Following a normal neck adjustment at a chiropractor, a Georgia Southern University alumna who was left paralyzed is now able to move both sides of her body as she continues a gradual but amazing recovery.
After seeing Dr. TJ Harpham, 42, Caitlin Jensen, 28, was admitted to the hospital on June 16 due to four burst arteries that resulted in a stroke and three heart attacks.
Her family reports that since Jensen was transferred to Atlanta’s Shepherd Center last week to start her physical therapy, she has improved noticeably.
Although Darlene Jensen’s daughter still has a speaking valve and glasses to correct her double vision, she can now move both sides of her body thanks to days of demanding physical therapy, she said.
‘I’m proud that even though she has been dealt some hard blows, she wakes up every day with a beautiful smile on her face, and love in her heart,’ Darlene wrote on Frider on her Facebook page documenting her daughter’s recovery.
Caitlin Jensen, 28, is now able to move both sides of her body after being left paralyzed in June following a routine neck adjustment with a chiropractor
Jensen’s mother, Darlene, shared video of her daughter taking her first steps with the help of a walking harness on Friday, which only provides 20 percent support
Darlene credits her daughter’s positive attitude and resilience for her miraculous recovery
After being hospitalized in June, Jensen could only communicate with her eyes and portions of the left side of her body
In order to treat the neck stiffness Jensen (seen in the before-incident photo) was feeling from “sitting at her computer for months working on her final courses” at Georgia Southern, she had attended the same chiropractor on a number of times.
According to his mother Darelene, Jensen is still battling pneumonia and rates the difficulties of everyday living as a 10 on a scale of one to ten. She is nevertheless steadfastly devoted to her schedule at the Shepherd Center, which specializes in providing care for those with spinal cord and brain impairments.
Darlene described her daughter’s most recent accomplishments on Friday. She claimed that with the use of a speaking valve, her daughter was able to finish one hour of speech therapy.
The 28-year-old has been working on her pronunciation of “bro” in an effort to surprise her brother after finally mastering the phrase “mom” at the end of August.
On Friday, Jensen was also able to complete sitting exercises without help and take her first steps while wearing a walking harness that only offered 20% support.
After that, she enrolled in pottery lessons where she could use her hands to make vases and participated in a conference regarding mobility aids.
Pictured: Jensen resting happily with three service dogs on top of her
Following hard physical therapy on Friday, Jensen went to a pottery class to paint a vase
From a scale between one and 10, Jensen ranked her daily life’s difficulty at a 10, but she remains committed to completing her physical therapy routine
Dr. TJ Harpham, the chiropractor who treated Jensen, has repeatedly declined to comment about what happened to his patient
Darlene said Jensen would continue the new routine on Saturday and for the days to come until she recovers further.
‘I credit her a great deal for her attitude. I think that her positive spirit and attitude has really helped a lot,’ Jensen told WJCL.
She also thanked the thousands of people who have raised more than $107,000 for her daughter’s medical expenses on GoFundMe.
‘We’ve been blown away by the support and very appreciative because we do have a very long road ahead of us,’ Jensen added. ‘It helps to know those funds are there for her needs, because we don’t even know what all of her needs are going to be yet.’
Darlene previously told DailyMail.com that her daughter had been to Harpham on several occasions to address neck stiffness she was experiencing from ‘sitting at her desk for months working on her last classes,’ but had never undergone a neck adjustment.
‘You don’t think that a 28-year-old healthy woman is going to be having such an emergency and having a stroke,’ she said.
Thousands of people have raised more than $107,000 for her Jensen’s medical expenses on GoFundMe, where Darlene posts regular updates about her daughter
Darlene previously recalled the shocking call she received from Harpham on her daughter’s phone.
‘I just thought maybe she was dizzy,’ Darlene said. ‘It didn’t ever occur to me that it was a serious event. I just thought maybe she stood up too fast or she was slightly dizzy and they were being over cautious.’
Harpham has repeatedly declined to comment on the incident.
Darlene said she was by her daughter’s side when her heart stopped for 10 minutes.
Harpham has repeatedly declined to comment on the incident.