Twice a week, Jack Montgomery drives himself to WakeMed for outpatient therapy. He’s pretty proud of that because not that long ago, there was a lot of uncertainty about his future mobility and
independence after a frightening car accident in June 2021 left him with a spinal cord injury, concussion and broken clavicle.
It was graduation practice day at Garner Magnet High School, and Jack grabbed a ride with one of his track teammates. With excitement about the future, the countdown was on and everything seemed to be going their way. Then in a matter of seconds, a collision left them both injured inside a car that was engulfed in flames.
“Fortunately two school friends who had been trained in fire safety saw they needed help and jumped into action along with others to extinguish the flames and get them out of the car,” says Jack’s mother Sandy Montgomery. Jack and his friend were both rushed by ambulances to the WakeMed Trauma Center.
Right from the Start
Jack was initially met and cared for by WakeMed’s Trauma team.
“When we arrived at WakeMed, we really didn’t know what to expect,” says Sandy. “But we could see he was already getting very good care right from the start.”
According to his mother, Jack was confused and talking about hip pain, and they could tell there were some real concerns.
“We could see that they were checking to see if he had any feeling or movement in different areas of his body,” says Sandy. “He had a CT and MRI, and his neurosurgeon Dr. [Brandon] Burnsed let us know Jack’s L3 vertebrae was broken.”
Jack couldn’t move one of his feet, and he had no feeling below the knee on his left leg.
“We were told they could not rule out paralysis,” says Sandy. “Surgery was scheduled for the next day with the expectation that they would most likely need to put a cage in place of the vertebrae.”
Graduation Celebration!
The morning after Jack’s surgery, he awoke to graduation decorations thanks to the thoughtfulness of his nurse.
“We knew then that we were in a special place,” says Sandy. “It was the hardest time in our lives, but everyone was so good with him — they are the best!”
Long Hard Days
On surgery day, Jack’s parents wondered about the days ahead. Would he walk again and what about his college plans?
“That felt like the longest day of our lives,” says his father Tim Montgomery.
“While there was no certainty, his surgeon told us he thought Jack would one day walk into his office, and the pediatric Rehab team prepared us for all the possibilities, but I don’t think anyone thought he would walk like he is now,” says Sandy. “We were also told not to rule out college, so we kept a positive outlook and took things one day at a time.”
Those first few weeks were really tough as Jack’s parents saw him struggle with doing things independently while healing from surgical procedures on his spine and clavicle.
“We were probably a little naïve about the hurdles to come after his surgeries,” says Tim.
A Familiar Place; Friendly Faces
Following Jack’s initial recovery from surgery, he was admitted to WakeMed Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital. Coincidentally, Jack was placed in the same room he had been in a few years prior following a procedure. The difference this time? The room had been converted. Pediatric rehab services had been expanded into a dedicated children’s rehabilitation hospital.
Sandy chuckles, “What are the chances?” It was like another little reassurance — a sign that we were right where we were supposed to be.
Jack agrees. “Despite everything, it was a familiar and comfortable place for me to be because of how nice everyone was there.”
He tells people he feels like he got the most out of his time at WakeMed because of the people he was surrounded by.
“You can tell they actually care, and they become your friends,” says Jack. “They will be there for you in every way you need, and it’s not just because it’s their job.”
The whole family has a strong appreciation for Jack’s nurses and therapists.
“From the beginning, they were so amazing to us,” says Sandy.
Therapy Plus Positivity
A big part of Jack’s success story is Jack himself and the trust he put in his care team at WakeMed Children’s. His parents say they learned a lot about willpower and faith from Jack, and they are grateful to his school and church community for their kindness and support while he was working so hard at healing.
“Jack is such a worker,” says Sandy. When the therapists would come in, he would just light up. Jack was committed to getting up and doing the work.
“As I learned more, I began to understand that I would benefit from doing the most I could, as soon as I could, because that’s where you see most of the progress with nerves — early on,” says Jack. “I had to fight for how I was going to live the rest of my life.”
He decided that if he could possibly do more — to walk, run or jump one day, then he was going to do what was needed and make sacrifices over those months in the hospital.
“Let’s just do it,” Jack said regularly! That was the positive mindset he adopted early on with the confidence that his physical and occupational therapists would not let him keep doing something that would hurt him.
His father was reassured to see how committed his care team was to finding ways to make sure Jack could do the therapy he needed in safe, adaptive ways.
“The therapists were all working just as hard as Jack was,” says Tim.
The child life specialists also focused on keeping Jack in a positive mindset, and his parents say they got extra creative with therapeutic recreation — everything from ping-pong to Pokémon and Olympic-themed challenges. Real relationships were developed through fun and engaging activities that helped build morale and kept Jack moving forward both mentally and physically.
Joking Around with Joe
Laughter and companionship play an important role in the healing process. So, Jack’s parents were extra grateful when Jack met Joe Jourdain, clinical aide at the Rehab gym, and a relationship rooted in lighthearted jokes started to form. At a time, when Jack could’ve easily gotten frustrated or anxious about new challenges. Instead, he really started to look forward to the gym time — almost as much as he looked forward to having a few good laughs with Joe.
