William Roland

For many years, William Roland was the owner/operator of Roland’s Heating and Cooling in Lavergne, Tennessee. In addition to the repair and installation of central heating and cooling systems, Roland’s also performed air & water systems balancing, air duct cleaning, boiler installation and repair and more.

As a result of the accident, William sustained a C6 spinal injury. An injury at this level typically yields wrist control, but no finger cont small town in Georgia and decided to move her dad in with her. William was looking to gain more independence but needed to access physical therapy to help with that challenge. Because they live in a small town, proximity to physical therapy is an issue, as is the cost of ongoing therapy. William and Chelsea found out about our foundation through the United Spinal Association and applied for a grant. Their first request was for “rehabilitation gloves.” These types of gloves help to “reprogram” the brain after neurological damage, helping patients reverse damage and restore mobility. The goal with these gloves is to not only help make the hand functional again, but also minimize joint damage and pain. The foundation was able to provide these late in 2022. Following that, Roland was able to begin evaluation for a standing frame which was determined appropriate because he showed improvements with blood pressure control, tone, and functional lower extremity range of motion. Based on this progress and the comparatively minimal expense of the rehabilitation gloves, William applied for a second grant for the standing frame.

Standing allows William’s full body weight to be accepted onto his legs for increased bone density and increased activation of all muscles. By using a standing frame, William can activate his muscles more frequently while working on trunk control for increased muscle strength there! This results in decreased risk for contractures and bone density while increasing his ability to balance while sitting up. It also improves his ability to breathe by strengthening diaphragm muscles.