PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION
From left: Rose Hedges, Dan Wolfe and Nick Dodds worked together in the generate innovation lab at St. Luke’s to create an adaptive keyboard for Lotus Friedman to use for playing video games after a spinal cord injury left her unable to fully use her hands.
THE LOVE OF GAMING RESTORED THANKS TO INNOVATION LAB Lotus Friedman, 13, is once again able to play her favorite video game thanks to her team of caregivers at St. Luke’s Hospital. “I started explaining to everyone who was taking care of me that there’s this video game I liked to play every single day before my accident and how I couldn’t do that anymore because I play on a PC, which uses a keyboard and mouse,” shared Lotus Friedman. “Since my fingers are paralyzed, I really couldn’t do any of
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that, so my care team came up with ideas and put together keyboard prototypes.” Lotus was involved in a serious accident on January 18 in Dubuque during her fifth time skiing. Her parents Phil and Billie Friedman had been happy to see their daughter enjoying a new sport. “The day of my accident we wanted to try this jump,” explained Lotus. “I went off the ramp too fast, did a flip and my skis popped off. I did not mean to do a flip,
and I landed chin-down. I knew something was broken and thought I was in shock and figured it was why I couldn’t move. I was conscious for everything.” “She never lost sensation,” said Billie. “But there was no movement from the waist down and in her fingers. Her abs and pelvis have kicked back in and one of her fingers has regained movement since her accident.”
