I first heard about Dan Cummings last summer while driving to work early one morning. He was being interviewed on a local Boston radio station and his story caught my interest; a young man who became paralyzed then learned how to walk again.
But Dan’s story doesn’t stop there. What Dan has accomplished over the past ten years since his accident is truly amazing.
After Dan’s accident in 2000, he was told he would never walk again. A sentence he would not accept. He refused to believe that living in a wheelchair was the end of his journey and he was deeply frustrated that Boston, the capital of the medical world, had no other options for him.
In 2003 Dan discovered “Project Walk” a rehabilitation facility In San Diego that teaches paralysis patients to become independent again. He moved out to San Diego by himself, entered the program and in 2007 after seven years of grueling physical therapy and weight training, Dan took his first steps out the front door of the facility.
He returned to Boston with the mission to open up his own facility where he could offer this type of therapy to other paralysis patients. Dan’s mission came true when he founded “Journey Forward” in Canton, MA, which is dedicated to bettering the lives of those with spinal cord injuries through an intense excercise based program.
Insurance companies do not cover the fees associated with this type of rehabilitation, so those who join have to pay for the services themselves. Dan has been able to offset those fees through fund raisers and donations.
Dan’s next mission is to open up facilities like “Journey Forward” all over the country, which is the purpose of our film. We want to produce a film that not only tell Dan’s incredible story, but also shines a spotlight on this type of treatment and the amazing results it can produce. All proceeds from the film will be donated to “Journey Forward”.
If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to the film please visit Documentaries.org for more information.
If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to “Journey Forward” you can go to their website at www.journey-forward.org.
Thank you,
Dave Fresina, Rick Bowman and Jim Frasier.
Producers “Mile Of Hope: The Dan Cummings Story”
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