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[img2=left]http://dirtrider.net/news/jmarshal.jpg[/img2]By April Sutton, Cheryl Patterson, and Sherri Roberson

James Marshall has been riding dirt bikes since he was eight years old. It has always been his dream to ride professionally and he has always trained and kept in shape to be in good health in order to be successful. After many long years and hard work, James �Outlaw� Marshall became a professional motocross rider. MXsponsor.com says James was a rising star throughout the industry and was consistently one of the fastest privateers in the supercross series. A true privateer, James and his mechanic Dave worked hard each week preparing for every race. Not only is James incredibly fast on a dirt bike, he is also an incredible human being. He has a tremendous fan base across the country (especially in his home state of Texas) and possesses charisma, and integrity.

Then, it all changed. On February 11th, 2006, James Marshall was tragically injured in round 6 of the Amp'd Mobile Supercross series in San Diego. Running in 5th place in Heat number two, James went over the bars through a tricky step up--step down combination and was subsequently hit by two trailing riders. The impact of the incident left Marshall with a broken C2, C5, and C6 vertebrae and a broken pelvis. James was instantly paralyzed and was sent to the ICU at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, CA. While at Sharp Memorial, James was put in a halo and on a breathing machine. A feeding tube was also inserted through his nose.

After 2 months, he was slowly taken off the breathing machine and in April he was flown to Memorial Herman Hospital in Houston, TX. While at Memorial Herman Hospital, the feeding tube that was in his nose was accidentally ripped from the proper location so had to be moved directly to his intestines. For three months, he was in a hospital bed with the halo, feeding tube, and catheter and was not able to get out of bed for anything. He had no rehab or assistance to improve.

Finally, in July, James was stable enough to move to TIRR (The Institute Of Rehabilitation and Research) in Houston. While at TIRR � James began physical therapy after recovering from MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus). TIRR taught James how to �live� in his wheelchair, in other words, how to get in and out of cars, how to steer his wheelchair, and how to get used to living his life in his wheelchair.

James was finally able to return to his home in Dickinson, TX on September 14th. His Physical Therapist, Kim, comes three times a week and does physical therapy exercises. The latest report is that James is able to easily complete the exercises and Kim is running out of ideas to further his therapy. At first, he could only move his left arm. He could not move anything else on his entire body. He has been able to lift his right arm now and he has gained full control of his left arm, allowing him to shave, brush his hair, brush his teeth, support himself sitting upright, and he can sign his name with his left hand using a special pen. James is able to move his left leg from side to side and his trunk strength is getting stronger as well. He is also able to now push himself up using his elbows and do arm curls with 5 lb weights. He is currently able to do 10 miles a day on a bike that is connected to electrodes that stimulates the muscles and allows him to pedal the bike. When he's on the bike his entire body sweats, which according to his doctors, is quite unusual, as most people don't sweat below the area of injury on the spinal cord. The doctor also said the muscles on his right side are firing. He is �Preparing himself to walk again!�

James travels to Austin every week to receive bio-feedback, which records signals from the brain to different muscle groups in your body. This allows the Dr.�s to see what nerves and brainwaves are firing. A person needs 20% to walk � James used to have 8% and as of the latest test, he was at 15% in his right leg.

Sheree Schultz is James' girlfriend and she has stuck by his side the entire time. She is now living in the same house with him, his parents, and his brother and sister. She takes care of him everyday. She gives him baths, does exercises with him, hooks him up to the electrical stimulation machine, moves him in and out of bed, in and out of cars, puts him in and takes him out of his standing chair, dresses him, helps him with his stretches and tends to his personal care and hygiene needs. She encourages him every day. When asked if she had to sum James up in one sentence, she replied, "An awesome person with a great personality, he is just amazing, he never ceases to amaze me". James has asked Sheree to marry him but wants to "be able to WALK her down the aisle".

He is going to an Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist to determine the best way to correct a problem in his throat caused by a tracheotomy. He developed a fistula which is an open wound in his esophagus that would not close and is causing liquid to leak into his air passage. James has not been able to completely swallow or eat by mouth since the accident.

The Dr.�s have told James that he has a "incomplete injury" and will never walk again�.much less ride a dirt bike�.but James has other plans. James would love to be able to go to Project Walk however cannot afford the expenses involved. Because Project Walk is not a licensed medical facility, insurance will not cover any costs associated with it. People who have been told they will never walk again and have gone to Project Walk, have literally walked themselves out the front door after recovery. With the progress James has already made, there is definitely hope that this place would help James recover and walk again.

James has kept a positive attitude throughout this difficult time and is determined to walk again! He always has a smile on his face and says, "Sometimes I have a pity party but I don't stay there long. This is not me, this is not who I am." And then, he is back to smiling again. He is always telling everyone he is so lucky just to be alive and has his family and friends to support him. He is VERY determined to not spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. When James was in Memorial Herman, they took him to the burn unit to give him a bath, he saw all the people who were burned. He said "I would rather be like I am than to be burned as bad as the people I saw. It made me realize that when you think you have it bad there is someone else out there whose life is worse. It gave me a new fighting spirit. When you are thankful for what you do have, you are able to move forward with strength to fight for more."

The financial burden has been overwhelming and this is not the first time this family has experienced a traumatic situation. James had a little brother named Christian Marshall who at the age of 5 months suffered from Shaken Baby Syndrome by a babysitter and he lived until he was 3 years old when he died from further complications from the original injury.

Will you help us get James to Project Walk? Please contact April Sutton at (832) 892-8202 or email at projectoutlaw@gmail.com. Thank you in advance for your consideration.

This is Project Walk, the organization and facility that James wants to go to: www.projectwalk.org
 

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