Steps Toward Tomorrow: Army Veteran adapts after life changing spinal cord injury

For Army Veteran Randy Jamerson, adapting was something he learned long before a spinal cord injury changed his life.

Jamerson was 21 years old when he joined the U.S. Army. Decades later, the lessons he carried from his military service would take on new meaning as he faced a challenge unlike anything he had encountered before.

“If we can adapt to the stuff we went through in the military, we can adapt to this battle,” Jamerson said. “Just because life is not the same as we're used to, it doesn't mean life is over.”

In 2020, Jamerson was working as a truck driver and preparing for what he expected would be a routine trip from Madison, Mississippi, to Lebanon, Tennessee. He had already told his wife he planned to retire from trucking.

After picking up his load, Jamerson stopped for the night before reaching Memphis. As he prepared for bed inside his truck, he reached toward the top bunk. It is the last thing he remembers.

Jamerson later learned that a sledgehammer had fallen and struck the back of his neck, injuring his C4 vertebra. Unable to reach his phone, he remained inside the truck for three days before the police found him.

When Jamerson regained consciousness in the intensive care unit, his life had changed.

His wife, Mosetta Jamerson, remembers receiving the call and learning he could not feel much of his body. “Frist, I cried, and the second thing was fear,” she said. “What's going to happen now? What is our life going to be like now?”

For Jamerson, accepting his new reality did not come easily.

“I did not accept it,” he said.

Putting in the work

In the years since his injury, Jamerson has worked alongside the spinal cord injury rehabilitation team at the Lt. Col. Luke Weathers Jr. VA Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee to regain function and independence.

The facility is one of only 25 VA Spinal Cord Injuries and Disorders Centers (SCI/D) nationwide. As a hub in VA's national SCI/D system of care, the Lt. Col. Luke Weathers Jr. VA Medical Center provides specialized rehabilitation, medical care and other services for Veterans from across the region while also working with VA facilities closer to Veterans' homes to coordinate ongoing care.

“The Memphis VA has been a tremendous asset to his recovery,” his wife said. “The spinal cord unit that they have here is truly a blessing, because he probably wouldn't get that therapy if not for the VA.”

Inside the rehabilitation gym, progress is measured differently than it was before his injury. Therapists encourage Jamerson through movements that once came automatically — standing, shifting his weight and taking steps. “I'm walking a little bit now,” he said. “And I'm getting stronger. I'm going to keep walking more.”

The work has also created a bond between Jamerson and the VA rehabilitation team who have been part of his recovery. Between exercises, they joke with one another. Then they get back to work.

“They work hard helping me,” Jamerson said. “And I'm going to work hard, because I owe it to them and myself.”

His care has extended beyond the walls of the medical center. Adaptive equipment and modifications to the Jamerson home have helped make it easier for him to move throughout the house and regain pieces of the independence he once took for granted.

“My life has changed so much because I'm not used to depending on people,” he said.

Through those changes, Jamerson credits his wife, children and extended family with remaining beside him.

“I couldn't ask for a better support system from my wife, my children, my family,” he said. “They stepped up, and I appreciate it.”

Beyond rehabilitation

For Veterans like Jamerson, spinal cord injury care does not end when a rehabilitation session does.

Beyond traditional medical care, adaptive equipment, accessible home modifications, recreation and adaptive sports can all help Veterans find new ways to remain active and independent.

VA adaptive sports and creative arts programs offer opportunities for Veterans with spinal cord injuries and other mobility limitations to test what is possible. Opportunities span a wide range of interests and abilities, including adaptive cycling, bowling, golf, snow sports, and water sports. Creative arts programs provide additional avenues for expression and engagement. For some Veterans, participation begins as recreation or a new way to stay active. For others, it can grow into competitive athletics and participation in national events such as the National Veteran Wheelchair Games. For Veterans who use wheelchairs, these programs provide opportunities to strengthen skills, regain confidence, and connect with other Veterans.

For Jamerson, those opportunities all point toward the same goal that has driven his recovery: moving forward. “We all need the same opportunities,” Jamerson said. “There are so many tools, so much advancement with spinal cord injuries. Everybody should have a chance to walk if they want to.”

And Jamerson knows what he wants.

“And I'm going to.”

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