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- Jim reached a major recovery milestone at QLI by climbing stairs again after a spinal cord injury.
- Physical and occupational therapy teams at QLI work together to turn rehabilitation progress into real-life independence.
- QLI’s Omaha-based rehabilitation program combines expert care with belief in the individual to restore movement, confidence, and identity.
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Three intentional, hard-earned steps up the stairs in QLI’s Gait and Robotic Lab marked a new milestone in Jim Dillard’s spinal cord injury recovery.
When Jim’s sneaker touched the first step, more than 100 days of progress were revealed.
His weight shifted; he aligned his body, and he braced for what came next.
“Since I have been here at QLI, each week shows my gains,” Jim said.
Building strength step by step after spinal cord injury
The start of this particular week looked different. With his usual physical therapist out, Jim’s occupational therapist, Sara Waid, stepped in.
Their preparation began by warming up Jim’s legs through a series of targeted exercises. It was perfect for Jim’s next milestone.
“She and I caught eyes, and we looked at the stairs, and we are like, you know what? Let’s try a first-of-a-kind today,” Jim recalled.
Sara remembers it the same way. She said, “Let’s do some toe taps, and all the sudden Jim just starts climbing the stairs.”
With Sara and an OT student at his side, Jim methodically climbed the three steps, then carefully turned at the top, and made his way back down.
“I’ve been eyeing those stairs now for six months,” Jim said. “I could only have been able to imagine what it would be like to be able to walk up stairs.”
Turning rehabilitation progress into real-life independence
Sara works alongside Jim throughout his journey at QLI.
As an occupational therapist, she works at the intersection of movement and daily function, helping ensure mobility gains translate into practical independence.
“Oftentimes when I take coverage sessions […] I try to find something they haven’t done yet,” Sara explained.
By approaching Jim’s recovery as more than movement alone, the team focuses on how strength, balance, and control translate into daily life.
Sara’s involvement underscores QLI’s person-first approach, centered on supporting Jim’s recovery beyond therapy sessions.
“Every week I’ve seen great gains, but in very different ways, and with you know, very different people,” Jim said.
From early recovery to movement
Looking back on his first day at QLI, Jim remembers how limited his mobility was.
Independent movement was still a distant dream after he sustained a spinal cord injury in a motorcycle accident.
A spinal fracture significantly changed how Jim’s body moved and functioned, including the use of his arms and legs.
His work began in a zero-gravity system, where he relearned the fundamentals of walking before gradually adding his own body weight and progressing to take unassisted steps.
“Being pushed by people who are experts to be able to say you got this, you can do it,” Jim said, “You may not […] think you’re strong enough, or think you’re capable enough, you know, but sure enough, with that extra encouragement, good to go.”
At QLI, progress is built on the foundation of expertise and belief, and each person’s identity remains at the center of the work.
“Those three steps, you know, were kind of like three giant steps for Jim, three giant steps for Jim kind,” he said.
