February 16th, 2003, med student Jesse Lieberman takes his dogs out before bed. Coming down the stairs of the condo building he and fiancée Michelle live in, he bumps into a neighbor in need. The neighbor is locked out of her condo and asks for Jesse’s assistance. She knows her back balcony door is unlocked and Jesse thinks he might be able to crawl onto her second-story balcony from his third-story deck. He tells Michelle what he is planning as he heads out their back door.
Minutes later, it dawns on Michelle what he’s attempting and she rushes out. As she reaches him, Jesse feels the railings crumbling under the weight of his body-builder’s frame. The railing breaks, sending him three stories down. On the way down, a balcony knocks his feet, sending him down head-first to the concrete below.
Jesse Lieberman was a third-year medical student when a three-story fall inured his spinal cord and left him struggling to get back to the active, engaged life he had before. Undaunted, he threw himself into rehab; relying on the strength he had developed with years of body-building competitions to help him progress through rehab quickly. He had high hopes for recovery: “Just like everyone else who has just had a spinal cord injury, I figured I would be the one person who would beat the odds and get better.” And in fact, Jesse did recover – not his ability to walk, but his ability to create a rewarding life, doing work he loved, at the highest levels of contribution and impact on the lives of others.
After months of rehabilitation spent in determined training and strengthening work, Jesse insisted he was ready to take the next step – going back to school. His doctor protested, saying Jesse needed another full year of physical therapy. But Jesse knew himself well enough to recognize that a year of doing nothing but therapy would spiral him down into depression. “Michelle and I are of the mind that trying and failing is better than not trying at all,” noted Jesse.
So off to med school he went. Finishing his third year on time, Jesse went on to graduate from Wake Forest medical school on schedule the following spring – and then hit another milestone when he and Michelle were married a week later.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Jesse decided to specialize in rehabilitation. He’s currently a fourth-year resident at the very same hospital where he did his own rehabilitation. In a few months he will attend a one-year spinal cord injury (SCI) fellowship, after which he will return to his rehab hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Jesse’s physical limitations as a quadriplegic have necessitated a few adjustments. For example, he’s accompanied by a nurse practitioner while he sees patients who writes notes, fills out charts, takes vitals, and anything else Jesse needs done. However, most of Jesse’s patients respond very well to him. In fact, anyone who questions his ability as a doctor quickly changes his/her opinion after seeing his capabilities. Jesse feels like he understands his patients better because of his injury. “A good mind is all you need to be a great physician,” suggests Jesse. “I’ve had patients come back years after I saw them and ask about me even though I wasn’t their attending physician.”
Jesse finds the greatest satisfaction in his work through his patients. “I enjoy treating all my patients, but especially the young SCI people. It’s so satisfying to see them go back to school. I enjoy watching them succeed and knowing that I was a part of that process.” At home, Jesse finds satisfaction in trying to be a good husband to Michelle.
Michelle, an occupational therapist, immediately took on the role of caregiver for Jesse. Many couples find it difficult to balance the role of caregiver with the role of a spouse, and Jesse and Michelle are no exception. Fortunately, they do have in-home care to help Jesse get ready in the morning and shower. “We get as much help as possible,” explained Jesse, “but I need help 24/7. You just have to work together as a team every day.”
When Jesse has new patients who’ve recently sustained a spinal cord injury, he tells them “Crying about it doesn’t make it better. You have to grieve and mourn, but you can’t spend your life doing that and letting it consume you.” Easy words to say, but coming from someone who’s “been there, done that,” they carry the weight of truth – and understanding.
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