ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A longtime firefighter from the Rochester area found himself in an unimaginable position while on vacation in Key West. Suddenly, he was unable to move his arms and legs. The road back has been a long one, and one he says he could not have navigated without a lot of help.

Jeff Gates is a busy man in his job as captain in the North Greece Fire District.

“I have a ton of projects going on,” said Gates. “The stuff you don’t think of, the day-to-day stuff that keeps the wheels on the road.”

On the road is where he’d rather be. But it’s going to take time.

“Nobody wants to be the guy strapped to the desk,” said Gates, as he sat at his office desk.

Last winter, while on vacation in Florida, Gates became paralyzed. He was lifting a pack of bottled water and suddenly couldn’t move. he was taken to a hospital in Miami where doctors found he had a previously undiagnosed, pre-existing spinal cord injury. Eventually, Gates was moved to Rochester Regional Health’s Golisano Restorative Neurology & Rehabilitation Center at Unity Hospital.  

“When I first got here I couldn’t move my legs or my arms,” he said. “Absolutely helpless.”

Gates spent two-and-a-half months at the facility. Three or four physical therapy sessions a day helped get him back on his feet and back to work.

Jeff’s is one of many stories at Golisano. Stories of hope, and hard work, are highlighted in an event called Walk and Roll — celebrating rehab units and their staff.

“The support was day in and day out,” said Gates. “It’s so incredibly fortunate.” 

Support for Gates and for others. Getting back on your feet takes a team effort.

“It's vital in the rehab process,” said Dr. Sean Silverman, Golisano Rehabilitation medical director. “It's something that we try to get with patients, even when they're on our unit, to have a peer support group. To know people who have done it, people who have gone through it and people come out the other side.”

When Gates first got here, he couldn’t walk 10 feet. He returned to work at the firehouse in May. He is not quite where he wants to be, but he’s getting there.

“I want to get back in the front seat of the truck,” he said. “There's no doubt about that. I mean, that's where I'd like to be. That’s my goal.”

A busy man — with a plan. And the support to get it done.

“All the stuff that keeps pushing you every day,” said Gates. “It’s just incredible.”