As a Shriner, David Thompson is today giving back to the organization that gave so much to him as a child.

In 1982, Thompson was just 10 years old, when he was stricken by a spinal cord disease called transverse myelitis. The illness left him partially paralyzed and initially dependent on a wheelchair.

According to the Mayo Clinic on its Web site, www.mayoclinic.com, transverse myelitis is a condition resulting from inflammation of the spinal cord. It often develops following a viral infection or occurs along with a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissues.

At the time of his illness, Thompson was fifth grader at Greystone Elementary School and was hospitalized with pneumonia. He recalls the paralysis beginning in his toes and gradually moving up his legs.

His condition soon became critical, and he was quickly transported from a local hospital to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville.

Thompson said he remembers his pediatrician, Dr. Doug Cobble, and pediatric nurse, Brenda Cannon, staying by his side and riding with him in an ambulance as he was transported from Greeneville to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville.

He spent about a week in the pediatric intensive care unit at UT Medical Center and eventually was transferred back to Laughlin Memorial Hospital, where he continued his recovery under the care of Dr. Cobble.

Thompson said he is eternally grateful to Dr. Cobble and the care and concern that he received from him.

In the initial days and weeks following the transverse myelitis attack, Thompson said he was unable to sit up and had no feeling or movement in his legs.

This is when his family asked about Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Known as pioneers in the field of orthopaedic and burn care for children, the Shriners Hospital network consists of 22 pediatric specialty hospitals. All children, up to age 18, are eligible for treatment at Shriners Hospitals if there is a possibility that they can benefit from the hospitals' specialized services.

Children are accepted solely on the basis of their medical needs -- not on their family's income or insurance status. All of the expert medical care provided by Shriners is done so at no cost to the family.

Later that year, Thompson made his initial trip to the Shriners orthopaedic hospital in Greenville, S.C. It was the first of many trips that he was to take across the mountain to the orthopaedic hospital until he turned 18 years old.

"Primarily my time was spent in a wheelchair then, because I wasn't able to progress to the point where I could be mobile without it," he said.

Before going to Shriners, his family had already purchased for him a set of full-leg braces, devices that he remembers as extremely heavy and bulky -- and not very useful to him, he said.

The orthopaedic team at the Shriners hospital eventually made Thompson a set of highly innovative braces called AFOs (ankle-foot orthosis.)

"That is the type of braces I still wear today," Thompson said.

AFOs are light-weight, polypropylene-based plastic braces that are custom-made for the feet and worn from below the knee down. The brace is "L"-shaped and conforms to the foot and calf muscle. The brace is attached to the calf with a strap and goes under the foot to hold it up and prevent it from dragging. Unlike older types of braces, AFOs fit inside shoes - not over them.

In addition to the light-weight braces, Shriners also provided Thompson with a set of forearm crutches - something that further enhanced his mobility.

"It made such a difference for me," he said.

"At the time that Shriners made the braces for me, I don't know if anyone else was making these types of braces. Shriners are pioneers. This type of brace was probably one of the most innovative things that was ever developed," Thompson said.

"They made those braces for me and put me on them and the forearm crutches - which increased my mobility 60 percent or better," he said.

With the help of his new braces and forearm crutches, Thompson was able to leave his wheelchair.

"Shriners got me walking again," he said.

As Thompson grew to adulthood, Shriners continued to make new braces for him and provide him with crutches.

Thanks to his orthopaedic care at Shriners, Thompson said he has been able to enjoy a highly active life.

He has served as a volunteer firefighter, including 10 years with the Camp Creek Volunteer Fire Department and three years as chief of the Greene County Association of Volunteer Fire Departments.

He also served eight years as a Greene County Commissioner.

In 1992, Thompson went to work with the then-newly implemented Greene County 911 emergency communications system and became the first training officer there. Seven years later, he joined the Greene County Sheriff's Department, where he continued to work until being elected as Greene County Clerk in 2006.

Along with his civic and work life, Thompson also has a family life. He and his wife, Becky, have a son, Ryan, age 7, who is a student at Tusculum View Elementary School.

Thompson has also fulfilled another goal in his life. He became a Shriner and now works to help the organization that gave so much to him.

"The Shrine has a special place in my heart because of everything that they have done for me," he said.

In January of 2007, Thompson became president of the Greene County Shrine Club.

"The night that I took office and conducted my first meeting . . . it was 25 years to the day that my paralysis occurred," Thompson said.

"It's a unique situation to be able to participate in the Shrine now and to be able to help other kids and give back to an organization that did so much for me. It's a blessing. I'm very fortunate to be able to do that."