BILLINGS — At the Rehabilitation Hospital of Montana, many would say miracles are happening every single day. For one Montana man run over by a vehicle, those miracles are growing in size, from lifting a fork to being able to live more independently every single day.
Jasper Half, 19 of Hardin, is rolling out of this rehab hospital in Billings on his own.
“It’s nice out here,” said Half, a patient at the hospital in Billings.
It is a benchmark certainly worthy of applause after becoming paralyzed from the chest down in December from what his family describes as a hit-and-run when the driver didn’t see him from their vehicle.
“Big picture with him is that he has kind of gone above and beyond what we expected him to reach while he’s been here. He has shown how he can transfer by himself, nearly by himself. He is starting to dress himself and he’s even starting to do activities in the kitchen like cooking and baking as well," said Andrew Pearson, an occupational therapist at the hospital.
But sitting up on his own and imagining a life of independence, complete with driving, cooking, and even kids keeps him going.
"Sumara, she’s been my main support. She saw me through. I’ve never been through this alone at any single point in time. I’ve always had her by my side,” said Half. “It’s not over. It’s nowhere near over. Just because you got one thing taken away, there’s still a lot more to gain from it. After this, my plans are to, after school, I do want to have a family and start one.”
It's an incredible story of true love, teamwork and a spirit that not even a severe spinal cord injury can break.
“It went over my upper half. I have road rash all over my stomach and side. I have tire marks on my shoulder. I’d say it's like a miracle,” said Half.
