Paralyzed officer works to walk again
Keith Thompson,
Updated: 10:31 PM CDT May 23, 2021
Keith Thompson,
Updated: 10:31 PM CDT May 23, 2021
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WE CONTINUE TONIGHT WITH THE STORY OF PURE DETERMINATION KEITH THOMPSON JOIDNE THE OMAHA POLICE DEPARTMENT IN 1991. WELL FIVE YEARS LATER. HE NEARLY DIED ON THE JOB CRITICALLY INJURED WHEN THIEVES SLAMMED INTO HIS CISRUER. NOW THOMPSON SURVIVED, BUT HE LOSTHE T USE OF HIS LEGS. HE WASN’T GOING TO LET THAT BE THE END OF WORRY, YOU SEE HE WANTS TO WALK AGAIN AND FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS WE’VE FOLLOWED ALONG AS THOMPSON’S TURNED TO TECHNOLOGY. HOPING TO GET BACK ON HIS FEET. AND THEN SQUAT. THERE WE GO. KEITH THOMPSON’S GETTING READY AND OMAHA POLICE OFFICER FOR 30 YEARS. HE’S HOPING TO DO SOMETHING HE HASN’T DONE FOR 25 OF THEM, AUGUST 28TH. 96. WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER NOT A THING? THIS IWHS AT HAPPENED? HE’S NEARLY KILDLE IN THIS CRASH TWO TEENAGERS RUNNING FROM POLICE IN A STOLEN JEEP BROADSIDE HIS CRUISER NEAR 25TH AND WARD. HIT THE BACK OF IT ONEF O THESE BUT THE OTHER SIDE DOOR AND HE HAS SPENT AROUND AND FLIPPED OVER TWO TIMES AND LANDED OVER THERE IN THE YARD. TAKES CREWS MORE THAN A HALF HOUR TO CUT KEITH OUT OF THE WRECKAGE THE DAMAGE TO HIS BODY EXTENSIVE SEVERE HEAD INJURIES A TORN AORTA AND WORSE AS HIS PRECINCT HEARS IN ROLL CALL TWO DAYS AFTER THERA CSH SOME CONCERNED ABOUT HIS FINAL COURT JUINRY DEVELOPER BODY MOVEMENT, BUT NOTHING TO A PLACE TWO MONTHS LATER KEITH MOVESO T REHAB HE WAS VERY CHALLENGED. JUST HOLDING HIMSELF UP RIGHT IN A SITTING POSITION AND BEGINS THE LONG ROAD TO RECOVERY. HE CERTAINLY GOT FRUSTRATED AT TIMES, BUT HE WAS ALWAYS WILLING TO WORK WILLING TO WORK HARD WILLING TO PUSH AHEAD. THAT’S BECAUSE HE HAS A GOAL THE MEN APART WASN’T AS BAD AS THE PHYSICAL PART WHERE I’M STUCK HIM IN CHAIR. AND THAT GOAL GET OUT OF HIS CHRAI AND WALK NOW KEITH RETURNS TO WORK, BUT NOT IN A CRUISER BEHIND A DESK IN THE TELEPHONE RESPONSE UNIT AND ALONG THE WAY HE LEARNS ABOUT WHAT’S CALLED AN EXOSKELETON A MACHINE TO HELP HIM. WATCH BUT BEFORE HE CAN GET ONE HE HAS TOET G STRONGER AND LIGHTER. HE CAN DO A 10 CALORIE ROW. 10 KETTLEBELL DEADLIFT S THIS UP HIS WORKOUT? OH, YEAH HITTING CROSSFIT HARD BUILDING WHAT’S CALLED FUNCTIONAL FITNESS. HE’S GONNA NEED THAT STRENGTH AND THAT ENDURANCE JUST TO BE ABLE TO STAND AND THE STABILITY THE CEOR STABILITY TO HOLD HIMSELF UP TO GET THE EXOSKELETON KEITH ALSO HAS TO LOSE WEIGHT. SO HE CHANGES HIS DIET ENDS UP SHEDDING 37 POUNDS THEN SEPTEMBER 2019 THE BIG DAY 2 3. UP. THERE YOU GO. COME FORWARD JUST A BIT THE BIG STEP. FORWARD A LITTLE OFF AT FIRST, BUT KEITH QUICKLY RECOVERS, YOU CAN SEE THE CONCENTRATION THE DETERMINATION. AND ON ITS FEAC BELLY BUTTON TO ME THERE. OKAY, BELLY BUTTON TMEO BELLY BUTTON TO ME POSITS IT TO CATCH HIS BREATH. HOLD IT. BACK AT IT TWO OF HIS THREE SONS ARE TREHE TO SEE HIM? YOU’VE NEVER REALLY NURSING YOUR DAD. WHY NEVER SEE WT YOUHA MEAN? SEE IF IT’S AWESOME JUST SAW THE HARD WORK, BUT IT'’ FAR FROM OVER BECAUSE KEITH CAN’T GO AS FAR AS HE WANTS DAN RIGHT TAKE STEPS AND WOW. GOOD. I JUST CAN’T WAIT THAT I CAN DO IT. EXCEPT WALK AWAY DOWN THE HALLWAY, SO HE KEEPS WORKING AT IT FAST FORWARD NOW TO APRIL 2021, HIS SON RDSEA MOVED BACK FROM ARIZONA TO LEARN HOW TO GET HIS DAD IONT AND TO USE THE EXOSKELETON HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A PURPOSE, YOU KNOW WITH HELPING AND YOU KNOW RATHER THAN JUST WATCHING I CAN ACTUALLY DO SOME HANDS ON STUFF WITH IT READS A QUICK STUDY AND KEITH WASTE NO TIME. HE’S READY TO GO AGAIN. IT’S HARD WORK MAKING YOUR BODY DO SOMETHING. IT HASN’T DONE FOR DECADES. THE STEPS ARE SMOOTHER, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY CAUS THEREE ARE MORE OF THEM. OKAY GOOD. TONIGHT UNCOT AND KEITH SAYS DON’T COUNT HIM OUT, EVEN THOUGH IT’S BEEN 25 YEARS AND THE STEPS ARE SLOW. TAKING THEM AND THAT’S SOMETHING HE’S NEVER DOUBTED WOULD HAPPEN. NEVER GIVE UP JUST BELIEVE THAT YOU’RE GONNAET G THROUGH IT. YOU HAVE TO MCCARTNEY HAVE A LOT OF PATIENCE TO GET THROUGH IT AND AS LONG AS YOU KEEP TALKING TO GOD AND HE’LL HELP ME GET THROUGH IT. WELL DONE, KEITH THOMPSON RETIRED EXACTLY ONE MONTH AGO. YOU CAN SEE HIS RETIREMENT SPEECH THAT DAY. PUTT I WITH MY STORY ON KETV.COM NOW REALISTICALLY THOMPSON KNOWS HE WON’T RUN AGAIN, BUT HE DOES PLAN TO WALK A LOT MORE AND HIS GOAL IS TO WALK WITH HIS SONS AND HIS GRANDNSO MAYBE EVEN GO DANCING WITH SOMEONE SPECIAL WITH HIS DETERMINATION. I'