2016 Forty Under 40: Chris Leeuw
After a diving accident in 2010 left him paralyzed from the neck down, it took nearly two years and a brief move to Utah for Chris Leeuw to be able to walk and drive again.
Now, Leeuw is determined to give other patients that same chance.
The 32-year-old opened the doors of the NeuroHope rehab clinic on Feb. 18 to offer patients more time to recover and to help them remain healthy in spite of their immobilizing spinal cord and brain injuries.
“Neurologic injury takes months and sometimes years of intense rehabilitation to maximize recovery and a lifetime of maintenance,” Leeuw said, but unfortunately, “Insurance runs out quickly, no matter how great the plan.”
Most rehab hospitals and clinics are set up to deliver only the services paid for by insurance. But NeuroHope is trying to develop a low-cost operation that provides care—including specialized equipment not available in Indiana—for as long as patients need it.
