Hear From Our Patients
Meet Mary
Mary Brickey, an artist, teacher, and mother, faced a life-altering motorcycle accident in October 2022, resulting in the loss of her leg. Despite the severe injury, multiple surgeries, and six weeks in rehabilitation, her sense of humor and resilience helped her cope and inspire others.
Meet Hank
Hank Shipman suffered severe injuries from a car accident when he was younger. His rehabilitation journey at Primary Children's Hospital inspired him to apply to the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine University of Utah. He is now in his second year of residency in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.
Meet Grayson
Grayson Murphy fell in love with running in college. She now runs professionally. She relies on health care at University of Utah Health to keep her in peak condition.
Meet Connor
From a young age, Connor Fields remembers being competitive—very competitive. He played in a lot of team sports as a child growing up in Las Vegas and always wanted to win. But that was challenging as a kid because not all the other 6-year-olds on his soccer or baseball teams cared quite as much about winning, and he got frustrated when others didn’t want to match his effort.
Meet Spencer
Spencer Brown had a lot of exciting events coming up in his life—a graduation and a new baby—but things suddenly changed when he suffered a spinal cord injury. Just a year later, Brown is recovering and making significant milestones thanks to his resilience and his team at Craig H. Neilsen Rehabilitation Hospital.
Meet Bryan
Bryan Caldwell was only 34 when he suffered a serious stroke. After two months in the hospital, he was transferred to Neilsen Rehabilitation Hospital where he faced many challenges on his road to recovery. With only half of his body working like it did before his stroke, he was determined to get his life back to normal as much as possible—even if that meant a “new normal”.
Meet Dani & Drew
Para Nordic skiers and TRAILS participants, Dani Aravich and Drew Shea, trained hard to earn themselves spots on Team U.S.A. for the 2022 Beijing Paralympic Games. Both of them were fairly new to the Para Nordic skiing world when they fell in love with the sport. With the help of training on Team Soldier Hollow and coaching from Tanja Kari, TRAILS program director, Aravich and Shea were able to learn techniques and skills that take most athletes years to develop.
Meet Manny
Manny Arocha spent 96 days fighting for his life against the COVID-19 virus that ravaged his lungs and body. But with the unwavering support of his family and expert care from his medical team in the Cardiovascular ICU and at Craig H. Neilsen Rehabilitation Hospital, he was able to return home to his loved ones.
Meet Sarah
When a car accident left Sarah Frei paralyzed, she chose to be unstoppable despite her new reality. With her unwavering go-getter attitude and the help of her rehabilitation team at Neilsen Rehabilitation Hospital, she was determined to get back to checking off her bucket list items.
Meet Kristen
Kristen Knight became suicidal and depressed after she suffered a stroke. She felt helpless due to the loss of her independence and everyday function. She couldn't even access the proper recovery care she needed despite numerous hospital treatments and nursing home stays. She was finally able to get the physical and emotional support she needed at Craig H. Neilsen Rehabilitation Hospital.
Meet Jenny
In August 2019, Jenny Rhoads Larkin was hit by a car during one of her daily runs. She suffered many injuries, including a severe traumatic brain injury. At U of U Health, a multidisciplinary team of neurosurgeons and traumatic brain injury rehabilitation specialists helped her recover and run again.