The Story of Awakenings...
Having personally experienced a spinal cord injury resulting in paralysis from the neck down, founder Laura Karch, understands firsthand how the participants in her program are undertaking the greatest challenge they'll ever face. Laura's injury, subsequent recovery, and later professional experience as a trainer at a spinal cord clinic revealed many insufficiencies amongst the therapies currently available for this complex injury.
Laura saw many individuals were unable to achieve adequate physical rehabilitation in the timeframe they were given by insurance companies and the medical community. Yet these individuals still held the potential to make significant progress towards greater independence through physical improvements.
Laura also saw how unaddressed emotional, mental, and social issues stemming from the injury directly interfered with an individual's physical progress, and more importantly, negatively affected the overall level of happiness, productivity, and willingness to reintegrate into society.
In 2003 Laura Karch and Heather Newcom began the process to begin a non-profit organization catering to people with traumatic injuries such as spinal cord injury, stroke, and traumatic brain injury. AHI was to fill the void where traditional, medically established acute rehabilitation left off. Their vision was to establish a place that would provide not only exercise-based therapy, while integrating restorative therapies addressing participants' full range of challenges. The program was designed to support the whole-health of the participants at an affordable price during the arduous rehabilitation process.
As time progressed, in 2005 AHI opened a Solana Beach facility. AHI condensed down to five therapists, all from different areas of expertise. Laura Karch, Adam Gries, Angela Smith, Andrew Braga, and Zach Houston delved into the real problems resulting from traumatic injuries and developed something that would address the physical, emotional, mental, recreational and social challenges one experiences after a devastating medical emergency. The Awakenings program encompasses the whole health of an individual, under one roof, for as long as that individual needs in order to feel comfortable with getting back out into the swing of life.
The Vision
Awakenings Health Institute would be a campus setting with multiple facilities encompassing all of the following components to a holistic approach: Traditional Medical Treatments, Chinese Medicine, Fitness, Therapeutic Recreation, Nutrition, Wellness and Bodywork, Social Integration, Cognitive Focus, Education, Awareness.
Participants and families can live on the rounds and are provided with transportation, food, housing, integrative therapies - traditional and alternative medicines, education and career placement. This campus would allow the individuals, who have sustained paralysis or major trauma, as well as their families to live and cultivate in a safe campus environment. They would be able to co-habitat with others in a similar situation, learn from one another, help one another, gain rehabilitation, and move on with their lives rehabbed and release their potential for productivity. AHI would expand its program to families for therapy and rehab to restore their lives as well.