THE 34 PROJECT: WHERE GOD HAS PLOWED THE WAY

CYNDI (BURROWS) LAMB '74

Once Tim Haws '01 and his son Hudson '20 heard about an innovative program called activity-based therapy (ABT) they were like a couple of kids at Christmas. They couldn’t wait to tear into the package and see what was inside. The only problem was, no one offered it in Oklahoma, where they lived.

So one day father and son headed their van south for the three-hour drive to Dallas, the closest ABT facility. Despite the distance and traffic, they were eager to make the trip. Within 30 minutes of entering the building and beginning Hudson’s workout, Tim turned to his son and said, “We need one of these back home.”

Later as they left REACT Neuro-Rehab and began to navigate the interstate, Tim found his initial excitement turning into anger. Not at the traffic, but at the fact that they had to come so far for his kind of help.

Hudson, who had sustained a spinal cord injury playing football at Bethany High School, had initially been a patient at OU Health Science Center. He then went to Craig Hospital in Denver for rehabilitation.

For the next four months, Hudson worked tirelessly to recover and rehab. He returned home in January to finish his senior year of high school and four years later he graduated from SNU.

While there was little time to continue a workout regimen, Hudson did what he could. Both Hudson and his dad knew he needed more. That’s when they discovered the ABT approach and made that crucial trip to Texas.

Hudson ‘20 with Jeremy Johnson ‘00 use electric stimulation on Hudson’s triceps.

“I can’t say it was the voice of God,” says Haws, “but I can’t say it wasn’t either. I just knew I was frustrated that we had to drive to Dallas to get this kind of training. Hudson, and many others, needed something closer.” Father and son began to dream and scheme about how to make it happen, while “God was working undercover.”

Outside The 34 Project facilities

Haws learned that Bethany Children’s Health Center - a pediatric rehabilitation facility - had recently begun discussions on how to meet ongoing needs of patients who were aging out. When Haws contacted CEO Nico Gomez MBA '11, he jumped at the idea of an after-rehab training center and offered him a building blocks away from SNU Campus in Bethany.

Next, Stephane Shellenberger '74, a retired SNU professor, connected Haws with Jeremy Johnson '00, a strength and conditioning instructor at SNU. Johnson agreed to meet with the Haws but later admitted, “I had no interest in what they were doing. I was just being polite.”

The Haws Family; Tim ‘01, Lisa ‘85, Jackson, Grayson ’16, Hudson ‘20

Following their meeting, Johnson was in the locker room of his gym with only one other member. As it turned out, the man was a neurosurgeon. Johnson began a casual conversation about the Haws’ idea and the doctor tells Johnson what a tremendous need it would fill. “There is nothing for my patients after the rehab hospital,” he says. Suddenly Johnson reconsidered his involvement. Haws is astonished by the countless times God “plowed the way”—from local businessmen, themselves in wheelchairs, who purchased major pieces of equipment to experienced therapists who have joined the team.

“From the beginning,” Haws says, “I felt God leading me not to beg for money. Instead, He’s urged me to trust him. Of course, I’m willing to go anywhere and talk to anyone about what we’re doing, but I’m not worried about funding. That’s God’s job.”

Jeremy Johnson assists client using an FES Bike to strengthen his leg.

The 34 Project (34 was Hudson’s football number) opened its doors last January. Besides offering much-needed therapy, the center dreams of being a place for patients to connect with each other and build a community of like-minded and like-bodied people. One rep at a time. One step at a time. Following a path…where God has plowed the way.

To learn more about The 34 Project, visit www.the34project.org.