Wheelchair to 5K: The Frank Amprim Story

“I know I can count on my son for just about anything now.  Because of him, I’m here today,” says Frank Amprim.

Frank and his son were riding ATVs while vacationing in Utah.  Frank’s vehicle flipped, he fell off and the ATV landed on top of him.  Frank was unconscious when his son made the tough decision to leave his dad’s side and go for help.

“They airlifted me to the Las Vegas Medical Center two hours away.  My back was broken and they put in a titanium cage, screws and bolts.  Doctors said I would never run or kick box and would always have difficulty walking.”

Two weeks after his accident, Frank was flown to Detroit to begin inpatient rehabilitation at DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM).  “They got me up and walking and by the time I left, I was using a walker.”

Frank started outpatient rehab at a center closer to his home but progress was slow.  He remembered seeing RIM’s Center for Spinal Cord Recovery, and said, “This is the place I need to be.”

“From that first day, they just pushed and pushed me.  Therapy was intense, but I got better.  One day my therapist said we were done with my walker and I’ve never used one since.”

Frank says he never would have improved to the extent he has without RIM.  “My therapists are always right by my side.  If I’m running up and down stairs, they are too.  If I’m lifting weights, they are too.  It’s one year later and I’ve signed up for a 5K, guess what?  My therapist is running with me.  I don’t know where else you could get that kind of support.  They’re amazing.”

Follow the rest of Frank’s story as he prepares to finish a 5K at the Detroit Free Press Marathon on October 21, 2012. Go to our YouTube channel at www.YouTube.com/RehabInstitute to watch our “Wheelchair to 5K” video series.