POLAND — The Rev. Walter “Wally” Webb is making progress in his recovery from a debilitating accident on a slippery Route 119 in West Minot on Dec. 21, 2011.
His car slid head-on into an SUV, leaving him with a broken neck, bruised spinal cord, broken ribs and a broken left wrist. His arms and legs were paralyzed.
By February, he had gained back some sensation and movement. The 75-year-old minister is able to use his arms and is working on his grip, his wife, Pastor Kay Webb, said Dec. 17.
The Rev. Webb still cannot walk, but he can move his legs. He is undergoing therapy at home, working on gaining muscle tone. In a couple of weeks, he plans to try standing with the assistance of parallel bars, Kay Webb said.
He can sit up on the edge of the bed and balance himself, she said.
The Rev. Webb returned home from a Lewiston rehabilitation center on May 22. At that time, he couldn’t read a newspaper and was not using his right arm.
“He has made progress,” she said. “He can read the paper and is able to use his laptop.”
Kay Webb knows how scary it is to try and stand after serious injuries. She was in a debilitating accident 13 years ago on Route 4 in Livermore, the very same day of the month as her husband’s accident.
The plan this year was to stay home on Dec. 21, she said.
“I am feeling pretty good,” the Rev. Webb said. “I have no pain at all. My legs are getting stronger.”
On Sundays, someone comes to their home in Empire Grove to drive Webb in the couple’s handicap van to Minot United Methodist Church, where he gives the sermon from his wheelchair.
The couple often bounce ideas off each other for sermons. She is a pastor at Eaton Memorial United Methodist Church in Livermore Falls. The two have served at several churches in Maine.
“We start out with the same Scripture, but seldom end up with the same sermon,” Kay Webb said.
People from all over have helped them.
“We’ve really been blessed,” she said. “We need to thank everybody. It is amazing how so many stepped forward to help.”
dperry@sunjournal.com
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- The Rev. Walter “Wally” Webb of Poland is making progress from a debilitating accident on Dec. 21 in West Minot. He is shown here using his laptop at his home in Empire Grove.
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