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RollingBall source and supply rehabilitation equipment designed to aid in the rehabilitation of neurological patients following stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, as well as patients with multiple sclerosis or other neurological diseases and injuries.
RollingBall is focused on introducing products that span the critical, long term and home therapy sectors. read more
Seán's Story
By Sandra McCullagh
My son Sean was 4 years old in Feb 2006 when he was injured in a car accident.
His spinal cord was damaged at T11 leaving him paralysed from the waist down.
I soon learnt that being paralysed is not the worst thing than can happen to Sean, as he can no longer stand or use his leg muscles, his body would deteriorate due to osteoporosis, UTI's and possible scoliosis.
I pleaded with different phyisotherapist to put braces on Sean and get him walking on parallel bars, every time I got the same answer. "Sean was too young, his arm muscles were not strong enough and to start walking on parallel bars would risk possible injury to his shoulders". So I was caught between a rock and a hard place, I wanted improve Sean's quality of life but I didn't want risk further injury.
I then saw an article about the Lokomat, this seemed the perfect solution. Sean could train standing and walking with no danger of injury to his arms. I enquired with Sean's doctors about the possibility of using the Lokomat and the response was very negative.
Seán McCullagh on Lokomat
With the help of Jane Evans we organised to have a trial on the Lokomat machine in the Children's Hospital in Zurich. In December 2006 Sean had his trial on the Lokomat.
I still remember the emotion when he cried "I am walking, I am walking on this machine". He walked 400m that afternoon and as a result of that trial we were able to secure funding under the E112 for a 5 week training session on the Lokomat in Switzerland in March 2007. We knew the Lokomat would not cure Sean but it gave us something just as important - Hope.
In Switzerland our eyes were opened as to the possibilities for Sean and how he could improve his quality of life. We were so impressed we returned to Switzerland for 3 weeks in July 2007.
The CRC requested that Sean be allowed access to the NRH in 2008 but it is only available to in patients. We are still working to help Sean reach his full potential and he is showing slow improvements but more importantly we are fighting off the specters of osteoporosis, scoliosis and UTI's.