Brian Carr
“I can’t say how grateful I am for the scholarships I have received from the Be Perfect Foundation. It has been understandably very stressful after my accident, but relieving the financial burden of some of the best physical therapy I’ve ever had is/was invaluable for not only my body but my mental health. I humbly thank you for your kindness. ”
My name is Brian Day Carr and on August 31, 2019, I broke my neck at the C5/C6 level. I was kayaking in Newport Harbor and finishing up the day when I decided to take one last dip before leaving. I dove headfirst off of a short cement wall that stretched out into the water from the beach thinking the water was much deeper than it was.
Since my injury, I’ve realized how important physical therapy is for me to maintain any type of dexterity and muscle. I’ve worked with a few therapy sites, but The Perfect Step (TPS) is exemplary and sets the bar when it comes to working with SCI’s. The workouts are great, probably the best I’ve experienced post-injury, but it is also clear how much they care about their clients. The folks at TPS are really there for me. Not just with therapy and working out, but also if I ever need advice, knowledge from experienced people, or help in any way.
Since working with TPS I have regained some vital muscles and movement. This has reduced pain in my shoulder (which has been bothering me since I was in the hospital) and given me more strength that will eventually help me do things like transferring myself, use a manual wheelchair, and just become all-around more independent. I am also able now to do small things such as feeding myself and retrieving things like controllers etc.
I have only been out of the hospital for a year and a half, including the lockdown from Covid, so I haven’t had much time to set plans for myself. However, I do want to go back to school in the near future and in order to do that, I am relying on TPS to continue helping me improve my strength, and provide their invaluable experience so that I can confidently attend classes. Also, eventually, I’d like to be strong enough to transition from a power to a manual wheelchair. A manual wheelchair is much smaller and takes up less space which would be more accommodating for classrooms etc. I am at ease knowing that TPS will be by my side while I am tackling these difficult goals.
I can’t say how grateful I am for the scholarships I have received from the Be Perfect Foundation. It has been understandably very stressful after my accident, but relieving the financial burden of some of the best physical therapy I’ve ever had is/was invaluable for not only my body but my mental health. I humbly thank you for your kindness.