Joy of Giving USA - Real Stories of Movement and Independence

For Jaime, every movement matters.

Rehabilitation gives Jaime the opportunity to work toward greater mobility, independence, and participation in everyday life.

And Jaime is only one of the people working toward greater independence with support from Joy of Giving.

U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit Restoring Mobility. Expanding Independence.

Meet Jaime

Jaime was born with congenital muscular hypotrophy. A respiratory arrest later caused brain damage, and his respiratory muscles no longer work well. He also lives with a lack of myelin linked to poor absorption of vitamin B12.

Joy of Giving has supported Jaime with physical therapy and rehabilitation with electrostimulation, together with medical treatment to improve his absorption of vitamin B12.

“We have supported Jaime with physical therapy and rehabilitation with electrostimulation.”

Joy of Giving

Rehabilitation does not promise the same result for everyone. It gives people a chance to work toward one.

Access to rehabilitation should not depend on someone’s ability to pay.

For many families, the question isn’t whether rehabilitation could help. It’s whether they can afford to continue it.

Conchita was 94 and not a candidate for surgery. What she needed was consistent therapy, close to home, for months — the kind of care that quietly runs out when a family cannot keep paying for it.

Manuel

He can take safer steps.

Manuel lives with acquired brain damage following an accident. He lost autonomy over his movements, his balance and his walking, along with voluntary control of his muscles and the movement of his hands.

This film has English subtitles on screen.

Read Manuel’s transcript

This is Manuel suffering from acquired brain damage,

due to an accident he suffered 2 years ago,

losing the autonomy of his movements,

as well as losing his balance, walking and suffering from spasms in his arms.

He also lost voluntary control of his muscles including the movements of his hands.

Little by little Manuel has improved thanks to electrostimulatory therapy, rehabilitating his nervous system and muscles,

along with physical therapy and rehabilitation exercises.

Now he can take safer steps, has more strength and better balance,

as well as the strengthening of his muscles and movements.

Conchita seated in her living room with a member of the Joy of Giving team beside her.

Conchita, 94

She can comb her hair.

Mrs. Conchita is 94. She fractured her shoulder and was not a candidate for surgery because of her age.

This film has English subtitles on screen.

Read Conchita’s transcript

Mrs. Conchita is 94 years old, last year she fractured her shoulder.

She is not a candidate for surgery due to her age.

For 6 months we went to her house and began physical rehabilitation

with electrostimulation therapy and physical therapy,

so that little by little she began to heal

and managed to recover mobility in her shoulder and arm.

She has managed to move her arm and raise it,

as she herself says, she can comb her hair.

Javier

He is regaining autonomy in daily life.

Javier lives with partial quadriplegia after a spinal fracture and spinal cord injury, which took away the ability to move his arms, legs and body, and his autonomy from the neck down.

This film has English subtitles on screen. The spoken audio is in Spanish.

Read Javier’s transcript

We introduce you to Javier, who suffers from partial quadriplegia,

losing the ability to move arms, legs, and body

due to a spinal fracture and spinal cord injury,

losing all autonomy from the neck down.

6 months ago we went to his home and began his rehabilitation

with exercises to do at home and electrostimulation therapy.

We have managed to recover greater mobility, as well as strength in arms and legs,

recovering autonomy in his daily life.

Luis

He can walk outdoors again, and sit up on his own.

Luis lives with neuropathy caused by a vitamin B12 absorption deficiency. He lives alone, and lost sensitivity and muscle strength in his arms and legs.

This film has English subtitles on screen.

Read Luis’s transcript

This is Luis, he suffers from post-stress vitamin B12 absorption deficiency neuropathy.

Lives alone, lost sensitivity and muscle strength in arms and legs.

We have started his rehabilitation with B complex injections,

electrostimulation therapy and physical therapy exercises.

We have managed to recover his gait, balance and muscle strength,

as well as the ability to sit up on his own.