Neither snow nor the cancellation of an appearance by “American Idol” runner-up Lauren Alaina could dampen the spirit of perseverance at the Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation’s 12th annual Possibilities Luncheon.
The event, held Wednesday at the Chattanooga Convention Center, also marked Siskin’s 25th anniversary.
It began with a video featuring three accounts from people whose lives were changed by the care they received at Siskin. Pam McKenney, partially paralyzed by a lesion on her spinal cord, learned to walk again with in- and outpatient therapy. Brothers W.O. and Marvin Johnson both suffered strokes that left them unable to run their family farm. After extensive physical, occupational and speech therapy, both were able to return to their livelihood. And Dr. Kathryn Primm, a veterinarian who sustained a traumatic brain injury in a horse-riding accident, recovered from her memory loss and regained her ability to walk.
“Thank you for coming to our birthday party,” Carol Sim, president and CEO of Siskin Hospital, said. “The support that we’ve received from the community has been so inspiring.”
Event co-chairpersons Julie and Zan Guerry announced that $215,000 was raised for the hospital in advance of the event, and said they hoped to raise even more from the donation envelopes on each of the 90 tables in the room.
Rick McKenney, newly appointed CEO of Unum, whose wife Pam shared her story of rehabilitation in the video, introduced featured guest W Mitchell. Against a sparse backdrop bearing one word — “possibilities” — in flowing calligraphic letters, the inspirational speaker held the 700 attendees’ rapt attention as he wheeled himself across the stage.
Mitchell, a former Marine, suffered burns over 65 percent of his body after a laundry truck ran a stop sign and collided with his motorcycle. He was left disfigured, fingerless and angry. Four years later, in the midst of reclaiming his life, he was paralyzed in a plane crash. Rather than dwelling on the “thousand things he could no longer do,” he said, Mitchell decided to focus on the “thousands of things he could still do.”
After a long silence, looking over the crowd, he spoke.
“Have you ever been imprisoned?” he asked.
“I have,” he said, gesturing down. “This wheelchair was once a prison for me, as effective as any bricks or bars. These short fingers, this unusual appearance, I hid behind their walls. But today, this wheelchair has become a vehicle, transporting me to South America, Singapore, Australia. This unusual appearance is but a thin veneer behind which lies the incredible gift that lies inside each of us. Carol [Sim] and her team at Siskin invited me to help stage a ‘jailbreak.’ But it’s her team that helps people break out of prisons.”
Mitchell, who flew in Tuesday from Hawaii and toured Siskin, called the hospital the finest he’s seen.
“Siskin is unique,” he said. “I’ve been in many hospitals and rehab facilities, but I’ve never seen anything like that. As good as the tools are and the technology is, it’s not as good as the people.”
Mitchell talked about his accidents, and how after each of them a team of caregivers was waiting for him. Borrowing a quote from Canadian sociologist Marshall McLuhan, who said, “There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth, we are all crew,” Mitchell referred to his caregivers as “crew members” and “angels.” He said he saw the same at Siskin.
“I saw a lot of angels yesterday at Siskin Hospital showing people what they can do, when all that’s in their minds is what they can’t do,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell concluded by recognizing the philanthropic vision of Mose and Garrison Siskin, the brothers whose memorial foundation provided for the establishment of the hospital in 1990.
“So, the next time you find yourself in that cell, shaking the bars, yelling ‘why me?’ ‘why me?’ step back, calm yourself, and think about a couple of brothers who decided to do something about it; think about the members of the crew; and remember, it’s not what happens to you, it’s what you do about it,” he said.
The crowd gave Mitchell a standing ovation. Afterward, many in the audience approached Mitchell to thank him, including Scott Wilson, headmaster of the Baylor School.
“He’s an incredible speaker,” Wilson said of Mitchell.
Wilson said Mitchell was also invited to speak at Baylor that afternoon, but because of the school’s snow day, the event was canceled.
Contact Will Healey at whealey@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6731.