Defending the Dream: Blake Holst Fights His Way to Law School

“After my accident, I focused my energy on helping to heal my body as much as possible,” explains 23-year-old Blake Holst. “It was very important for me to be independent and happy—whether I’m in a wheelchair or not. While it’s impossible to ignore every challenge, the skills that Craig Hospital taught me have allowed me to live a full life today.

And it’s a life that enables me to attend law school and fulfill my dream of someday becoming a lawyer.”

Growth and Healing

Back in March 2022, Blake was a freshman at the University of Texas—Austin. He was enjoying a pool party when he jumped in and hit the side of the pool with his back.

The next day, Blake woke up in the hospital with a T10 spinal cord injury and spent the following two weeks in the ICU before heading back home to Denver to begin his spinal cord injury neurorehabilitation at Craig Hospital.

When he first arrived at Craig, Blake recalls feeling terrified: “I remember being wheeled all around the hospital, surrounded by therapists, nurses and doctors. I went through a ton of tests for a life-changing injury I had experienced just two weeks before. It was scary and overwhelming.”

He adds, “But over time, my connection to Craig blossomed, with days filled by welcoming attitudes and zero judgment, as well as getting close to my team and other patients my age. My feelings of dread and tension were replaced with feelings of home and serenity. My ties to the hospital became synonymous with healing and growth.”

Digging Deep

Part of that connection developed in physical therapy with Craig Hospital PT Leah Timmerman. Blake participated in PT three to four days a week and spent almost every day at the PEAK Center.

“He came to every session prepared and ready to work,” Leah explains. “We spent a lot of our time using the Xcite Functional Electrical Stimulation device, along with body weight-supported locomotor training, and overground locomotor training to promote neurorecovery and assist Blake in gaining strength and functional mobility. This dedication and consistency of training contributed greatly to what Blake has achieved.”

She adds, “And he did this all while earning his college degree, studying for the LSAT, and looking ahead to law school! Blake really is an inspiration.”

Off to the Music City

Blake says he refused to let the accident stop him from focusing on his education. In order to take advantage of Craig’s resources and give therapy his full attention, he stayed in Colorado and took all his college classes remotely, graduating in four years.

“I was lucky to receive Craig’s [donor-supported] Alumni Education Scholarship because being an out-of-state student at UT Austin is not cheap,” he says. “The scholarship eased the pressure on my family, who was also juggling the cost of my injury and recovery.”

A second Craig scholarship—awarded to Blake this summer—will also help him pay for law school at Vanderbilt University, where he started in August.

“I’m so grateful for a second scholarship to help ease the burden of my tuition,” he says. “There is no question that I am nervous about a lot—leaving home in a wheelchair, saying goodbye to the strong connections I’ve built at Craig, and living alone in a new city. But I have been working so hard over the past four years to make this a reality. And thanks to Craig, I’m ready to start this new journey. I know it’s going to be great.”

 To learn more or donate to help Craig grads like Blake, please visit craighospital.org/foundation/donate.