Paralyzed Gwinnett Runner Continuing Recovery at Local Hospital

Family and friends will welcome a Lilburn man back to the area today, as he begins the next phase of recovery following a traumatic injury more than two weeks ago.

Charles Tumulak, 46, was competing in an obstacle course run on March 23 in South Carolina when he lost his balance on a cargo net climb and fell 15 feet -- head first -- on the ground below.

Now, the avid runner is paralyzed from the neck down. 

Since that fall, Tumulak has been at the McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence, S.C., receiving treatment. On April 10, he is expected to arrive at the Shepherd Center here in Atlanta, where a team of doctors specialized in spinal cord injuries will work with him.

"Having him in Atlanta and at Shepherd Center is the next phase of his recovery, where he will truly be able to begin meaningful rehabilitation and hopefully, improvement," said his youngest sister, Kai Tumulak Recchia.