Posted on October 27, 2020
Al remains ‘hard working and dedicated to his recovery’ from West Nile virus
For information about West Nile virus activity in Michigan and how to protect yourself, visit the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services website.
It’s been more than three years since a mosquito bite changed the course of Al Walczak’s life. A small insect infected with the West Nile virus caused Al to develop serious complications that he’s still fighting today. And he doesn’t intend to stop fighting.
Since Al graduated from inpatient care at Mary Free Bed in January 2018, he’s continued to work diligently in outpatient therapy and completes a strenuous daily home exercise routine.
“He’s hard working and dedicated to his recovery,” said occupational therapist Amy Haroff. “He never says he can’t do something, just ‘not yet.’”
His Mary Free Bed team is focused on helping Al improve endurance, strength, coordination and flexibility using neuromuscular stimulation and range of motion. He’s made positive progress, but “is a long way from where I’d like to be.”
“I certainly have gotten stronger and more flexible,” said Al, who uses a power wheelchair for mobility. “I’m able to do more things around the house, get food from the fridge, more easily grab items from counters – be more independent. And yes, I can play something on my guitar that resembles a song. It’s good for the soul and keeps me inspired.”
While Al continues to battle some strength deficits throughout his body, commitment to his daily home exercise program has helped him gain enough stamina to work on added skills, such as simple cooking tasks.
“We recently talked about him getting back to driving, and he’ll meet with our driver’s rehabilitation specialist soon,” Amy said.
Al’s also continued to work with physical therapist Jake Miller, who set up a workout for him on an FES cycle. The lower-extremity functional electrical stimulation cycle uses pulses of electrical current to enable muscles to perform activities even though they’re weak or paralyzed by neuromuscular disease or injury.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic caused many businesses to close temporarily for safety reasons, Al frequented the Mary Free Bed YMCA, using its adaptive equipment and riding the FES cycle there.
“For Al, the purpose of FES cycling has been to improve his muscle strength and maintain range of motion and flexibility,” Jake said. “It also helps for aerobic conditioning and endurance training for overall health.”
Al was pleased to return to the YMCA recently after seven months away.
“It’s extremely valuable to me,” he said. “I felt my legs getting stronger and my endurance increasing.”
Al also has been working with Jake to progress his independence by performing slideboard transfers from his power wheelchair and training on new equipment to make movement easier.
“Al is wonderful to work with,” Jake said. “He’s hard working and motivated to improve his strength and mobility, and his overall health and wellness.”
Al values his time working with Amy and Jake, thankful for their expertise but “equally important, they inspire me to work hard.”
Continuing to move his recovery forward as far as possible is Al’s goal. But he also recognizes that his physical disability is “not my life.”
“The goals I’ve always had for myself still remain. I still want to be useful to others, to create good music, to write something inspiring and to be a great husband, friend and family member,” he said. “This experience has taught me to greatly value patience, hard work and love. I’m more appreciative of every little thing. All of that has led to deeper and richer relationships with those in my life, and for that, I’ll always be eternally grateful.”
