Jackson Health System partners with the Adrienne Arsht Center to Showcase Lynn Rehabilitation Center Patients in Special Performance
What:
Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at UHealth/Jackson Memorial is collaborating with the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County to have 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 inclusive transformational and cultural arts experiences for adults and students, will feature 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 is their grand finale performance, which will highlight a dancer recovering from multiple sclerosis (MS), a poem written by patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBI), a song and dance from patients who have suffered a stroke, and more.
Patient stories:
Lucas Martinez, 23
In May 2020, Lucas Martinez, then 21, was driving his motorcycle on Interstate 95 when he got hit by a car 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.
Patricia Carby, 31
In 2020, Patricia 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 perform daily tasks, or live the life she was used to. She could not drive, work the same jobs, speak, or dance. Carby 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 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 while living an independent life.
Bryan Torres, 21
On April 30, 2021, Bryan 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 face, 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 traumatic 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.
Who:
Kelly Messett, recreational therapist, speech-language pathology, Lynn Rehabilitation Center
Lauren M. Landera, speech-language pathologist, Lynn Rehabilitation Center
Lucas Martinez, saved at Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial and outpatient at Lynn Rehabilitation Center
Patricia Carby, former occupational therapy patient and current recreational therapy patient at Lynn Rehabilitation Center
Bryan Torres, saved at Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial and outpatient at Lynn Rehabilitation Center
Jairo Ontiveros, vice president of education and community engagement, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County
When:
10 a.m. Friday, October 28
Where:
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County (1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL 33132), Ziff Ballet Opera House
Notes:
For parking and transportation instructions to the Adrienne Arsht Center, please click here.
