Sierra Vista Herald: New brace, therapy helping stroke victim walk again
From the Sierra Vista Herald:
“A few more steps,” Canyon Vista Medical Center physical therapist Monica Michalski says to Mark Lazercheff.
“Can you give me a few more steps?”
Lazercheff nods, his face red from exhaustion, his back leg muscles screaming for relief. His body is fighting him more than usual today, but he using muscles that remained dormant for years. Lazercheff is tired, but he pushes himself and gives Michalski the steps she asked for. He throws himself onto a medical table, giving Michalski a smirk of tired victory.
“You are already moving much better than last time I saw you,” Michalski says as she stretches his tight and weary legs.
Ten years ago, Lazercheff suffered a stroke that severely impeded his ability to walk. Not long ago, the thought of putting one foot in front of the other seemed like a pipe dream — a conjured hope to combat against the reality that he would never walk without struggle again.
But today that reality seems more like a nightmare that one can wake up from, a terror that can be combated by hard work and sweat. Today, Lazercheff has hope.