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Dave Wolf

Dave Wolf was deer hunting in November 2007 when his tree stand broke, dropping him 12 feet. He suffered numerous injuries, including spinal cord damage that left him paralyzed from the chest down.

Wolf spent 60 days at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines, followed by 40 days in an Omaha rehab facility. He and his wife Wanda had been living on an acreage near Exira, but it wasn’t handicap-accessible. So Wanda moved them into an apartment in town, and Dave was able to come home.

Wanda had worked in human services in Carroll, and knew some people who had received assistance from Timber Creek Therapies. Sue Behrens, a Timber Creek physical therapist, began providing in-home therapy for Dave.

Eventually he was strong enough to travel to Timber Creek, at first making the 50-mile roundtrip from Exira, and later the 90-mile roundtrip from Atlantic.

Wanda says Dave benefitted from all the therapy options available at Timber Creek. “He had to strengthen his core, so he could balance his body from the chest up,” she says. “Once Sue got his core working great, he could ride a horse.”

Dave was able to keep his leg muscles toned on the motorized cycle that utilizes Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES). FES stimulates nerves to evoke patterned movement of the legs. Wanda says Dave liked the FES bike. He also liked therapy sessions in the warm-water indoor pool.

“We both loved it there,” Wanda says. “Everyone we dealt with was so positive, it gave us hope. Just being around other people was important. Dave would see other people with disabilities, and it gave him more motivation.” 

Dave received services from Timber Creek Therapies for three years, until internal infections related to his paralysis became an issue. He was hospitalized off and on from December 2011 until his passing October 10, 2012.

Wanda says she and Dave never talked specifically about having his memorial money go to Timber Creek Charities, but they had talked about what a wonderful place it is and if they could make a donation there, they would. “We just really loved Timber Creek,” she says.

A total of $3,998 was donated to Timber Creek Charities in memory of Dave Wolf.