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'Why I do this work': St. Luke's physical therapist, patient turn trauma into triumph
Tim Shaffer and Kyle Holbrook would have preferred to have become friends under different circumstances.
But if not for an accident involving Shaffer, the two may have never met – a tale of persistence, recovery and mutual respect would never have unfolded.
It began on Labor Day 2023 on Rabid Badger, a black diamond trail at Bogus Basin known for its challenging jumps and loose corners.
“It’s got the biggest jumps and stuff like that,” Shaffer said. “But I’ve ridden it plenty of times.”
The conditions were damp on that Labor Day, which contributed to Shaffer’s accident, among other factors, reacting to the sudden appearance of other riders.
“I went over the first jump, and it went fine,” he said, before noticing people he hadn’t seen prior. “… I went over the handlebars and landed on my back.
Shaffer broke a vertebra and damaged his spinal cord. He also broke his clavicle and two ribs.
An early diagnosis after the accident was grim.
Shaffer had other ideas.
“I told myself: I will walk again,” he said.
Transported to the University of Utah’s Craig H. Neilsen Rehabilitation Hospital in Salt Lake City, Shaffer eventually felt his feet move after some hard work, which gave him hope.
Upon returning to Boise a month later, Shaffer was paired up with Holbrook, a St. Luke’s physical therapist who specializes in adult neurological rehabilitation.
“Luck of the draw,” Shaffer said.
At first, Shaffer was a little hesitant about Holbrook.
“I think our personalities clashed a little, to be honest,” Shaffer said. “Our senses of humor are a little different. … But we were willing to work with each other. That was key.”
After working together for more than a year, the two have come to appreciate one another, so much so that they would call their relationship a friendship.
“When we first met he was in a wheelchair, and he had just started walking,” Holbrook said. “We talked about him getting back on a bike and then maybe snowboarding.”
Having those goals was important to Shaffer.
“I think he made it fun for me,” Shaffer said. “The fact that I had goals, and he wanted me to meet those goals was really important to me.”
Little by little, Shaffer showed signs of progress.
“He would come in and show me something a little different or a little new,” Holbrook said. “So, I would think, ‘Let’s poke at it a little more and see if we can drive that nervous system.’”
Shaffer put in a lot of work on the Vector Gait and Safety System, which improves mobility while preventing falls. Other times, Holbrook would ask Shaffer to try something a little more unconventional.
But the work paid off. This January, more than a year after the accident, another one of those goals was met.
And Holbrook was there to see it firsthand.
The pair hit the slopes at Bogus Basin, with Holbrook shooting video footage of Shaffer as he got on a snowboard for the first time since his accident.
Having Holbrook be a part of that day was especially meaningful for Shaffer.
“He came up to ski with me on his day off,” Shaffer said. “I just couldn’t ask more from a physical therapist.”
Holbrook said their relationship has been mutually rewarding. See a video below of them working together in December to get Shaffer ready to snowboard again.
“He’s one of the hardest-working patients that I’ve ever had,” Holbrook said. “It’s why I do this work. Here’s a guy who has a new lease on life, and he’s getting a chance to do a lot of the things that are important to him – despite a really traumatic thing.
“I’ve been doing this for 16 years now, and it’s one of my biggest success stories. I’m so fortunate to be a part of it.”
Last summer, Shaffer was asked to be the keynote speaker at the Boise Mountain Bike Festival. The message he conveyed continues to resonate.
“There will always be adversity in our lives. We can’t change that. But we can change our reaction to it,” Shaffer said. “No matter the challenge I want to tell you that you can take it on. Get to work and see what happens.”
About The Author
Chris Langrill is a writer and copy editor for the St. Luke’s Communications and Marketing department.
