WA's only nonprofit serving exercise therapy for paralyzed patients to close for good
This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com.
Pushing Boundaries, the only exercise therapy center for people in the Puget Sound region dealing with severe neurological movement disorders, from complications associated with a stroke, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injuries, is in danger of closing its doors for good unless it can raise $200,000 by April 30.
The nonprofit organization posted the announcement on their website, with the caption, 'Sad news from PB', and said their decision to close is due to financial difficulties. The nearest facilities like it, which include specialized exercise equipment for prolonged rehabilitation, are located in British Columbia, Canada, California, and Colorado.
'It's a much harder road for people without access to the type of facilities that we have,' Pushing Boundaries Associate Director Amanda Koppes said.
Pushing Boundaries sits in a care space between hiring a private exercise instructor and physical and occupational rehab. The nonprofit provides intensive exercise therapy during one-on-one sessions with staff certified in exercise therapy, kinesiology, and athletic training. They help prevent loss of function for patients and help them recover the ability to perform basic functions or even walk again.
Because Pushing Boundaries is not considered a healthcare provider, they are not allowed to bill patients' insurance companies for services, even though many of their clients require years of prolonged care to rehabilitate and maintain function. Koppes said the cost for their exercise care ranges from $120 to $130 per hour. The nonprofit subsidizes 76% of those charges, through donations, for every patient to ensure they get the care they need.
However, Koppes said donations started to slump during the COVID-19 pandemic and more recent economic turmoil, including sporadic stock prices and the threat of tariffs, have meant tighter pocketbooks and wallets.
'There just, right now, aren't that many new donors willing to come to the table with the current economic climate,' she said.
According to their website, Pushing Boundaries was founded by Allan Nothrup after he suffered paralysis during a 2001 car accident on Snoqualmie Pass.
Northrup spent eight weeks in intensive care and inpatient rehabilitation. Confined to a wheelchair, doctors told Northrup, unless he got movement back, there was nothing more they could do for him. Frustrated, Northrup and his wife, Sharon, moved to Southern California, away from friends and family, to the nearest rehab exercise facility at the time. Two years later, Northrup moved back to the Pacific Northwest and purchased specialized equipment he needed to continue his therapy. He also met many people who needed the same care as he did, but could not afford to buy their own equipment or travel and live thousands of miles away.
Since Northrup passed away in 2011, the nonprofit he started has helped hundreds of patients, including one man who Koppes said recently fell and suffered a spinal cord injury.
'And he came to us using a wheelchair, primarily, for his mobility, and at this point, which is two years after that, he's walking with a cane and is currently training to do a marathon,' Koppes shared.
Donations can be made on Pushing Boundaries' website.
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