Donations To Barrow Help Deaf Grandfather Find His Voice Again

Arturo Monroy. Husband. Father. Grandfather. Fighter. Grateful Patient.

My family means everything to me. I am a proud husband, father of nine, and grandfather of 21. I am also Deaf. But that has never stopped me from living a full, happy life. I use sign language to communicate and connect with others. My wife, who is also Deaf, and all of my children are fluent in sign language; it’s what makes our bond so special. In September 2021, the ability to communicate with my family was taken from me after a horrific car accident left me unable to walk or use my hands.

The first thing I remember after the accident is waking up groggy and disoriented, followed by blinding pain. Slowly, things came into focus. I realized I had a breathing tube down my throat and was hooked up to dozens of machines. I tried to move my feet. Nothing. I tried to move my hands. Again, nothing. Panic gripped me as I struggled to put together what had happened.

Then, my children came into the room and told me I had been involved in a rollover car accident and had to be airlifted to Barrow Neurological Institute. I had broken my neck and had sustained massive head trauma. The final diagnosis was incomplete quadriplegia, the loss of movement in all four limbs. My whole world shifted in that moment. I thought I would never be able to use my hands or walk again, but the team at the Barrow Neuro-Rehabilitation Center assured me that they would fight as hard as they could to help me recover.

Communicating was extremely challenging at first. All I could do was blink or shake my head when my children signed a question. I felt trapped. I had my friends and family, all these people that I loved. I couldn’t imagine going the rest of my life without being able to communicate with them.

Every day, I met with the Barrow Neuro-Rehabilitation specialists and worked hard on exercises to gain movement back in my hands. Slowly, I began to move my fingers again. Then, my hands and my arms. After over a month, I was finally able to sign again. I cannot describe the overwhelming joy and relief I felt being able to tell my family how much I loved them and how much their presence meant to me. I didn’t stop there either. My physical therapist continued working with me until I could stand on my own and walk with the help of the robotic exoskeleton.

My recovery has been nothing short of a miracle. At one point, I thought I wouldn’t be able to move anything past my neck. Now, not only can I sign again, but I can also hug my children and play with my grandchildren again. None of this would have been possible without my team at the Barrow Neuro-Rehabilitation Center, who even learned some signs so they could communicate with me better. I will treasure the bond I formed with them forever.

With gratitude,
Arturo Monroy

Barrow gave me the ability to communicate with my family back. Now, we want to help them. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation in support of the Barrow Neuro-Rehabilitation Center, so patients just like me can continue receiving world-class care with advanced rehabilitation equipment.
All gifts will be matched by Traci and Jim Swanson, up to $25,000.