New therapies provide tingling of hope for paralyzed woman

The other day, Reveca Torres' legs fell asleep - the first time in 13 years she felt the blood rush through her lower extremities.

"I straightened out my legs after sitting Indian-style for a while and got so excited because I had never felt that sensation before," she said.

Torres, of Prospect Heights, was in eighth grade when a semitrailer truck moved into the path of her family's van while driving back from a visit to relatives in Guadalajara, Mexico. Her dad swerved off the road to avoid colliding head-on, but the vehicle flipped. Her neck broken, Torres was paralyzed from the chest down. She's been in a wheelchair since.

Now 27, Torres says the tingling and sporadic muscle spasms have always been there, but they've intensified in recent months. Torres credits those positive signs to having found Project Walk while looking for alternative therapy. The San Diego-based nonprofit organization uses demanding exercise and education to improve the quality of life for people with spinal cord injuries.

Torres, a 1999 Palatine High School graduate, lived with a family friend in California for two months earlier this year to participate one of Project Walk's recovery programs.

The highlight was gait training, which Torres was strapped into equipment that simulates walking.

"It was the strangest thing," said Torres, who designs costumes for dance companies. "I told my right leg to go forward and it did. The repetition helps you make a connection between your brain and muscles."

All the exercises were done out of her wheelchair, forcing Torres to work long-forgotten muscles. Now her legs contract. Her arms are stronger. Even turning over in bed is easier.

"Obviously, my goal would be to one day walk again, but it's really about being more functional," said Torres, who drives an adapted vehicle in which she uses her hands to accelerate and brake. "I've accepted being in a wheelchair but any improvement in any way ... I'll take it."

Standing in the way of progress isn't a lack of determination or work ethic. It's the cost. One hour at Project Walk runs $100, and it's recommended she go three hours a day, three days a week. Her insurance doesn't cover it.

To pay for another trip, friends and family formed a fundraising campaign they call Backbones. Their big event is a Bowl-A-Thon today at Eskape in Buffalo Grove. The Palatine High Art Club designed bowling pin art for the silent auction. They hope to raise $20,000.

"She's already able to do so much she couldn't do before," said Torres' sister, Veronica Gott. "She can feel the breeze on her legs. She sweats now when she works out."

Closer to home, Torres does physical therapy three times a week at Athletico in Arlington Heights. She works with Leo Romuar, a personal trainer who flew out to San Diego for Project Walk's "Train Your Trainer" program.

"Part of Project Walk's philosophy is to stimulate the body and central nervous system in a way she wouldn't experience while in the chair," said Romuar.

Always active, Torres became interested in adaptive sports and fitness as a student at the University of Arizona majoring in theater arts. She's been scuba diving, water skiing, surfing, played tennis and power soccer. Rugby was a bit much, with "guys crashing into each other and falling out of their wheelchairs. No thanks."

Torres says her new passion is hot yoga, which, as the name suggests, is a type of yoga done in rooms set at very high temperatures. Hesitant to join a roomful of people, she worked one-on-one with an instructor who came up with modified positions. She got the confidence to join a regular class last week.

Torres says she's treated like an athlete at Project Walk and can't wait to get back.

"There was a time I didn't consider myself independent, but I drive and manage my own care," said Torres. "Sure there are adaptations, but I'm pretty much able to do anything."