Shepherd Center

Happy Birthday, Alana Shepherd!

Today, we celebrate a visionary, a trailblazer, and the heart behind Shepherd Center. Your dedication, compassion, and unwavering belief in what’s possible have created a place where hope comes to life every day.

Because of you, many have found strength in uncertainty and the chance to rebuild after injury. Your legacy inspires us to care more, dream bigger, and serve with purpose.

Thank you for your leadership, passion, and for building a true community.

Help us wish Alana a happy birthday in the comments below.

Join us for the 13th Annual Project Rollway at Shepherd Center on June 26, 2026! It’s a one‑of‑a‑kind fashion show where current and former young patients from our Adolescent Rehabilitation Program take the rollway and show the world exactly who they are.

Project Rollway is more than a fashion show—it’s an opportunity for our patients to step, roll, and strut outside the routine of everyday therapy. It’s a place where they can reconnect with themselves, build confidence, and express themselves creatively. In a supportive, uplifting environment, these young people aren’t defined by their injuries at this show. They're celebrated for it.

From bold looks to bright smiles, every moment on the rollway is about the power of community and hope.

Come celebrate this year’s theme: Sun‑Drenched Style. Purchase your tickets today at the link below and join us for a night that inspires, empowers, and shines a light on the beauty of disability.

https://donate.shepherd.org/event/project-rollway-2026/e780619

“It’s just progress every day… it has been life changing.” — Elizabeth Wilcox, Shepherd Center patient living with chronic pain.

At Shepherd Center, patients are discovering new ways to navigate life with chronic pain through mindfulness and meditation — building tools that support both their bodies and their minds.

To further support patients in their journeys, a pilot study funded by the Samsky Spine and Pain Research Fund aimed to explore the feasibility and acceptability of a mindfulness meditation training program and to determine whether it could lead to improved pain coping and increased health-related quality of life.

As part of this study, our research team guided participants like Elizabeth Wilcox, who has experienced chronic pain since a spinal cord injury, through practices such as visual meditation, sound baths, breathing techniques, guided body scans, and mindful eating.

As Elizabeth shared, “learning which ways to meditate… which ones work for me” has been key to her healing.

Similarly, for Paul Fleming, a long-time patient at Shepherd Center’s Andrew C. Carlos Multiple Sclerosis Institute, the impact has been just as meaningful. He reflected, “My pain levels have gone down… I’m sleeping seven hours very easily… I’m waking up with a lot of energy.” Through mindfulness techniques like box breathing and nervous system resets, Paul has found new ways to manage his symptoms day to day.

Spearheading this work are Erica Sutton, MA, CRC, clinical research coordinator and principal investigator of the study, and Alexandra Juarez, EP, RYT 200 HR, who helped guide participants through each session. Working in tandem, they introduced a variety of mindfulness practices and created space for participants to reflect, connect, and build routines that work for them. As Erica shares, the goal is not to cure pain, but to help patients “build a better relationship with how they navigate and manage life with chronic pain.”

These benefits extend well beyond physical outcomes. As Paul describes it, “It’s a healing of the soul…you really get in touch with yourself.” And for Elizabeth, that healing has meant reconnecting with her life, her community, and herself.

Looking ahead, this research is just the beginning, with the hope of expanding into larger studies and bringing these tools into future clinical care.

At Shepherd Center, recovery supports the whole person, creating space for physical, mental, and emotional healing.

To learn more about this study and other research projects, click the link below.

https://bit.ly/4nWDFmB

Demonstrating remarkable leadership, Foundation Board Member Darren Ross spearheaded the second annual “Pickle for a Purpose.” The event united the commercial real estate community in a pickleball tournament and raised more than $33,000 for Shepherd Center.

With support from Colliers as a lead sponsor, this incredible effort helps us provide specialized rehabilitation programs, adaptive equipment, and patient support services for individuals who have sustained life-changing injuries—supporting rehabilitation, restoring independence, and rebuilding lives.

