Alana Shepherd and David F. Apple, Jr., M.D.
Co-Founders, Shepherd Center
- MCAR Lobby
About the portrait
Title
The Founders of Hope
Photographer
About Alana and Dr. Apple
The Portraits of Hope gallery exists because one family transformed a life-changing moment into a lasting mission of healing, possibility, and purpose.
In 1973, Alana and Harold Shepherd’s 22-year-old son, James, sustained a traumatic spinal cord injury while bodysurfing in Rio de Janeiro. Paralyzed from the neck down, his prognosis was grim. But with relentless support from his parents and expert care at a rehabilitation center in Denver, James defied expectations, eventually walking again with the help of a brace and cane.
Back home in Atlanta, the Shepherds were struck by the lack of specialized care for catastrophic injuries in the Southeast. They found themselves saying: “Someone ought to start a hospital here.”
On August 18, 1975, nearly two years after James’ accident, that thought became a reality. With the support of Dr. David Apple and a dedicated group of friends and medical professionals, the Shepherd family opened Shepherd Spinal Center leasing unused space from a northwest Atlanta hospital. Within a week, all six beds were occupied. A waitlist soon followed.
By 1982, Shepherd Center had moved to its permanent home on Peachtree Road, where it continues to grow, innovate, and provide life-changing care to thousands of patients and families from across the country and around the world.
Today, Shepherd Center is a global leader in neurorehabilitation, known not only for its extraordinary care but also for its unwavering sense of community. Every portrait in this gallery reflects that legacy: a celebration of strength, a tribute to new beginnings, and the proof that hope has the power to transform lives.