Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008
David Schlesinger said paralysis has robbed him of many things but the thing he misses most is being able to coach his son's football team.
Schlesinger, 44, who lives in the Villages of Urbana, can no longer exercise, golf or spend time with his family without feeling exhausted.
Last November, an undiagnosed spinal injury changed his life. Schlesinger had been a coach of a 12-and-under football team for the Linganore Urbana Youth Athletic Association, better known as LUYAA.
"It was really kind of a freak thing," said Schlesinger's wife, Lisa.
After only having lived in Urbana for about four months, Schlesinger said that he felt a pain in his neck. He believed to be muscular pain from working out, but it soon became worse. It turned out that an undiagnosed injury was causing one of his cervical disks to push into his spine. The pinched nerves eventually caused a loss of sensation and motor skills, rendering him virtually paralyzed.
Schlesinger spent eight weeks in inpatient rehabilitation at Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital in Rockville, and afterwards was able to return home. Through physical therapy and special machines designed to stimulate his muscles and increase circulation, he has regained motion in his arms, but still lacks motor skills and sensation in his hands, Lisa Schlesinger said.
"A lot of medical issues come with it," Lisa Schlesinger said. "He's battling up and down and up and down."
His injury meant that he could only coach his son, which his son, Michael, 11, and the rest of the team for one season. He said he had always been involved in various sports, and was looking forward to continue to coach his son's football team as a volunteer with LUYAA because of the friends he made and the chance to share life lessons with children.
He said that he attended his son's first scrimmage of this year in a wheelchair and neck brace, and that it was good to see the children he had coached. He said he appreciated his son's teammates coming up to him and asking how he was doing. While he still offers support and tips from the sidelines, his rehabilitation schedule and lack of stamina prevents him from spending as much time with the kids as he'd like.
"I made a lot of great friends in LUYAA," he said. "I have an open invitation to sit on the sidelines."
Schlesinger is a real estate broker, and he said being able to get around easily and cover territory is key to his job. He has not been able to work since November, and hospital bills are stacking up.
He had been visiting a physical therapist three times a week, but his medical insurance has reduced this to two weekly visits. By September, he will only be able to visit a physical therapist once a week on his medical insurance.
Lisa Schlesinger said her husband's time was mostly consumed with physical therapy, and because she had to take care of him, she was not working, and because Schlesinger's job was based on selling homes, there was very little cash flow for the family.
"Everything's still got to be paid for," she said.
Their family moved into a house in the Villages of Urbana a little more than a year ago, but because the house is not adapted for a disabled person, he has to live in the first floor office.
He said that being confined to a wheelchair, not being able to drive, play golf, exercise without the aide of specialized machinery or play with his three children have all required major adjustments.
"It's tough not to be able to interact with my family the way I used to," he said.
However, he said that there has been "overwhelming support" from the Urbana community.
He also said that he has been posting journal updates on www.caringbridge.org, a Web site with the mission of allowing friends and loved ones to keep in touch during difficult times. He said it has been a great resource for the numerous people he wishes he could talk to on a regular basis, but cannot.
"Otherwise, I don't know how I'd be able to communicate with all of these people," he said.
The support of fundraisers and the love of his family and friends, combined with his own determination, have given Schlesinger the courage to keep going.
"Ultimately, my belief is that I will be able to walk again," Schlesinger said, noting that the process would be difficult. "I'm trying not to look back in anger."
