When 16-year-old Ashlynn Sunde arrived at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals after a car accident caused an incomplete spinal cord injury, she faced a future that looked very different than she had imagined. The Sioux Falls, South Dakota native needed help with basic movements and daily activities. More importantly, she had to begin adjusting to life from a wheelchair level.
But at Madonna, Ashlynn found more than therapy. She found a community of teens who understood what she was going through and a team of therapists who helped her discover what independence could still look like.
“I think we all bond because we’re all kind of going through the same thing,” Ashlynn said. “We’ve all had a traumatic thing happen at this age.”
Madonna’s specialized pediatric rehabilitation program gave Ashlynn the opportunity to connect with other patients facing similar challenges, helping her feel less isolated during her recovery.
“Watching her and some of the other patients similar in age bond was really fun and unique,” occupational therapist Lauren Cox, OTD, OTR/L, said. “They’d banter back and forth and challenge each other and motivate each other.”
When Ashlynn first arrived, she was still learning how her body worked after her injury.
“She was still getting to know her body again, so she struggled a lot with sitting balance, transfers, basic mobility,” physical therapist Caitlin Lewis, PT, DPT, said. “Now her arms were her primary means of getting up and doing things.”
In addition to hours of individual physical and occupational therapy sessions, Ashlynn and her therapists collaborated in co-treatment sessions designed to build strength, improve mobility and develop the skills needed for daily life.
“When you have the OT lens and the PT lens and we combine mobility and function, that carries over to being more independent with some of those basic skills like self-cares or transferring to and from her bed,” Cox said. “Putting the strength and mobility and the function together was really pivotal for her.”
Adjusting to a new center of gravity and new way of moving made the normally confident teenager unsure of her abilities.
“She has her whole life ahead of her,” Lewis said. “I told her when she got here that she is capable of being independent with her wheelchair.”
That message began to sink in as Ashlynn practiced transfers and other mobility skills.
“We saw a lot of potential in her from day one, but she just needed to start believing in that and knowing that she could do it herself,” physical therapist Megan Bergstrom, PT, DPT said.
In the final weeks of her rehabilitation stay, Ashlynn’s confidence grew rapidly.
“Her confidence in the last couple of weeks really skyrocketed,” Lewis said. “She was like, ‘I can do this independently. I don’t need help.’”
Adaptive technology also helped Ashlynn to envision what life outside the hospital could look like. During recreation therapy, she used a Firefly attachment, which connects to a manual wheelchair and allows users to travel more easily in the community.
“The Firefly reduces the environmental barriers, so it really shows Ashlynn full independence out in the community,” recreation therapist Jessie Franks, CTRS, said. “She isn’t relying on other people. She’s able to go places herself.”
For Ashlynn, the experience was both practical and exhilarating.
“The Firefly feels like when you’re in a convertible,” she said. “Like the wind that you get in a convertible or when you have the sunroof open.”
Ashlynn knows her journey is far from over, but she is leaving Madonna with more than new skills. Her advice to other teens facing similar challenges is simple.
“Definitely get out of your room and actually meet people,” Ashlynn said. “Reach out to people too. Don’t just keep it all in.”
With the support of her family and the tools she gained at Madonna, Ashlynn is looking ahead to what matters most: getting back to high school, reconnecting with friends and embracing the future with confidence.