Jul 16, 2008 1:28 pm US/Mountain
Craig Hospital Opens Terrain Park For Patients
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) ―
Craig hospital has a new way to help injured patients get rehabilitation. The hospital opened a terrain park Wednesday morning, which offers patients everyday obstacles to help them learn to be mobile after being injured.
The park was named after former Detroit Lions football player, Mike Utley, who was paralyzed during a game in 1991.
Utley underwent rehab at Craig, and was happy to help build the park.
"This is a no-brainier. Absolutely we will fund whatever it's going to cost to make this happen. Craig hospital gave me a chance to win. Now, I want to be able to continue those chances for other people who get this devastating injury to come back and do what I do today, and that's succeed," Utley said.
The park will give patients in wheelchairs or those with other disabilities the opportunity to conquer several outdoor challenges including stairs, curbs, cobblestone paths and speed bumps.
It's gorgeous," patient Sylvie Fadrhonc said. "I couldn't have envisioned anything better."
It was the vision of Craig Hospital physical therapist John Minden. It took two years to make his dream come true.
"We used to have to travel quite a few blocks to find every type of curb, stair, ramp that we might encounter in the outside world," Fadrhonc said.
Since his injury, Utley has been skydiving, kayaking, scuba diving, and hang gliding.
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