A breakthrough discovery by scientists at the University of Kentucky could someday lead to new treatments for a variety of diseases of the brain, spinal cord and the eye. Researchers led by Royce Mohan, associate professor of ophthalmology and visual science in the UK College of Medicine, found that the small molecule withaferin A can simultaneously target two key proteins — vimentin and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) — implicated in a damaging biological process called reactive gliosis. Continue Reading »

Teddy Pendergrass , an R&B singer who was one of the most electric and successful figures in music until a car crash 28 years ago left him in a wheelchair, died Wednesday in suburban Philadelphia of colon cancer. He was 59.

The singer’s son, Teddy Pendergrass II, said his father underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago and had “a difficult recovery.”

Before the crash, Pendergrass established a new era of R&B with an explosive, raw voice that symbolized masculinity, passion and the joys and sorrow of romance in songs such as “Close the Door,” “It Don’t Hurt Now,” “Love T.K.O.” and other hits that have since become classics. He was an international superstar and sex symbol. His career was at its apex — and still climbing. Continue Reading »

BILOXI, MS (WLOX) – A young man from Louisiana is traveling across the world, hoping to get help for his paralysis. On January 18th, he is scheduled to go to Portugal for an experimental procedure, he hopes will help him gain more mobility.

Tommy Mead is a full time student at a Baton Rouge community college. In 2007, a spinal cord injury left him paralyzed from the waist down. But his upper body mobility is also limited. Continue Reading »

SCI Research Advancement is working with adult stem-cell treatments to cure spinal cord injuries.

SCI, which stands for “spinal cord injury,” was founded by Will Ambler after a motorcycle accident paralyzed him during his senior year of college. Although the campaign is designed to provide research grants, Ambler says it is done in a different way. Continue Reading »

MUMBAI: For 34-year-old Deepak Singh, stem cell therapy might not have worked the first time, but the second time, it has given him a new lease of life.

After being duped by a doctor who claimed to have conducted a stem cell therapy on him, Singh, who had been paralytic and bedridden for seven years, went for the same treatment a second time. This time, however, barely a month after being injected with stem cells derived from the umbilical cord of a newborn, he has got back his reflexes and sensation. Continue Reading »

Few football games have had as much impact on as many lives as that state championship game in 2002 between Everman and Burnet. That was the game in which Everman defensive back Corey Fulbright left the field with a paralyzing injury, a vertebral fracture.

It must have been difficult at the time to imagine that much good could have come out of such a situation.

But in the stands that day, Dec. 14, at the Alamodome, were Eddie Canales and his son, Chris, who a year earlier had experienced a similar injury while playing for San Marcos Baptist Academy. Continue Reading »

Returning to where his life changed some 25 years ago, Geoff Holt who became quadriplegic following an accident at the Cane Garden Bay beach in 1984 has described the visit as a breathtaking experience.

The 43 year old British yachtsman who arrived on Tortola last Thursday has become the first quadriplegic to sail across the Atlantic Ocean.

In an interview with BVI Platinum News on Friday, an emotional Holt said that he sailed the 2,700 mile journey across the Atlantic on a 60ft purpose built catamaran “Impossible Dream” where he was unassisted. Continue Reading »

Sylvester Stallone Broke His Neck While Filming the Expendables

Sylvester Stallone neck injury amounts to an amazing celebrity breaking his neck on the set of “The Expendables.” 63 year old Sylvester Stallone was filming a fight with Steve Austin when he broke his neck. The injury was so severe, that the actor had to have a metal plate put in his neck. Continue Reading »

Wheelchair Users Say Paraplegic Action Movie Character Inaccurate, but Uplifting

Like others who flocked to see the blockbuster movie “Avatar,” 26-year-old Santina Muha was thrilled by the visuals.

But unlike the majority of people in the theatre, she wasn’t just imagining life on the distant moon Pandora. She was vicariously living the fantasy of regaining the use of her legs.

“The scene where the character goes from his wheelchair into his ‘avatar,’ where he’s walking and playing basketball, it was really touching,” said Muha, who had a spinal cord injury in a car accident at age 5. Continue Reading »

Back on track

Chris Klebl was paralyzed in a snowboarding accident in Australia.

Sean Halsted’s injury occurred when he fell 40 feet descending from a helicopter on a fast rope during Air Force combat training.

An improvised explosive device took both of Andy Soule’s legs during the war in Afghanistan.

Monica Bascio broke her back going over a ski jump. Continue Reading »