Paralyzed College Student Climbs Oregon’s Tallest Mountain With Help from Intermountain Health

Southern Utah University student Vishal Shukla — who was paralyzed in a surfing accident — is now walking, climbing mountains, helping other patients like himself, and thanking his Intermountain Health caregivers and others who helped him reach his goals.

Shukla was body surfing with classmates near his hometown in California during SUU’s spring break in 2022 when an accident left him paralyzed from the neck down.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was stabilized and underwent surgery, but doctors told him he would likely never walk again. A few weeks later Shukla was transferred to the Nuero-Specialty Rehabilitation Unit at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah, where his road to recovery began.

It’s also where he got the idea to climb the tallest mountain in Oregon, even though he couldn’t walk yet.

“Everyday I could see Mount Olympus out of my hospital window, and as I got feeling back in my fingers, I began to look through posts and saw my friend building trails in Oregon with Mt. Hood in the background,” said Shukla. “I decided then I was going to climb Mt. Hood at some point in my life.”

For more than a month, Shukla went through intense therapy with caregivers at Intermountain Medical Center who were trying to build back his strength and evaluate how much of his movement he could regain.

Intermountain Medical Center’s Neuro-Specialty Rehabilitation Unit treats about 70 patients each year who have experienced spinal cord injuries. Caregivers in the unit – doctors, therapists, and nurses – consider multiple factors when developing an individualized rehabilitation and care program for each patient.

“It’s sometimes known as ‘The Miracle Unit’ because of its impact on patients who’ve experienced a life-changing trauma,” said John Frampton, MD, medical director of Neuro-Specialty Rehabilitation Unit at Intermountain Medical Center. “It’s also life changing for our caregivers who get to see our patients overcome barriers and create their own miracles.”

Shukla says one of the things that kept him inspired was the help from Intermountain’s Rehab Advocates, Mindset Mentorship Program or RAMMP, a support group of former rehab patients of all ability levels who return to help patients who are going through similar situations.

“There were two men around my age who would come into my room in their wheelchairs and they always has smiles on their faces and were happy,” said Shukla. “It reassured me that regardless of what happens in the long term, everything was going to be okay.”

Slowly, Shukla began to increase strength in his upper body, and eventually started to get use of his legs back.

“It can be hard to tell how much a patient with this kind of injury can get back but we now have the tools and knowledge to make sure we get them as strong as possible,” said Peter Spencer, a physical therapist at Intermountain Medical Center. “To see Vishal come in on a stretcher and walk out of our hospital is an incredible feeling.”

After leaving Intermountain Medical Center, Shukla continued months of outpatient therapy at Neuroworx, a non-profit rehab facility in Sandy, Utah. Because of the work they did, he decided to make his climb up Mt. Hood a fundraiser for them.

“I’ve gotten such amazing care at every step along the way, I wanted to give something back to help those in a situation like me,” said Shukla.

After building back enough strength and doing intense conditioning for altitude, Shukla climbed to the top of Mt. Hood nearly 14 months after his accident.

“Just a year before I was preparing to use a wheelchair for the rest of my life and to be standing on top of that mountain was such an accomplished feeling,” said Shukla. “Proving to myself that regardless of physical limitations, a fulfilling and viable lifestyle is always on the table.”

His original goal for his fundraiser was $1,000 but continues to receive donations and has now surpassed $1,600.

Shukla says he still hasn’t regained his full strength across his body and his recover recovery will be a lifelong process. He continues to make gains and do physical therapy in search of his next goal which is to run again.

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in seven states and additional operations across the western U.S., www.intermountainhealth.org is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, 385 clinics, medical groups with some 3,900 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For more information or updates, see https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.