Thank you to everyone who made this meaningful event possible.

You can be more than a team member. You can be part of a mission that changes lives.

From day one, you’ll find support that goes beyond the job: comprehensive benefits, mentorship, and a workplace that celebrates diversity and belonging. Here, your growth matters as much as the care you provide.

If you’re looking for a career where you’re valued and empowered to make a difference, we’d love for you to join us.

Click the link below to browse our open positions.

https://bit.ly/4kISMyo

All work and no play make for a dull workplace -- that’s why we're always thrilled by the incredible energy our employees bring to Field Day each year. Events like this do so much more than offer a break from the routine. They energize our team and spark connections by giving everyone a chance to let loose, recharge, and bond on a whole new level.

A huge thank you to the People Committee for making this possible by planning the games, officiating, and cleaning up afterward.

Congratulations to all of our winners:

🥇1st place - Fantastic 4th

🥈2nd place - Bowman Baddies

🥉3rd place - Poetry in Motion

Team Spirit - Goal Diggers

Team Costume – Fire Suppression

Apple Award - Nutrition Crashout

Today, we pause to remember, honor, and give thanks. Memorial Day reminds us of the price of freedom and the heroes who gave their lives for it.

19-year-old Landon Simpson transferred from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, to Shepherd Center’s Disorders of Consciousness Program in October after sustaining a brain injury in a car crash in August. Since then, his care team has been diligently working with him.

In a recent session, his occupational therapist, Corrie Samples, MS, OTR/L, and PT/OT aide Fred Tuppings helped Landon with a number of therapy exercises. Korey explains that Landon prefers a flex position with his arms, neck, and trunk, which causes him to slightly bend forward. In therapy, they have been working on strengthening his muscles to improve his position, sitting balance, and upper-extremity strength.

Landon’s mom, Ashlie, attends most of his therapy sessions, encouraging him and jumping in to help when she can. She’s been at Shepherd with Landon ever since he arrived, sleeping in his room at night, and sometimes heading to the family’s apartment in the Arthur M. Blank Family Residences between therapy sessions to do laundry or take a break.

“It's very hard,” she says. “But he has improved a lot, so just praying every day that he continues to improve.”

His occupational therapy session focused on sitting on the edge with his head up, working his core and neck muscles, then standing, and finishing with stretches. After his occupational therapy, he went to physical therapy, where he worked with Ryan Gill, PT, DPT, NCS. Beth DeBee, PT, DPT, NCS, and Matthew Yin, a PT/OT aide, join to help with the session.

In his physical therapy session, Landon worked on the walk-in using the ZeroG Gait and Balance System, which provides body-weight support so he can safely practice walking. Once Landon is harnessed into the ZeroG, the team guides him through the motions of walking several yards along a black-and-yellow line that runs across part of the gym. Landon’s grandmother, Rosemary, joins the group and shares encouraging words.

In a week or two, Landon will head to Shepherd Pathways to continue outpatient therapy there.

For over two years, Les Gordon has been a reliable volunteer at Shepherd Center as a lunchtime feeder, consistently providing caring support to patients during meals.

Volunteering has long been part of Les’s life. Before coming to Shepherd, he spent seven years volunteering at Northside Hospital in Cu***ng, where he helped transport patients’ family members from the parking lot to the hospital entrance using a golf cart.

Les first heard about Shepherd Center through word of mouth nearly 30 years ago. He and his wife, Cheryl, now live just across Peachtree Road. Once they were settled, Les knew he wanted to find a way to give back — and Shepherd Center was the first place he looked.

Once a week, Les walks across the street to volunteer in the spinal cord injury unit, assisting nursing staff by feeding patients during lunch. What he finds most fulfilling is the interaction — the conversations with patients and their families that make each shift meaningful. Helping others in this way brings him a deep sense of purpose.

Thank you, Les. We’re grateful to have you as part of our volunteer family.