Gary Lauer

“This will be my new normal, but sure couldn’t have done it without all my family and friends.”

Gary Lauer adored retired life. He spent lots of time with his spouse and grandson, went on lots of family vacations. Gary especially loved being outdoors. Gardening, mowing, hunting and fishing were all pleasurable activities for Gary.

Forty years ago, Gary had thyroid cancer. He didn’t think twice about it coming back. That was until he started having extreme back pain and weakness in his lower extremities.

Gary’s pain and weakness was the result of a non-traumatic spinal cord injury due to thyroid cancer. The spinal cord injury resulted in paraplegia, or paralysis of the legs and lower body.

After a prolonged hospitalization, Gary transferred to Northern Colorado Rehabilitation Hospital. Gary chose NCRH because his good friend was the Director of Therapy and told him all about how wonderful the facility was for treating neurological conditions.

“Meeting the clinical liaison, Brooke, helped with the decision,” Gary added. “She was so pleasant, a great advocate, and saw me a lot prior to coming to rehab.”

Reflecting on his stay, Gary praised the many members of the team he encountered. “The staff were the motivators for my recovery. They were so encouraging and positive,” Gary stated. “They gave me a ray of sunshine and hope for my future! Dr. Walker was so personable and the therapy department and nurses were just so good. The staff was able to motivate me to get through life and prepare for my journey ahead”.

Gary is so excited to get home and back to his routine.

“This will be my new normal, but sure couldn’t have done it without all my family and friends.”