- Category: Community
Secane Man Conquers Adversity 1 Step at a Time
‘All of a sudden you are more understanding of people’s problems’
The last few years have been trying times for Secane’s Frank Suplee, who has endured multiple back surgeries, sepsis, cancer and the death of a parent, all of which left him literally flat on his back.
Suplee, a salesman for a wood flooring company, traveled a lot but the wear and tear was too much. Traveling was becoming hazardous, getting on and off planes a struggle.
A seven-year downward spiral of back issues saw him go from limping to barely walking with a cane.
During this time he went to physical therapy, and tried other noninvasive therapies such as cortisone shots in an attempt to deal with his back issues but eventually it became too much and Suplee, 61, had to retire.
An MRI showed he had compression and vertebra damage that were fragmenting and causing nerve damage so a couple months later he had surgery at Pennsylvania Hospital.
After his surgery he developed sepsis, which required another surgery.
Following the second surgery Suplee began rehabilitation but was slow and by then he had gone a year without walking.
Around the same time he was also diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma that required surgery to remove the melanoma and an additional lymph node surgery to check the spread.
Shortly after, he got out of the hospital and his mother died. He was still sleeping in a hospital bed in the family living room and at her funeral, had to be pushed around in a wheelchair.
Frank Suplee, 61, of Secane works the step machine with Planet Fitness personal trainer Michael Pohlig, who said Suplee is a model of stick-to-it- ive-ness. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES)
As an inpatient rehab resident he would get about 30 minutes of intense physical therapy, but the rest of the day he was confined to the bed, or sitting in a chair.
“I went a good year without moving when I was a patient,” he said. “Being a patient aside from the half-hour with the therapist, you are lying in a bed or sitting in a chair. “
“It was a prolonged process, a lot of frustration,” Suplee said.
He thought it might be the best he could hope for, but he kept plugging away to improve.
During rehabilitation he realized others have it worse and that helped motivate him.
“All of a sudden you are more understanding of people’s problems. You start looking around and think I don’t have it so bad as others,” he said.
Eventually he was able to go home and continue improving through outpatient rehabilitation.
“When you’re back home your whole environment begins to look up,” Suplee said. “I didn’t make any progress until I got out and was doing training in the house and in outpatient (rehabilitation).”
A bright spot was getting married shortly before surgery.
He and his wife, Sherry, had known each other 30 years but only recently married and she stood by him throughout his ordeals.
“We’ve been in each other’s lives on and off. It took a while to get it right,” Suplee said with a smile.
With Sherry by his side, Suplee slowly improved but then came another problem: insurance.
“I made a lot of progress but got to the point where the insurance cut out. You are not a danger to yourself anymore. I was driving myself, and didn’t need help getting out of the car anymore,” he said. “They can only get you to a certain point, then they can’t help anymore.”
Therapists suggested he join a local gym and continue his efforts there. He joined Planet Fitness in Woodlyn in January and continues to improve.
Frank Suplee, 61, of Secane works on leg extensions with Planet Fitness personal trainer Michael Pohlig. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES)
He has been working with personal trainer Michael Pohlig who alternates upper and lower body activities using five or six different machines.
One station Suplee has found helpful is a stepper, which allows him to get in 1,500 to 2,000 steps.
“I started doing one or two steps. Now I’m doing 2,000. It was quite an accomplishment,” Suplee said. “It’s a good way to get some extra steps in.”
Pohlig said he helps clients learn their minimum and maximum capabilities but if people stay at the minimum leave they won’t improve.
“If you only go with a minimum, you’re not going to make any progress at all,” Pohlig said. “You’ve got to treat it like a marathon, you’ve got to take your time and you’ve got to stick to it.”
As Suplee has improved. He stays in regular contact with his primary care physician.
“I’ve definitely come a long way from where I was,” Suplee said. “The good thing from all of this is the pain in my back has gone.”
By PETE BANNAN |
The Delaware County Daily Times
April 20, 2024
