After sustaining a spinal cord injury in 2008 while deployed with a US Army Special Forces Unit, Chief Warrant Officer (CW3) Romulo Camargo has been working hard through his recovery. CW3 Camargo was shot through the neck when insurgents ambushed him and his fellow Green Berets as they completed a humanitarian mission distributing food and medical supplies in Afghanistan. The shot shattered the bone in his neck and damaged, but did not sever, his spinal cord resulting in an incomplete spinal cord injury.
More recently, Romulo with his wife Gabriela had been commuting four hours round-trip twice each week from their home in Tampa to Longwood, near Orlando to receive therapy. The spinal cord injury therapy center in Longwood, Project Walk, has been giving Romy a rigorous therapy regimen he and his wife hope will one day help him to walk again.
Lack of Exercise-Based Spinal Cord Injury Therapy in Tampa Inspires Vet to Establish Local Center
After about a year of the routine, the couple tired of the demanding commute and committed to establishing a nonprofit intensive spinal cord injury therapy center in the Tampa area. At first, CW3 Camargo thought it would be too tall of a task, but things soon fell into place and the former Green Beret soon realized how much a center in Tampa could benefit him and hundreds of others living with spinal cord injury in the area.
So far the couple has solicited close to $216,000 in corporate and individual donations. Their goal is to raise the $750,000 needed to cover the first two years of operating expenses for the StayInStep spinal cord injury therapy center planned to open in a north Tampa location. Romy and Gaby are on track to see the spinal cord injury center open its doors this fall.
In 2011, Romy underwent a surgical procedure led by Dr. Carlos Lima of Portugal. Dr. Lima, who passed away in 2012, had been recognized as a pioneer in the use of stem cell therapy to foster nerve regeneration in spinal cord injury patients. The procedure involved harvesting stem cells from tissue inside Romy’s nose and implanting them into his injury site. Dr. Lima had only consented to perform the surgery on spinal cord injury patients who committed to a minimum of two years of intense physical therapy, according to Dr. John Merritt, the retired chief of the Spinal Cord Injury Center at James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa.
Intensive Physical Therapy Options Beneficial to Nearly All Spinal Cord Injury Patients
Whether the combination of stem cell surgery and intensive, long-term physical therapy can stimulate nerves to regenerate is largely dependent on the individual and the type of injury, Dr. Merritt noted. Dr. Lima’s results were mixed. Measurable success was reported with some, but not all, patients. However, according to Dr. Merritt, intense physical therapy is beneficial to nearly all SCI patients since it greatly diminishes the chance of osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, urinary tract infections and pneumonia. Dr. Merritt will serve as the chief medical adviser for the new program.
StayInStep, like Project Walk, will utilize activity-based and exercise-based therapy. The idea is to employ the natural movement of the body, functional electrical stimulation training, gait training and muscle memory training utilizing state-of-the-art equipment. The Camargos want StayInStep to be available to both military veterans and civilians living with spinal cord injuries. The center will also offer massage therapy as well as activity rooms for children.
Romulo and Gabriela stay optimistic. Romy has made tremendous gains in his recovery and the couple remains hopeful that he will walk again one day. Romy credits his self-discipline and problem solving derived from his military training for help in his recovery. He also leans on the continued support of the elite soldiers in his unit. Since his injury, CW3 Camargo has been allowed to continue serving in the local special operations common (SOCOM) based out of MacDill AFB. Romy will stay on active duty until he reaches his 20-year retirement mark next spring.
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