Limitless Possibilities: Kirsten's Story

In December 2021, Kirsten was just getting a taste of teenage independence when her life changed drastically. Just two days after Christmas, she noticed some unusual symptoms. In a matter of six hours, Kirsten went from healthy to becoming paralyzed from the neck down.

After a few days, several doctors, and a transfer to Riley Hospital, Kirsten was diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis. This autoimmune disease attacks the spinal cord and can cause a range of symptoms. Because the disease attacked the upper part of her spine, Kirsten lost all feeling and movement from the neck down. After decreasing the spinal swelling, Kirsten underwent three months of inpatient rehab in Indianapolis.

“It was really intensive therapy. I had two OT [occupational therapy] sessions and two PT [physical therapy] sessions every day, for six days a week,” said Kirsten.

After she returned home, she was put on several waitlists for therapy. The three months without therapy took a major toll on her mentally and physically. She had lost a lot of the independence she had been getting used to and she was eager to regain it.

“I thought ‘I can’t do this anymore’ and I felt like nothing was ever going to change,” said Kirsten. “I felt like I was losing all the progress I had made at Riley.” That’s when her mom called Turnstone.

“I was so excited for [my first day at Turnstone]. It was an OT evaluation, but doors just opened from there. I remember being so excited but I was also really nervous because I was going to find out where I was after that long break. It was a relief to be here because it was an opportunity to make progress,” Kirsten recalled.

Kirsten now receives physical therapy, occupational therapy, and counseling support at Turnstone. She especially loves physical therapy sessions in the pool and her counseling sessions. In Occupational Therapy, she has relearned how to write and use utensils in a way that works for her. In Physical Therapy, she is able to stand in the parallel bars for 10 minutes and walk three laps around the pool. And, in Counseling, she has learned new ways to cope and how to adapt socially. Though she is excited about how far she has come physically, it is clear that Kirsten is most proud of her progress with counseling.

“Before getting my diagnosis, I had never talked to any kind of counselor or anything so it was actually really scary. Once I got used to it, I loved counseling and felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders after each session,” she said. “It’s just been really helpful to get through all this with somebody supporting me in that way. Obviously, physical and occupational therapy are super important, but mental health has to be there too. I can work on my body all I want but my mind has to be there, too.”

Kirsten’s Turnstone experience has not only provided her with the services and support she needs to reach her personal goals, but it has also inspired a new career path for her in mental health counseling.

Kirsten has already accomplished several goals, discovered new possibilities for her future, and taken steps toward independence. Though she is discovering her independence at a different pace with different obstacles than she had before, at Turnstone, she is learning that anything is possible.

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