LAWTON Okla_ Imagine what it
feels like to lose your sense of balance at any given moment, making everyday
tasks like walking or driving extremely difficult to perform.
That's what
"Butch" Boeshart has been going through for the past six years. He's
a patient at the West Texas Rehab Center in Abilene.
Doctors put a shunt in Boeshart's brain six years ago to treat a condition that
caused it to swell due to an excessive build up of fluids.
Since the
surgery, Boeshart's sense of balance has never been the same. Butch is able to
stand on one leg for about four seconds before his equilibrium is thrown off. Those
moments are something he said he never takes for granted. Life for the truck
driver changed in an instant six years ago.
"I went to
get up early in the morning to go on to California,
and I couldn't get up," Butch said. "The room was spinning, so I went back to
bed for about three hours. Then, everything was okay."
It happened
again after that, and kept happening quite often. It was devastating for a man
in Butch's line of work. He said now, even the simplest of tasks can be a
daunting chore.
"If you're
going up and down stairs or something like that, you're unsteady," Butch said. "You
want to be sure you get a hold of something when climbing anything or bending
over. That's what it's like for me anyway."
Butch says
since he started rehab at the center last month, his battle to regain his
balance has become a lot easier.
"We are
mainly going to be working on some balance training and activities with him to
try to get his legs walking back and forth to his brain like they're supposed
to so his balance isn't thrown off anymore," WTRC Physical Therapist Erin Hicks
said.
The balance
exercises may be simple to some, but to patients like Butch, they're a
struggle. He said his positive attitude and the promise of one day reaching his
goal of regaining his balance helps get him through the sometimes difficult
treatments.
"I want to
get better," Butch said. "I look at these people here as helpers. They show me
what I need to do. I can do the rest of it. I just need somebody to show me
what I need to do, and I'll work on it."
"He's got
a great sense of humor," Hicks said. "He sounds like he's going to be very
willing to do anything that we ask him to do, which always makes a huge
difference from their end. If they're doing their part at home, then they have
a much better recovery and outlook in general."
Butch, who
turns 70 this year, said he refuses to let his condition or his age slow him
down. He said when it comes to this particular battle, his "true
grit" will see him through.
"I want to
continue life and enjoy life," Butch said. "I have always had a positive attitude
about everything. The glass is half full, and I think that's what helps us get
better."
This weekend's
telethon is the center's largest fundraiser of the year. Last year, it brought
in over $1.2M.
You can see it
here Saturday night on your 7News station.
It starts at 7:00 pm. We'll break
away for 30 minutes for 7News at 10, and then rejoin it until midnight.
The headliners are rising country stars Jana Kramer and Aaron Watson.
