Paralyzed Cowboy Doesn't Let Condition Saddle Him Down

PROSSER, Benton County - Ever since a paralyzing fall at a high-school rodeo threatened to crush his dreams, Jared Hollenbeck has simply refused to be hog-tied by his condition.

Two years later, Hollenbeck, now 19, has held true to his vow.

The Prosser High School graduate has endured an almost daily regimen of intense physical therapy since the accident. He's a spokesman for a national nonprofit foundation. And he's on the road to walking again.

He's reached every goal he's set out to do since his accident, Hollenbeck said. "Don't ever stop going - that's how I see it," he said.

Hollenbeck recently returned to his family's home after a month of physical therapy at the Shriners Hospital Philadelphia Unit. But rather than take a break, Hollenbeck spent his time in Eastern Washington plugging an upcoming demolition derby being held in Othello to raise money for the Western Wishes Foundation.

The organization grants wishes to rodeo and ranch people who have suffered debilitating or life-threatening diseases or illnesses.

Hollenbeck was asked to serve as a spokesman after he and his family were helped by the foundation. In 1996, the organization flew the Hollenbeck family -Jared, his parents, two brothers and sister - to Reno to watch a professional rodeo and later to the Cow Palace in San Francisco. He's met many of his bull-riding heroes and country-music star Travis Tritt.

As an "ambassador of hope," Hollenbeck is an inspiration to young people who are just starting to go through the turmoil he's already experienced, said Donnalynn Quintana, founder of Western Wishes.

At home recently, Hollenbeck talked about his accomplishments in the past two years. He'd just come in from a roll through the family's ranch, and his shoes and wheelchair were muddy.

He doesn't get to be home much these days, he said, since traveling is part of his road toward recovery. He's made large strides since March 1996, when a horse bucked him from a high-school bareback competition in Walla Walla and he came crashing down on his neck. The fall crushed some vertebrae in his neck and left him paralyzed from the midchest down.

Doctors then gave Hollenbeck a one-in-a-million chance of walking again. But the 6-foot cowboy has walked with the help of braces, and he's counting on electrical implants to help bring even greater success.

In November, Hollenbeck had to prove he was a candidate for the implants. The doctor usually doesn't consider someone with injuries as extensive as Hollenbeck's for the operation because the muscles are too weak to reap the full benefit. But the doctor was swayed by Hollenbeck's positive attitude.

So doctors in Philadelphia last month implanted electrodes into Hollenbeck's thighs. The electrodes send small volts of electricity to his thigh muscles to allow him to stand with crutches.

The electrodes are temporary. Hollenbeck now must return to Philadelphia to undergo tests, including walking on his own for 165 feet, to see if long-term electrodes can be implanted.

If all goes well, he will receive the permanent implants, undergo 21 weeks of intense therapy and come home a changed man.

"If I get them electrodes, you'll hear about me," he said with a grin.

With the implants, Hollenbeck could work on a car engine while standing for 20 minutes. He could walk from his pickup to the cab and pull out his wheelchair and go about his business.

For now, Hollenbeck can make his way around the ranch. He herds cattle, helps with branding and shots, and teaches his younger siblings about riding.

And he's holding out for medical advancements that in the future might help him to leave his wheelchair behind for good.

"You're going to have bad hair days," he said of his life. "You just have to keep going - keep your drive."