Determined to walk
Jessica Duhon plans to walk again and is doing everything possible to get her there even if it means moving to California for therapy.
Jessica, the daughter of Jed and Theresa Duhon of Kaplan, was involved in a car accident five years ago that took the life of her brother, Ben. The accident left her paralyzed from the waist down.
The accident has not slowed Jessica, 21, however, from living. She attends LSU in Baton Rouge and lives with her sister Jamie in an apartment in Baton Rouge.
Jessica gets around campus in a wheelchair that is not motorized. She pushes herself all over LSU. In the next couple of weeks Jessica will take lessons on how to drive a vehicle for the first time ever. She depends on others to drive her around.
“I am not really nervous about driving,” Jessica said. “I’m actually really excited and ready to be independent in that area. I’m looking forward to not having to ask my friends to take me places. It will be weird to be in a car by myself though. I do not think driving in California will be that different than driving in Louisiana once I learn my way around the area, so I’m not too nervous about that either.”
Her mother is not surprised by Jessica’s drive to walk even if it means moving to California, near San Diego.
“It has always been her nature to over-achieve,” Theresa said, “and to do her best ever since she was really young. It is not surprising, but at the same time, it is quite amazing that she can continue.
“I really believe the Lord helps her a lot because of her faith. She has the strength that us normal folks do not have.”
Jessica has undergone physical therapy and rehabilitative therapy which has helped to maintain bone density as well as strengthen her upper body.
In 2007 she began experiencing slight muscle contractions in her hamstring and hip flexors. The breakthrough was short-lived, however, because she became ill due to an infection in a pressure wound. All therapy was stopped and in August of 2007 she underwent surgery to repair the wound.
The surgery was a success and she wanted to get back into therapy, but was denied admittance to the facility. Instead of quitting and feeling sorry for herself, she got on the internet and began looking for other options.
In her search, Jessica found Project Walk, a spinal injury recovery center in California. She went visit the place for a week and decided this was the place for her. After a one week trial, her body responded to the exercises called the Dardzinski Method.
“I really loved the atmosphere of Project Walk. Everyone there is extremely positive,” Jessica said. “The trainers believe that walking again is possible and are just as dedicated to you walking as you are. Also, being an athlete I loved the exercises. They are very intense and make you push yourself which is what I enjoyed most about playing sports.”
Jessica wants to move to California, continue her education by attending the University of California at San Marcos, which is located five miles from the center.
While the plan sounds great on paper, it comes with obstacles for Jessica. The biggest is paying for the treatment, which is not covered by her insurance. All costs will be out of the pocket of Jessica.
With the help of friends and family, a fund-raising campaign is set up in her honor through the Catastrophic Injury Program of NTAF.
Jessica’s family and friends are putting on a Sports Clay Tournament in efforts to raise money for her to pay for the therapy in California.
The “Help Jessica Walk Shootout Sporting Clay Tournament” will be held April 5 at Ed’s Sporting Clays in Kaplan. Registration will start at 8 a.m. and the tournament begins at 9 a.m. If anyone wants to make a donation to the fund-raiser mail it 5010 Mancuso Lane #204, Baton Rouge, La., 70809.
A team of four will cost $400 or $100 per shooter.
The Duhons are asking shooters to pre-register before March 31. Contact numbers are 739-0959 or 212-6991.
Jessica said anyone who helps her is also helping the cause of Project Walk.
“Before I visited Project Walk I really had no idea about the amount of people who are affected by Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI), even being one of those people,” Jessica said. “Project Walk is like a community of SCI patients and it really opens your eyes to the cause of helping these people recover and increase knowledge about SCI’s with research. A lot of the time SCI patients cannot receive adequate treatment because of finances.
“Many people do not realize the effects spinal cord injuries have on the individual,” she added. “It’s not that they just can’t walk; there is a massive amount of other things that come with it. When donating to me one is not just giving me money to achieve a goal, they are donating to the cause of Project Walk which is to help people fully recover from spinal cord injuries and through their research and work with different patients gain a better understanding of SCI’s to develop effective programs for patients. Through this many more people with SCI’s will get the opportunity to achieve their dreams as well.”