ROCHELLE — On Sept. 19 Cole Thomas went to bed knowing his alarm would go off the next morning and he would head into work. An accident on the way to work changed his course and put Thomas on a journey he could never have imagined. On Sept. 21 he posted a video plea on Facebook when he was at the lowest of his lows while lying in a hospital bed paralyzed.

Through that Facebook plea he has gained over 10,000 followers on Facebook and made contacts throughout the country and world. Eight days after the accident Thomas was transferred to Chicago to begin intense therapy at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC).
The determined father and husband took his first steps four months later in January and his story was making national news seven months later as he walked out of rehab and returned home. On April 21 Thomas gave his wife, Tamara a great birthday present as together they rode home from his last day of rehab in Chicago.
Prior to that day Thomas had been participating in rehab five days a week while staying at the Ronald McDonald House.
For seven months at the RIC, now Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Thomas gave 100 percent during physical therapy for three to six hours a day. Once therapy was over he would not quit for the day but went to a nearby gym and worked out.
Since he took his first steps in January, Thomas began rock climbing with Chicagoland Adaptive Climbing. Thomas explained rock climbing was a full body workout and helped him regain a lot of muscle and strength he lost following he accident. Thomas also began working with Dare2Tri on hand/foot cycling and triathlon swimming.
His path to walking again and has not been easy and he still has work to do, but Thomas is thankful for the friends, support and motivation he has discovered in the last eight months.
When he walked out of rehab on April 21 from the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab while holding his daughters hands WGN News filmed him and shared his story. Thomas’ determination and journey to walk again gained national attention when Good Morning America and the Today Show featured him.
Thomas described this experience as overwhelming, awesome and amazing and credits God for how far he has come.
“People tell me I am an inspirational story and I will never know how it has happened,” stated Thomas.

When contacted by the news outlets Thomas couldn’t believe that many people wanted to hear his story.
“Most of the news we see is negative stories. The world is great and it is nice to see something good,” explained Thomas.
When Thomas was at his lowest of lows in September he had no idea he would ever walk again, after doctors gave him the news he couldn’t have imagined he would be making national news.
“My story has been blown out of this world,” explained Thomas. Thomas has used his platform as a way to show that hard work can pay off but also kindness can go a long way.
“We as a human race do a poor job of treating others how we want to be treated,” stated Thomas.
Thomas recently returned to his elementary school in Amboy and spoke with current students on setting goals and positivity.
“I told them to be kind and offer others a hand,” explained Thomas. “Your smile to someone can be a complete game changer and flip their day around.”
While staying in Chicago Thomas was shocked to see how others were treated. While rolling through the sidewalks in his wheelchair Thomas would say ‘hi’ to a stranger passing by and they would not even glance in his direction.
Thomas explained that himself, like many others, had been stabbed in the back by many people and would question if he should continue to be good and help them.
“I now tell others to keep on putting yourself out there and keep on doing good,” said Thomas. “Just like in therapy I kept going and kept pushing myself and that is how we should treat others with kindness.”
While some interactions have been negative, an outpouring of support the last eight months has blown Thomas away. Thousands of strangers from the local community and around the world have reached out to him, donated money and sent him and his family gifts of encouragement. Others who were in similar situations to Thomas contacted him and shared their journey and recovery as a way to motivate and encourage him.
While Thomas is not back to normal, and may never be, he has seen a miracle in his recovery and has shared his story with others. Recently Thomas spoke with a college athlete who is undergoing therapy at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab to give him and his family a little hope and answer questions he once had.
He has also reached out to another young man across the country to share that anything is possible.
“It means the world to me to be able to pay if forward,” stated a very thankful Thomas. “I have a miracle in my life and God is great.”
Therapy has not been easy and Thomas has given 100 percent each day of his recovery.
“Don’t be mediocre, at the end of the day when you look at yourself in the mirror ask yourself if you earned what you paid yourself. I don’t want the answer to be ‘no.’ Give yourself your money’s worth and give 100 percent,” encouraged Thomas.
Thomas explained it can take up to two years or even longer for his body to fully heal so he does not know what the future holds for him. However, he is thankful for the friendships he made along the way and the knowledge of physical therapy he has gained.
Since returning home, Thomas is enjoying time with family and is starting to workout again and will begin physical therapy at Van Matre in Rockford.
He will participate in a triathlon with Dare2Tri in June and spend a few days at a Dare2Tri camp motivating others and sharing his story.
“Each of us has the power in ourselves to do and be what we want, we just have to work and always give 100 percent,” stated Thomas.