ORONOCO – As Laurie Reese tells the story of how she broke her back, the natural instinct is to wait for the punchline.

“… and the outhouse fell on me.”

It’s not the punchline, though; it’s the reason she’s paralyzed from the waist down.

And now, it’s the title of the book she’s written, a book that’s helped in her healing process, Reese said. Continue Reading »

The average expense of a spinal cord injury in the first year is $1,023,924. Could a Guilford College football player’s family afford such an expense?

Catastrophic insurance is a policy which covers expenses when a student-athlete suffers catastrophic injuries. Fortunately here at Guilford, the athletic department has an emergency action plan and the NCAA sponsors catastrophic insurance for every Division III school.

In the world of high school football, catastrophic insurance isn’t always available. Continue Reading »

“It’s a personal choice to be in a good mood or a bad mood, and I choose to be in a good mood.” – Brian Keefer

It’s been more than four years since Brian Keefer attempted a triple flip into a foam-filled pit at a Fairview Township gym and plunged head-first into the hard foundation underneath.

In that instant, he became a quadriplegic.

He thinks back to that day constantly, and to the life he led before. A life of athletics, constant motion, carefree days at the beach and few worries.

Thinking back is not depressing, though, he said. It’s motivating. Continue Reading »

Precisely timed nerve stimulation in patients with spinal cord injuries improved their ability to use their hands, at least temporarily, researchers reported.

The non-invasive process increased the amount of force patients could exert with a finger for up to 85 minutes, according to Monica Perez, PhD, and a colleague from the University of Pittsburgh.

After stimulation, patients could also complete a dexterity task more quickly than before, the researchers reported online in Current Biology. Continue Reading »

Katie Sharify was one of five people with spinal cord injuries to participate in the world’s first clinical trial testing human embryonic stem cells. Continue Reading »

Doug Smith was one of the best hockey prospects ever to emerge from Ottawa. He was taken second overall in the 1981 NHL draft, but his pro career was turbulent and ended in tragedy with a broken neck. Surgery left him a quadriplegic. But Smith is not a man easily defeated: he’s using his epic story to teach others how to overcome adversity and to take advantage of second chances.

Doug Smith looks like a former NHL player — strong and square with a head shaped like a snub-nosed bullet — but he doesn’t sound like one.

“It makes you unhealthy if you hurt other people,” Smith, a man with more than 600 NHL career penalty minutes, says in his keynote address to the Brain Injury Association of Canada. Continue Reading »

Sometimes my sister forgets that she can’t walk. Or that she can’t stand without help. Like when the curtain went down on the recent Rock of Ages musical and everyone in the Jubilee Auditorium jumped to their feet for an ovation and, naturally, she went to stand, too.

Instead, my sister boomeranged back into her seat. Undefeated, she sat as tall as possible. It wasn’t enough. She clapped with all her heart like the rest of us, but cried with all her soul. My sister’s brain understood the message, but her damaged spinal cord can’t carry out its commands. It’s as though it speaks a different language now and the translation is lost in transmission. Continue Reading »

Scientists have used a special cell to regenerate damaged parts of dogs’ spines. Researchers are cautiously excited about these results which could potentially have a future role in the treatment of human patients with similar spinal injuries.

For many years, scientists have been aware that olfactory ensheathing cells (OEC) could be helpful in treating the damaged spinal cord because of their distinctive properties. The unique cells have the capacity to support nerve fiber growth that preserves a pathway between the nose and the brain. Continue Reading »

Special care requires out-of-town trip

Tony Nickolite was 26 when his life changed forever.

The Sylvania Township man was living on his own in Nebraska, going to school, working, and helping raise a young daughter when he was thrown out of his vehicle during a rollover crash. The impact left him paralyzed from the waist down.

Three years later, he has moved in with his parents and spends most of his time in a wheelchair. What he finds he needs most, he said, is someone to understand and a place to give him hope. Continue Reading »

MobilitySVM.com

Full Size Wheelchair Truck Conversions

Mobility SVM, formerly known as GoShichi, was founded in 2009 on the premise that although a person might need to utilize a wheelchair, many individuals still want the freedom and independence to pursue their interests in outdoor activities through the advantages of a full size truck. This is the philosophy that led to the development of Mobility SVM wheelchair accessible truck conversions. Continue Reading »