Board member, fund-raiser, chief marketer, tour guide, patient greeter and staff supporter. Alana Shepherd wears many hats for the Shepherd Center, a catastrophic-care hospital in Atlanta.

"They don't pay me, so I can leave the office whenever I want," Shepherd said with a laugh.

BARRY WILLIAMS/Special (ENLARGE)

Alana Shepherd helped found the Shepherd Center in Atlanta in 1975. Her son, James, was paralyzed in a body-surfing accident in Brazil in 1973.

After 32 years on the job, Shepherd rarely misses a day. She greets every patient who comes through the door of what has become one of the nation's leading rehabilitation hospitals.

Shepherd didn't plan on founding the hospital more than three decades ago.

"The job fell on me," she said. "And once your name is on something, you can't run away from it."

The hospital is called the Shepherd Center because of her son, James, who suffered a spinal-cord injury while bodysurfing off a beach in Rio de Janeiro in 1973. The accident left him paralyzed from the neck down.

Months of care in Brazil only worsened his condition, and when his parents finally got him home to Atlanta, they couldn't find a specialty facility equipped to care for him. They were forced to take their son to a treatment center in Denver.

"By the time we got him there, he weighed 82 pounds. He'd had 22 units of blood, 17 stress ulcers, pneumonia, hepatitis, and was on a ventilator. It was a nightmare," she said.

After months of care and therapy, James walked out of the Denver center with the aid of leg braces and a cane.

"James and two other patients were discussing how ridiculous it was that there was nothing like that facility in the Southeast," Shepherd said. "Four days later, we had come to the conclusion that we should start something."

James Shepherd has served as chairman of the board since the Shepherd Center's beginning in 1975.

"We didn't want our name on it, but James' case had gotten the attention of a lot of medical and community people here. People convinced us to use it, and it put us light years ahead for fund-

raising," she said.

The family started gathering support from their friends and business associates. Alana's husband, Harold, is founder of Shepherd Construction Co., one of the largest in Georgia.

Humble beginnings

"If people came up and talked to me during that time, it was their own fault, but I don't think we offended anyone by asking for help, and one contact led to another," Shepherd said.

The family recruited Dr. David Apple as medical director and started with six beds in leased space at West Paces Ferry Hospital. By 1982, the Shepherd Center was a 40-bed, free-standing facility on Peachtree Street and had a waiting list.

The center had also been designated as a model system of care for spinal cord injuries by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, a classification it has held for 25 years.

Ten years later, with financial support from Billi Marcus (wife of philanthropist and Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus), the hospital doubled in size, expanded its outpatient services and created space for a multiple sclerosis institute.

Over the years, the Shepherd Center has added services for acquired brain injuries and other neurological injuries and illnesses.

The hospital doubled again this year, with the addition of the 178,000-square-foot Jane Woodruff Pavilion and the $16 million George Woodruff Family Residence Center, which offers 84 wheelchair-accessible suites for patients' families.

"Anyone who comes from more than an hour away can stay for 30 days free. A patient needs his family to be there and to learn what is needed," Shepherd said.

Speaking from experience

She knows. She's been in their shoes.

"I tell them it's going to get better, and then we plan on how to make it better," she said.

The 120-bed, state-of-the-art hospital admits more than 850 patients and serves almost 3,000 outpatients annually. Twenty percent of the beds are reserved for patients who can't afford to pay.

The center focuses on helping patients rebuild their lives with hope, dignity and independence, and provides many extras, such as assistive technology, recreational therapy, sports teams for disabled athletes, driving instruction and career planning and placement through private donations. Many donations come from former patients and their families.

Shepherd Center physicians and clinicians participate in 50 research projects a year.

"Our staff works hard, and they are at the top of their game and [they] know it," Shepherd said. "They love to do research and publish."

The hospital has had great success weaning patients off ventilators and was chosen to participate in a study of a new device — the diaphragm pacing stimulation system — which allows injured patients to breathe without being ventilator-dependent.

A partnership with Humana Military Healthcare Services and Bernie Marcus is helping wounded American soldiers recover from traumatic brain and other injuries.

"We can offer them things beyond traditional therapy. They come because they want to get better and are willing to take every approach," Shepherd said. "People just make their way here."

Shepherd keeps up with patients during their time at the center and after they leave the hospital.

"I love seeing people improve," she said. "Patients will say, 'Look, I've got my fingers moving.' They're so excited and just want to tell somebody. I'm glad they tell me."