“The first time I used the Exoskeleton, which is a little like an Ironman outfit, I passed out at the end, and I was apparently much calmer than expected after that happened,” says Jack. “Joe got a kick out of how chill I was, and we just started to have fun joking around every time we saw each other.” That companionship made Jack’s exercise time less daunting and more enjoyable. “It made me want to go to the gym and try new things.”
For Jack, supportive relationships were the best kind of medicine.
“The people at WakeMed made my situation the best it could be,” he says. “No matter what my level of success was for the day, I knew my people were in my corner rooting for me and would help make me better — they were there to help me out!”
Top Technology
“The technology and equipment WakeMed has is so impressive,” says Tim. “Jack couldn’t use his right arm for a long time, but the team wanted to get him on his feet, and they were able to use the Vector to take the weight for Jack so he could focus on his legs.”
Knowing he would have ongoing access to the innovative equipment and expert team at WakeMed eased the family’s mind when it was time for Jack to start thinking about going home.
Bittersweet Transitions
When it was time for Jack to transition out of inpatient care, the whole family was a little hesitant about how that would all work out. Jack was going to be in a wheelchair, and he wasn’t sure how well his progress would continue with so many changes all at once.
“Going home was bittersweet because I was leaving my team, and I was going to miss them,” says Jack. “It turns out I didn’t need to worry at all because my therapists Mary (OT), Kelsey (PT) and Jessica (PT) were all so good at what they do, and one of them was always there for me through each new stage.“
His therapists even came to their house prior to his discharge to help put together a plan to help Jack find independence back at home. Once Jack was back at home, he continued to make great progress with access to all that WakeMed Rehabilitation has via outpatient therapy. Jack says his physical and occupational therapists helped him keep thinking about the possibilities by asking about goals and helping him map out a plan that worked for him — a plan that they helped him through step by step.
Game Changing Moments
Jack and his family liked to say, “Let’s make today a good day.” While they talked about the big picture at times, they really adopted that mantra and stuck to focusing on what was needed in the moment. And it really seemed to work!
“As he got stronger, Jack progressed to using a walker and then a rollator at home,” says Sandy. “We weren’t sure of how much walking ability he would truly regain, but it wasn’t long before he was ready to try walking with a cane!”
Jack and his parents both say that a real game changer for him was getting custom braces. He wore ankle foot orthotics that he also needed to sleep. Over time, some repairs were needed, and the team decided Jack would really benefit from custom braces.
“Jessica came with us to meet with an orthotics team and helped ask all the right questions,” says Sandy. “Once he had those new braces, things seemed to change overnight!
“On December 6, just three days after getting his braces, Jack stood up, balanced himself and walked between the parallel bars,” says Sandy. “What a moment!”
Step by step he’s making a comeback, and his path forward is promising. Today, Jack is walking with just one brace. His care team is thrilled and amazed at his outstanding pace of recovery. Looking back and thinking ahead, Jack gives credit to true teamwork and is grateful for all the people who did their part along the way to help him heal and get stronger each day. Jack’s ready to do whatever comes next with his WakeMed friends by his side.
Words of Wisdom
“Put in all the effort you can!” says Jack.
That’s the message he wants to share with anyone who might face a similar journey. He also wants families to know how important it is to always support the person going through a tough healing process.
“Real support means so much,” says Jack. “My family was really there for me, and that combined with the WakeMed team made all the difference.”
WakeMed Children’s Rehabilitation
WakeMed Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital provides the kid-friendly comprehensive, family-centered care that children, teens and young adults need along with the physical, occupational and speech therapy they need to restore their health and return to life! Patients have access to the unique pediatric support and spaces at WakeMed Children’s Hospital.
WakeMed Rehabilitation is nationally recognized for outstanding patient outcomes and expertise.
The Children We Serve
WakeMed Children’s Rehab welcomes children as young as 4 (younger children considered on a case-by-case basis), adolescents and young adults with traumatic injuries and illnesses such as:
- Brain injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Stroke
- Amputation
- Multi-fracture
We serve children and adolescents with complex medical and rehabilitation needs. That’s why our team of medical and rehab professionals specializes in caring for kids.
Our Team
- Physiatrists (doctors who specialize in rehabilitation) and advanced practice providers from Carolina Rehabilitation & Surgical Associates
- Pediatric hospitalists (doctors who care for the medical needs of children in the hospital)
- Pediatric nurses
- Pediatric physical, occupational, speech and recreational therapists
- Case managers
- Child life specialists
- Pediatric neuropsychologists and psychologists
- A furry, fun facility dog named Pistachio!
Learn More Today
WakeMed Rehabilitation Admissions professionals are ready to go to work for parents and providers looking for intensive inpatient pediatric rehab services. They will do the legwork and the
paperwork to determine a child’s eligibility. Please contact WakeMed Rehabilitation Admissions at 919-350-7876. We welcome parents and providers for tours of WakeMed Children’s Rehabilitation. Please call 919-350-5108.
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