Hecla Foundation donates $10,000 toward rehab bike

A Coeur d'Alene man, who is now a quadriplegic, is making progress in gaining feeling and muscle strength through the use of a specialized bike.

Unfortunately, Alan Wilson and his wife, Janette, have to make the trip to Spokane to use the equipment at St. Luke's Rehabilitation Center. They make the trip twice a week and it takes at least three hours each time.

"They recommend three (times a week)," Janette said. "But it's hard to keep life going to do three days a week."

Alan’s former employer, the Hecla Mining Co., is stepping in to help.

To make things easier for Alan and Janette, Hecla is donating $10,000 toward a $30,000 bike. The funds will come from its charitable foundation created in 2008. The foundation is attempting to raise money through the community and employees to help offset more of the cost.

The Functional Electrical Stimulation cycle will go to the McGrane Center at Kootenai Health for use by Alan, as well as others in North Idaho who may benefit from the therapy.

Alan said his spinal injury happened the day after he and Janette celebrated their 41st anniversary with a "nice dinner" on Dec. 1, 2014. He said they went to the Kroc Center the following day, as they often did to exercise, and Alan was playing pickleball when someone hit a ball deep.

"It hit the end line and I was chasing after it trying to make the big play and I stumbled, lost my balance and was starting to fall forward," Alan said. "When you fall forward you instinctively try to run under yourself to get your balance back. Well, that's not a good idea when there is a wall straight in front of you."

As he hit the wall face-first, he broke his neck, the injury which left him in a wheelchair.

Alan and Janette said the FES bike has helped in the rehabilitation process and to have one available in Coeur d'Alene would save them a lot of time and hassle. Alan said it would not only be of use to quadriplegics and paraplegics, people who have cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis could benefit as well.

"This is Alan's story, but there's other people who have similar stories that need this bike," said Luke Russell, vice president of external affairs for Hecla. "In Alan's case, he's very slowly getting some feeling back. It's very exciting but recovery is glacial pace."

The Hecla Foundation is looking at the RT300 FES model, which is computer-controlled and senses how much effort the user is able to put into pedaling, so the level of pedaling done by the computer to help the user along is adjusted automatically. Electrodes are placed on the legs and hip area that shock and stimulate the muscles as they are worked through the "Active" therapy.

Alan began working at Hecla in 1983, working numerous positions within the company until his retirement in 2013.

Russell said Hecla has really come around to helping people with cases like Alan’s, including Cindy Moore — another employee diagnosed with ALS, who died last year. Alan was one of the employees who, prior to his injury, would visit Moore and help with things around the house the ALS kept her from doing herself. Employees now come to help him and Janette with things like the spring and fall yard work.

"We can't say enough good about Hecla for what they've done for us," Alan said. "They do amazing things."

"We wouldn't have made it through the year without friends and family and Hecla helping us out," Janette said.

Donations can be made by sending a check made out to Kootenai Health Foundation, 2271 W. Ironwood Center Drive, Coeur d'Alene, ID, 83814. Note on subject line of check, "Alan Wilson FES bike."