Keith-Ann Wagner Steed’s ’02 life changed forever on July 4, 2000, when she was in a car accident that broke her neck and left her a quadriplegic.

It changed, but it didn’t stop. Keith-Ann, who was a top student and star soccer player, saw no reason to stop thinking big. She continued her studies, graduating magna cum laude from the Neeley School in 2002; married Chad Steed, a young man whom she’d known since fourth grade; and got a job many would envy as a tax accountant with KPMG.

And now she’s facing her most ambitious project to date: She’s working on opening an Austin nonprofit rehabilitation center for spinal cord injury victims based on an exercise methodology that’s greatly benefitted her.

The organization is called Project Walk and their rehabilitation program is high-intensity-exercise-based. “Most physical therapy teaches you how to live in your chair and ignore anything below your injury level, but Project Walk immediately gets you on the table and begins working on your muscles. Their goal is to get you out of your chair,” says Keith-Ann.

She and Chad moved to San Diego in 2005, and she began working with trainers at Project Walk, five years post-injury. Although most doctors tell spinal-injury patients they won’t see any improvement beyond two years post-injury, Keith-Ann says she’s made considerable progress since Project Walk.

“The first thing I noticed was that my ab muscles and core strength improved. That helps me to pick things up off the floor and maintain my balance. You pretty much need your abs for all movement,” Keith-Ann says. “I used to need electric stimulation to take a step with the right leg, but now I walk with arm crutches and I don’t use any electric stimulation.”

The facility Keith-Ann hopes to open in Austin will be called Roll 2 Walk and it will use the same methodology as Project Walk. “It’s a really expensive therapy and it’s really expensive to live in California. Not everybody can just pick up and move so they can do this program, so we want to bring it back to Texas.”

She and Chad, who’s a Project Walk trainer, have been meeting with representatives from hospitals and a YMCA in Austin. They would like to open the facility in January.

“Right now what we’re really lacking are funds for start-up costs. We need equipment and need to be able to rent a facility. We need funds to get started before we begin bringing in revenue.”

On the Web:
For information and a video, go to www.roll2walk.org.