From paralysis to 5K: GR woman shares recovery from rare condition

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Stephanie Wolbrink of Grand Rapids celebrated her 30th birthday in 2022 in Mexico with her boyfriend, excited about the next decade.

She had no idea that less than two months later, she’d be in the hospital, paralyzed from the waist down. Wolbrink had gone for a vaccine booster and six days later couldn’t walk.

“It took (doctors) about three days to figure out what was wrong with me. After a second MRI, they were able to see a lesion in my spinal cord,” said Wolbrink. “I was diagnosed with transverse myelitis.”

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, transverse myelitis is a neurological disorder caused by inflammation of the spinal cord. In extremely rare cases, it can be a side effect of a live vaccine.

Wolbrink said she had lost 30 pounds just prior to getting her booster shot and was not in great health, which her doctors believe played a role in her developing the condition.

“Basically, my body, when I got my booster, wasn’t in the best place to receive that. My immune system got confused. It actually started attacking and destroying my spinal cord,” she said.

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After two years of rehabilitation, she still can’t run or make it upstairs, but she can walk, which is what she plans to do in the Amway River Bank Run 5K on Saturday.

Wolbrink felt bitter, at first, about going from a healthy, active adult to someone who needed constant care in a span of a week.

“It’s taken me a lot of time to flip that and see how lucky I am to even be able to walk and not be bound to a wheelchair or walker all of the time,” she said.

She’s also become a fierce advocate for anyone else with her condition and wants to raise awareness about things like keeping accessible parking spaces open for those who need them. The experience has given new meaning to taking life “one step at a time” as well.

Wolbrink has relied on videos of her recovery to see the progress and is celebrating every milestone along the way. Her boyfriend proposed to her last year on Transverse Myelitis Day.

“It’s the exact kind of support that I would have always dreamed of having in a partner, especially after going through this. I am so lucky to have him,” she said.

Nonprofit makes River Bank Run possible for everyone

Wolbrink is now preparing to take her next steps down the aisle but has not given up on running again.

“I want to continue next year and the year after, just keep doing those things and pushing my body to see how far I can go,” she said.

A note regarding transverse myelitis as a result of a vaccine: The largest vaccine safety study to date identified transverse myelitis as an extremely small, absolute risk after vaccination (1.82 per million vaccine doses). Researchers in the study wrote, “Any potential risk of….. transverse myelitis should be weighed against the well established protective benefits of vaccination against covid-19 and its complications.”

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