A man who rehabilitated from a spinal cord injury at Craig Hospital now works there and is giving back to others.
Christopher Luna grew up in a small central Texas town of around 1,400 people and wanted to experience more. So, he spent a summer in Colorado backpacking, hiking, kayaking and rock-climbing.
“During one of those trips towards the end of the summer, I had a fall,” Luna said.
This left with a complete spinal cord injury. He spent four months in rehab at Craig Hospital in Englewood.
There, he went through physical therapy, rehabilitation, occupational therapy and a series of surgeries.
“From the moment I came in, everyone seemed to be just a lot more welcoming and kind and they wanted to focus my complete and full rehabilitation,” Luna said.
It was an experience that sent him around the world on a new adventure working with nonprofits helping others with the same struggle.
“I worked with some of the poorest people on the planet,” Luna said. “Working with those individuals inspired me to continue on with that as a career.”
Now Luna is working full-time at Craig Hospital as an Outpatient Administrative Representative, where he helps guide others with spinal cord and brain injuries to clinical services they may need.
“I see people who have the same look on their face, the same nervousness the same overwhelming feelings that I experienced,” Luna said.
He’s giving back to the place where it all began.
“What I feel like I’m doing here on a daily basis is being an example to patients of what is possible in this situation that they’re in,” Luna said.
Author: Byron Reed © 2018 KUSA-TV
