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WGN News recently aired a two-part feature on Pato, an 18-year-old patient at Shirley Ryan Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ who sustained a C7 cervical spinal cord injury after diving into Lake Michigan.
, WGN visited Pato two weeks after his accident ¡ª with footage of his therapy sessions in Shirley Ryan Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾¡¯s Arms + Hands Lab and interviews with his care team, including occupational therapist Lauren Rizio and physical therapist Jacqueline Katz.
¡°I think he¡¯s incredible,¡± Lauren said. ¡°When he first got here, he needed full assistance for feeding himself, dressing himself, any sort of washing, grooming, anything like that. Do we know if it¡¯s going to come back or not? Not sure. We need to figure out how to move on with life with what we have right in front of us right now.¡±
¡°With the injury to his spinal cord, not all the messages can get to different muscle groups,¡± Jacqueline said. ¡°So where the spinal cord is injured below that level he¡¯s not able to activate those muscles. He¡¯s been making really good progress and able to move himself around better each week.¡±
, WGN returned to Shirley Ryan Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ four weeks after their initial visit with Pato to document his recovery gains. They found that he was able to move his left leg while supported in a harness, and he even had increased movement and strength in his left hand.
In late-May, Pato celebrated a new milestone: high school graduation.
¡°I¡¯m doing great and I¡¯ll keep it up,¡± said Pato. ¡°I¡¯ll keep on fighting.¡±
