Elvin’s Comeback Story: Finding Strength Through Rehabilitation and Determination

After a spinal cord injury, 16-year-old Elvin began a powerful journey at Shriners Children’s Chicago – where specialized rehabilitation, music and sheer determination helped him rebuild his life and rediscover hope.

In 2023, Elvin’s life changed forever when, as a bystander, he was caught in the crossfire of gun violence, leaving him with a broken shoulder blade and a mid-back spinal cord injury (SCI) that suddenly took away the independence most teenagers take for granted. He had no idea a special relationship would develop at Shriners Children’s with a therapist named Ashley and other specialists who would help him roll into a new, fulfilled life.

Elvin received initial emergency care at another Chicago hospital before transferring to the pediatric spinal cord injury rehabilitation program at Shriners Children’s at the end of February 2023. He had a C4 complete SCI and was mostly paralyzed from the shoulders down. Our Shriners Children's Chicago inpatient rehabilitation team of physiatrists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, child life specialists, psychologists and supporting specialty staff provided three months of inpatient SCI therapy and medical care.

When Elvin first arrived, he could not use his arms and could move only his right shoulder and bicep slightly. The teen remembers being mean. “I was scared when I got here. I ain’t gonna lie,” Elvin said. “I could not feed myself, brush my teeth or even scratch an itch.”

Finding Strength and a Friend in Occupational Therapy

Ashley Umali, MS, OTR/L, an occupational therapist at Shriners Children’s, has treated many children and teens with pediatric SCI. She said strong emotions are understandable and common after traumatic injury. Plus, Elvin was really uncomfortable wearing the hard head-and-neck brace required during his initial recovery. Umali drew him out by focusing on his interests.

“Music and snacks … a couple rappers. We played music in his room. And to practice self-feeding, we’d bring in different chips, and we’d try them, 'cause he’s a big chip guy like me. We try to make things fun, even though he was in a lot of pain. You’ll be able to find common ground with the therapists here,” she said. Early treatment in occupational therapy (OT) also involved a lot of e-stim muscle stimulation therapy, which is an evidence-based approach after SCI. Through a lot of hard work in OT and physical therapy, Elvin improved his right upper-body strength so he can do the tasks of everyday life.

In 2025, Shriners Children’s also provided orthopedic tendon transfer surgery to improve Elvin's recovery. He underwent successful tendon transfer surgery with orthopedic hand and upper extremity surgeon Felicity Fishman, M.D., in which she moved working muscles around in his arm and hand to allow Elvin to extend his elbow and grip with his hand – which he could not do prior to surgery.

New Strength Unlocks Fresh Possibilities

Umali said that by attaching items to a universal cuff, Elvin can now independently use his laptop for virtual school, operate his phone, and drive his power wheelchair. “He’s worked so hard. He’s always taken therapy seriously. I think you kind of get out of it what you give,” she said. “And he literally gives his all every single day, and I think that is why he has come so far.” Elvin added that he can wash his face, help turn himself in bed and assist with transfers to his chair.

Elvin also discovered that he enjoys meal prep, and during OT appointments, he and Umali made homemade ice cream and even pickles. He also developed an unexpected love of digging in the dirt during horticultural therapy, using a small hand shovel attached to his cuff. “I’m open to new things. That’s stuff I would never try outside of here,” he said.

Lauren Eckerle, SLP, who manages the pediatric rehabilitation therapy program at Shriners Children's Chicago, explained how things like pickling and picking up potato chips over and over are part of medical treatment. “Every therapy session is a carefully crafted mixture of science, creativity and play,” she said. “Pediatric therapists are experts in getting kids to do hard things without them realizing it.”

Shriners Children’s approach to rehabilitation focuses on the child's overall health and well-being, showing how activities like pickling and repeatedly picking up potato chips are part of medical treatment.

Therapy for Elvin also became a way to rediscover his identity. “I remember when I was going through rehab, thinking I might never even play video games again,” he said. “But they were like, ‘Yes, you can.’ Life may look a little different now, but I worked hard in therapy.”

Looking Forward: School, Art and a Future Full of Possibility

As his body strengthened, Elvin’s outlook shifted. He began looking beyond his immediate recovery, imagining a future filled with possibility. A partnership with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) allows inpatients to complete schoolwork while hospitalized. CPS teacher Mary Vokoun worked with Elvin and helped him re-enroll in online high school.

“Even when he is struggling with discomfort and fatigue, as well as juggling an intensive therapy schedule, he rarely misses school. There is no quit in him. On top of that, he is humble, kind and outgoing. To put it simply, I am inspired by him,” Vokoun said.

“I fell in love with art last year when I had a graphic design class,” Elvin said. Now 18, he has been nominated as the student of the month. His artwork is part of an all-city virtual exhibition, and is displayed in the Teen Lounge area at Shriners Children’s Chicago.

Elvin continues to receive outpatient therapy while finishing high school. He plans to attend college after graduation to study computer science, with the goal of one day working with children and passing on the encouragement that carried him through his own journey.

“He is a completely different man now,” said Umali. “We’re so proud of him.”