IN MY SHOES: What It’s Like To Recover From A Gunshot Wound To The Head
On the last day of Christmas break in January 2009, Mark Steinhubl was shot in the head at the home of a fellow senior at his Houston high school. “The bullet tore into his skull just above the right eye and cut through the right side of his brain,” reports The New York Times, and he understands “what Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona faces as she begins her rehabilitation”:
Two years ago, he suffered an ordeal similar to Ms. Giffords’s - a bullet damaging half the brain, the deadly buildup of spinal fluid, the removal of a piece of his skull by surgeons to relieve pressure. He also went through the same program at the Institute for Rehabilitation and Research that Ms. Giffords is expected to follow. …
Four weeks later, paralyzed on his left side, he was wheeled into the rehabilitation institute flat on his back on a gurney, wearing a helmet to protect the side of his head where the skull had been removed. He could not even sit up for more than a couple of seconds without being overwhelmed with dizziness. …
Before his shooting, Mr. Steinhubl had been a top student at his prep school and a hooker on the school’s varsity rugby team. He was 180 pounds of muscle, an energetic and bright young man who had scored high on his SAT and was applying to elite colleges. ...
After his injury, Mr. Steinhubl said, it became a challenge simply to sit up in bed. He and his therapist would set small goals - for instance, to sit up for five seconds at a time - then try to accomplish them. By the end of a week, he was able to sit in a wheelchair. The footrests were taken off, forcing him to propel himself down the hallway. He slowly regained use of his legs. …
Days at the institute can be grueling for patients, Mr. Steinhubl said. Every morning patients are asked to write out their goals for that morning - to stand a few more minutes, to tie their shoes, to dress themselves. Many of the fine-motor exercises seem simple, but they can be extremely difficult for someone with a brain injury. He spent hours picking up marbles with his left hand or putting toothpicks in a jar. …
He labored over simple math problems that his speech therapist gave him and had trouble recalling the details of stories he had just read. Even forming simple sentences seemed to take more mental effort. “It was really slow, and I had to really dig for the answers,” he said.
In his third week at the institute, Mr. Steinhubl started walking, and his recovery picked up speed. By the end of a month, he was able to balance on one leg and jog down the hall. He was sent home on Feb. 28, three months before his caregivers had predicted he would leave. He still faced months of therapy at an outpatient clinic.
Steinhubl graduated with the rest of his class from Jesuit Strake College Preparatory, and is now a sophomore at A&M, living in an apartment away from home. His left hand is still partially paralyzed and he never regained his sight or hearing on his right side. Steinhubl is studying chemical engineering and working towards a pre-med degree to keep his options open. But he isn’t able to handle a full load of courses, has trouble taking notes and needs extra time on exams. With all that, he tells The Times, “I know there is a plan for me being here, because G-d decided to keep me around. There must be a reason.”
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