Spreading the Word
Jess Mints says Shepherd Center’s Outpatient Wound Clinic team helped him gain independence — and he hopes sharing his experience will help others.
Thirty-one-year-old Jess Mints is the middle child of three boys. He loves gospel music, reading fantasy novels, and watching movies.
After graduating from Georgia Tech in 2017, he joined the Navy and was stationed in San Diego. In February 2022, Jess was diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma. There was a tumor on his vertebrae, and treatment included radiation therapy. In an extremely rare complication, the chemoradiotherapy triggered an autoimmune response known as transverse myelitis that damaged Jess’ spinal cord at T-4.
After receiving cancer treatment on the West Coast, Jess returned home to Marietta, Georgia. He went to Emory University Hospital and then transferred to Shepherd Center’s Comprehensive Rehabilitation Unit (CRU) for therapy. He spent three months on CRU, followed by the Spinal Cord Injury Day Program.
He says his time in CRU was difficult because he had a pressure wound when he arrived at Shepherd and had frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs). With everything he was dealing with, he had little energy left over for physical therapy.
He did enjoy some outings, including one at the Georgia Aquarium and one at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. The airport outing was especially meaningful to Jess.
“I’ve always liked to travel and want to learn how to do it again,” he explains.
In the Day Program, he tackled physical therapy, working to stretch out his tight hamstrings and get stronger. He learned to do floor transfers and how to reduce his risk for UTIs. He says he also made some lifelong friends.
After graduation from Shepherd’s Day Program, Jess first lived in an apartment near Shepherd Center and then moved home to live with his mom. He says his illness and injury changed his perspective, and spending time with his family is the most important thing to him right now.
Unfortunately, the UTIs continued, leading to more pressure sores. That’s when Jess made an appointment to see Dallin Lindahl, M.D., medical director of Wound Care Services at Shepherd Center.
“I ended up having six sores on my toes and my bottom,” he explains. “The Wound Clinic equipped me with a wound vacuum and recommended home health care visits to help me make sure the wound was clean and healing.”
With his cancer in remission, the UTIs under control, and his wounds healed, Jess feels stronger and ready to participate in more physical activities. He says he’s trying to stay productive and is working toward the goal of moving into his own home.
He still occasionally has appointments at the wound clinic to ensure his skin looks healthy and to catch any new issues early.
He’s grateful for the team at the wound clinic and wants other people to know about the care he received there.
“I had six wounds that prevented me from fully participating in physical therapy. Because of the Wound Clinic, I'm able to continue my path to becoming independent. I would recommend the clinic to other people because it works. The staff is really personable, and they make you want to come see them every week. Dr. Lindahl's awesome. He's down to earth, and they're just extremely helpful,” he says.
Written by Ruth Underwood
With five decades of experience, Shepherd Center provides world-class clinical care, research, and family support for people experiencing the most complex conditions, including spinal cord and brain injuries, multi-trauma, traumatic amputations, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and pain. An elite center ranked by U.S. News as one of the nation’s top hospitals for rehabilitation, Shepherd Center is also recognized as both Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems. Shepherd Center treats thousands of patients annually with unmatched expertise and unwavering compassion to help them begin again.