Metro Detroit family covers paralyzed man's therapy costs
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Updated:
By Rich Luterman Fox 2 News
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WJBK) -- Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "It is one of the beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself." For Erica Coulston and her father, Fred Nader, it's a guiding principle at the Southfield therapy center they founded together.
A car accident in 2001 left Erica paralyzed from the chest down.
"I was visiting my parents for their 25th anniversary party," she said. "I went out the night after their party and my brother and I were in a car accident and I was paralyzed -- C6, C7 spinal cord injury."
For five years after the accident, Erica searched for the right program to meet her physical and emotional needs. What was missing was a sense of hope, and when she couldn't find it, Erica along with her parents started their own center focused on a different kind of healing.
After Erica's injury, the Nader family dedicated their lives to the science of recovery and built a place where victims of spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries could find hope, compassion and the right technology. That's when a young American hero named Jason Hampton came into their lives.
Erica and Fred first heard about Jason's injury on the news in July 2011.
"I saw a story on him that you first aired after he was injured and immediately got on my computer and emailed and started calling and saying I know I can help," said Erica.
Just a month earlier, the former Marine home safe after combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan dove off a dock and hit his head, which left him with a life-changing injury.
"I broke my neck June 26 of 2011 in a diving accident, left me paralyzed," he said.
The Naders reached out and soon he was enrolled in Walk the Line to SCI Recovery's program.
"I came here and I [saw] what kind of facility it is and the type of therapy that they provide for people with spinal cord injuries," said Jason. "I was hooked."
Jason has made measurable progress since coming to Walk the Line, but this summer all that progress was put in jeopardy when his insurance company told him he had maxed out on therapy visits for the year.
"With insurance, I'm only allowed 50 visits a year, so two times a week, that's six months of therapy and there's a whole other six months that insurance doesn't even cover for me."
However, the Naders, who had seen Jason come so far in the short time he had been a part of their program, just couldn't imagine him missing out on the therapy that was making such a huge difference in his life.
"That was just unacceptable to us as a family, and so our family and Erica and her husband have been sort of covering his therapy costs since his insurance ran out and we'll continue to do so," said Fred.
"We're not in this for the money, and so it's like we got to figure out a way and that's what we did," said Erica.
As for Jason, he couldn't be more grateful to the family that's already given him so very much.
Jason's insurance benefits kick back in January first and he's determined to make the most of the opportunity he's been given.
"My hope is just to try and get as much recovery as I can. Does this mean I'm going to be able to walk again? You don't know, but I'm going to give my best when I come here to try to get as much out of therapy as possible."
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