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FATHER AND SON: Johnny Elliffe and his son Rory have travelled a long hard road over the last six months, but still have a long way to go. Both men are eternally grateful to their friends in the Irish community who have helped them way above and beyond the call of duty.

A shaft of light into the darkened hallway, a bouncy and welcoming Jack Russell and a strong handshake from a big Westmeath man set the scene for my introduction to young Rory Elliffe last Tuesday evening.

On September 1, 2008, Rory experienced a life changing event while en route to the Wrentham Malls in search of supplies for the school year. The car in which he was traveling became involved in a horrible accident which resulted in his being ejected from the vehicle. The ensuing diagnosis for Rory was, well........hard to accept. And to his eternal credit this affable young man hasn’t accepted conventional medical wisdom – wisdom which told him he would never use his limbs below his chest, let alone walk again.

In Rory’s corner he was lucky enough to have some of the finest people one could wish to meet – people like Dan Cummings (a Hyde Park native who was given the same prognosis eight years ago and is now getting around with the aid of a walker), Edmund Carr (who began Rally For Rory), two loving parents Johnny and Jeanette and a whole host of well wishers, most of whom had no connection to the lad yet dipped into their pockets to help this young man to the tune of $90,000.

I have been witness to great feats, sporting and otherwise, throughout my forty years - genius, persistence, skill and bravery, but none perhaps as brave and as noteworthy as those of this NorthQuincy High School senior. My meeting with him this week was a humbling experience and testimony to the fact that where there’s a will there’s a way.

If Rory’s future could be compared to a football game, it is perhaps fair to say he has come out of his own end zone at fourth and long and is now looking at first and ten on the forty yard line, with one Laurence Brock at the controls. Laurence (www.laurencebrock.com) is very much the quarter-back in charge of Rory’s future and as is arguably the best in the country at what he does - the Connecticut based Bio-Energetics specialist therefore probably won’t mind the comparison with Tom Brady.

Laurence’s work creates balance and health. There are three major aspects of his sessions; Advanced Bio-Energetics, Metaphysical/Spiritual clearing and healing and Spiritual Counseling and coaching.

Brock also incorporates deep connective tissue release and polarity balancing, his most important tools being Scenar (a light touch to the body with an electrical energy responding to the body's own signals) and Low Level Laser (therapy which may be used any place there is acute or chronic pain or inflammation and effective on any disease or disorder).

Laurence attests that healing is activated in almost all cases. Speaking about his patient this week, he said:

“Rory is responding very well to the treatments - beyond my most optimistic projections. This past week he reported having some feeling in his legs. I expected this to happen in six months to a year.”

And seeing is believing! Rory shook hands vigorously during my visit, moved his upper body with a degree of freedom and reported sweating and tingling below his waist. Six months ago doctors told him to forget about such notions.

“The sooner progress happens the more likely greater progress can happen in the long run,” says Brock.

“Advanced bio-feedback assists in removing trauma and directing the body and mind to continue healing. Our system will very quickly adapt to any malfunction. It is similar to spraining an ankle. We limp and favor the other side to adapt. Even when the ankle is healed it takes a while, if at all, for our body to use both sides equally. We get stuck in adapting to the malfunction. Advanced bio-feedback communicates to the system to not adapt to the malfunction and to complete the healing cycle.”