STORY BYJoyce Holt is returning to the life he once knew. He can stand up, walk, keep tap with the music and hit a few golf balls around the course. To see him, no one would believe he is 81. Or that he battled and won against cancer. And, to see him now, no one would believe that four years before, he was paralyzed from the waist down.
In 2005, Holt started having pains in his left side. Doctors first thought he was experiencing back pain and prescribed a series of painkillers to treat it.
“We messed around with it for two and a half to three months,” Holt remembers. “Finally, the pain got so bad the doctors put me in the hospital. In fact, I drove myself to the hospital.”
Holt lives outside Trinity, Texas, on Lake Livingston. By the time he was admitted to his room at a local hospital, one leg was paralyzed. He was rushed to Memorial Hermann - Texas Medical Center where he could be operated on by surgeons affiliated with The University of Texas Medical School at Houston’s Department of Surgery.
“By the time I got to Houston, both legs were paralyzed,” Holt says. “I can’t remember anything beyond that until I woke up from surgery.”
Holt had surgery in October 2005, to remove the tumor and then was admitted into the care of UT oncologist Joan Bull.
Joyce Holt and his wife Carolyn.
Holt had a diffuse large-cell lymphoma, a type of cancer that strikes the lymph nodes and a large paraspinal (tissue adjacent to the spine) mass that caused spinal cord compression, leaving him paraplegic, explains Bull, professor and director of the Division of Oncology in the Department of Internal Medicine at the UT Medical School. “Mr. Holt first had surgery to remove the mass, followed by radiation to the site of the excised [removed] mass, as well as six cycles of chemotherapy.”
Holt’s cancer had progressed to the point that he lost the use of his legs, so removing the tumor itself did not help his motor strength at first, Bull says.
“After surgery, he could barely move the big toe on his left side,” she explains. “That was his only lower extremity movement.”
For some patients, losing the ability to walk would be a major blow to their self-esteem. But for Holt, it was just a setback. His positive attitude combined with incredible perseverance carried him through every physical therapy session over the next few years.
“He has never been totally down about not being able to walk,” says Holt’s wife, Carolyn. “I think he is admired tremendously in town because he has such a good attitude.”
Eventually, Holt did learn to walk again with help from physical therapy experts at TIRR Memorial Hermann and Huntsville Memorial Hospital. Faculty members from the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the UT Medical School work in cooperation with TIRR to provide services for patients with spinal cord and brain injuries, amputations and neurological diseases and disorders.
“I’m working on balance now,” Holt says. “The strength in my legs is pretty good. I can walk, but I have to be really careful. Most of the time, I use a cane or a walker. At the grocery store, I use a shopping basket. I can stand, and I can walk around the house and the garage, but I have to be really careful.”
Holt continues physical therapy five days a week at a facility in Huntsville because it’s closer to his home, but every six months he returns to TIRR to meet with William Donovan, MD, clinical professor and former chair of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the UT Medical School.
“From time to time, we see this kind of recovery from paraplegia due to cancer when the patient is treated promptly as Mr. Holt was,” Donovan says. “The recovery is typically slow but may continue for a few years. Although he’s not back to normal, he may still get a bit more recovery than he has now. His diligence with his therapy and exercise is certainly helping him as well.”
Recovering from cancer and learning to walk again have sidelined two cherished activities Holt shares with his wife – square dancing and golf. Through gradual improvements, he is making strides to once again do the things he loves.
“Dancing and golf were the two things I loved to do,” Holt says. “I haven’t done too much dancing, but I have been on the golf course. I can stand up and hit the ball. As far as dancing is concerned, we can stand up and keep tap with the music.”
For now, the Holts are grateful simply for a second dance with life, thanks to this couple’s tenacity and that of his medical team.
“I wouldn’t have made it if it weren’t for them.”
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Dr. Joan Bull is a professor and director of the Division of Oncology at UT Medical School.
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Dr. William H. Donovan is a clinical professor and former chair of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the UT Medical School.
Packing Bag Lunches Safely
If you pack lunches for your child to take to school, be careful that you do not accidentally expose them to foodborne illness.
Bagged lunches, especially those containing perishable foods, need to be packed and handled properly in order to keep the food safe. In general, perishable foods should not be left at room temperature for more than two hours. If left out too long, the temperature of the food can enter the danger zone where bacteria grow most rapidly, which is between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
Below are some tips to help families pack bagged lunches safely:
Before eating lunch or snacks at school, make sure your child washes his or her hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. If your child's school does not have a handwashing program in place, encourage them to adopt a such a program, as handwashing is one of the best ways kids and parents can protect health and stop the spread of germs.
