Lynn Rehabilitation Center Patients Perform at the Adrienne Arsht Center

In October 2022, Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at UHealth/Jackson Memorial collaborated with the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County and had rehabilitation patients perform in one of the Arsht Center’s longest-running arts education and community engagement programs, Accessing the Arts. The program, which offers participants inclusive transformational and cultural arts experiences, featured 10 Lynn Rehabilitation Center patients, all with different ability levels, in an 11-minute performance.

For eight weeks, the patients trained with teaching artists who serve people with special needs. The culmination of their hard work was a grand finale performance.

Learn more about the performers who represented Lynn Rehabilitation Center at Accessing the Arts below.

Meet Lucas Martinez, a traumatic brain injury (TBI) patient:

In May 2020, Martinez, then 21, was driving his motorcycle on Interstate 95 when he lost control of his bike and was flung onto the busy highway. Moments after attempting to cross through traffic to get back to his motorcycle, Martinez was hit by another car and was rushed to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial with multiple fractures to his lower extremities and a TBI.

Martinez was discharged from Jackson Memorial in June 2020, and began therapy at Lynn Rehabilitation Center. When he arrived, he could only move his right arm, could not speak, and was receiving nutrients through a feeding tube. After several months of therapy, Martinez was able to speak, eat solid foods, and move his left arm on his own. Today, Martinez can walk with the help of a walker and continues to receive outpatient physical, occupational, and recreational therapies at Lynn Rehabilitation Center.

At the performance, Martinez produced the music track that played during the poem recital. In the poem, Martinez spoke about living with a TBI and how Jackson has helped him recover.

Meet Patricia Carby, a multiple sclerosis (MS) survivor:

In 2020, Carby was diagnosed with MS, a disease in which the immune system eats away at the protective covering of the nerves. A dancer her whole life, Carby was living in New York City before her diagnosis, fulfilling her dream of dancing professionally while working on theater sets like “The Lion King.” As her disease progressed, Carby could no longer drive, work the same jobs, speak, or dance. She needed a wheelchair and a cane to get around.

To help tackle her MS, Carby was admitted to Lynn Rehabilitation Center, where she underwent extensive inpatient physical, occupational, and speech therapies – enough to where her team of therapists pushed her to dance again. On August 31, 2021, Carby was discharged from Lynn Rehabilitation Center walking, talking, and dancing. Today, she continues to receive recreational therapy at Lynn Rehabilitation Center while living an independent life.

At the performance, Carby was front and center doing what she loves the most – dancing. She showed the audience what’s possible while living with MS. .

Meet Bryan Torres, a TBI patient:

On April 30, 2021, Torres, then 20, got into a motorcycle accident. He was rushed to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial with multiple fractures throughout his body and a TBI. He remained in a coma for four months in Ryder Trauma’s ICU. Upon waking up from the coma, Torres could not speak, move, or walk. He also needed facial reconstruction and multiple surgeries to fix fractures in his elbow, femur, tibia, and both knees.

In August 2021, Torres was admitted to Lynn Rehabilitation Center. At the time, he could not speak or walk. However, within the first two weeks of therapy, Torres was able to stand and perform different exercises with his arms.

More than a year after his injuries, Torres walks and talks on his own. He continues to receive outpatient physical, occupational, and recreational therapies to help strengthen his physical and mental capacities. He recently started school again to earn his GED and fulfill his dream of one day becoming a doctor.

At the performance, Torres participated in the poem recital and shared what his experience was like living with a TBI and how therapy at Jackson has changed his life.

To learn more about Lynn Rehabilitation Center, visit  https://rehabilitation.jacksonhealth.org/.