hours I went from sitting at my office desk like any another day to being diagnosed a T5/6 Asia B incomplete (paraplegic). Prior to my injury I was very active and played a number of sports including curling and golf. While at Toronto Rehab Institute (Lyndhurst) I started researching the Internet for information and came across the Project Walk (PW) website. In May-June 2010, I attended PW Carlsbad, CA Spinal Cord Recovery Centre for one month, returning in February 2010 for another one-month visit.

I met Kevin and Heather and learned of their plan to start a similar facility in Canada. Soon after I began working with their first trainer, Julia, at my home on her return from training at Project Walk. It is now close to 3 years since my injury occurred and I have made significant gains. I have improved my core and lower back strength, am gaining control of my leg muscles, which have a lot of tone and spasticity. The most exciting progress is that I can now walk up to 100 feet on my own with a walker despite being told by the initial doctors that I had less than a 5% chance of ever walking again. Only time will tell how much further my recovery will go.

Make a donation to assist Dave with his treatment program at Walk it Off Recovery