Following a devastating injury in November 2013, 52-year-old Katie Lovell of Morris, Illinois feared that her dream of competing in track and field at the Special Olympics had been shattered along with her leg. After slipping on some water, she needed surgery to repair her fractured femur, which included a rod, plate and screws. As she lay in her hospital bed, she dreamt of the Special Olympics that were a mere six months away.
When she entered ATI’s Morris clinic for the first time with her walker to begin treatments, she was met by her therapist David James. Together, with some faith, hard work and dedication, they set a goal for Katie not only to return to work, but get her to the podium.
“We had to progress Katie to weight bearing activity very slowly. She always responded to therapy well, but at times, she would get down because of the injury. She was unable to work and thought that competing in the Special Olympics for this year was out,” said David. “I said to her ‘Katie, I’m not sure if you are going to compete, but let’s make it a goal to be able to.’ From then on, she started having a more positive attitude (not that it was ever bad) and we started to focus on functional tasks for the Olympics, as well as returning her to work.”
A lot of hard work and months later, Katie’s dream was realized. In May of 2014, she competed in the Special Olympic regionals. Her gold medal wins in the 4X100M and 400M relays qualified her for State in June, where she finished first in the 4X100M and second in the 400M.
A few weeks after the regional Olympics, David recalled a teary eyed Katie who came to visit the clinic with two gold medals around her neck. “She was tearful because she was so proud . . . and so was I. She stated that she did not have any pain, and that in just a few weeks, she was going to be competing at State! Following State, she returned to see us with her gold and silver medals. I couldn’t have been more proud of her as a person, and for her dedication as a patient. Through faith and hard work, ANYTHING is possible.”
As for Katie, she is looking forward to future competitions. “I will be training for bowling, golf and track,” says Katie. “My leg is great and I thank David for all the time he spent with me, not only to go back to work, but to get back to the Olympics. David believed in me and I knew I could come back with God’s help.”