Focus on Independence Gives Sight to Quadriplegics

“For the quadriplegic patient, glasses can be a constant source of aggravation,” said Dr. Maloney.

[ClickPress, Tue Mar 20 2007] Two well known U.S. Refractive Surgeons have teamed up to launch Focus On Independence in which eye surgeons provide free LASIK or vision correction surgery for quadriplegics. Robert K. Maloney of Los Angeles and Daniel Durrie of Kansas City have enlisted up to 40 surgeons around the country in the program which is intended for patients over the age of 18 who have suffered spinal cord injury and have lost the use of their hands and/or arms, making it difficult or impossible to take off their glasses or contacts without assistance. Continue Reading »

Fundraiser aids injured woman

A fundraiser to help offset costs of medical care for a South African woman recovering from a spinal cord injury will be held Friday, March 9, at the Hillcrest Country Club in Lower Burrell.

Douwne Muller, 19, of Cape Town, Republic of South Africa, suffered a spinal cord injury while on vacation with her family in March 2005. The injury caused a multitude of medical problems, forcing Muller to be dependent upon her parents and caregivers.

“Douwne has quadrapalegia and that won’t change,” Susan Kreinbrook, Muller’s Physical Therapist for her outpatient sessions, says. “We are aiming to educate her and her family members so that she can rely more on her self and her individual progress.” Continue Reading »

Rejection of stem cell procedure dashes hopes

Karen Jones dreams of being able to use her hands again.

But the 29-year-old Auckland tetraplegic fears her brightest hope may be dashed after a Ministry of Health committee rejected an eagerly anticipated trial using transplanted stem cells.

The Spinal Cord Society wants to run the trial from a base in Dunedin, whereby stem cells taken from the person’s nose are injected into the spinal cord for the purpose of regenerating damaged areas. Continue Reading »

Firefighter is an inspiration

Milpitas Firefighter Sean Simonson didn’t face flames or rescues in 2006, but as he fought a spinal cord injury that left him immobile after a bicycle accident, he inspired many of Milpitas’ first responders.

For his determination and positive attitude, Simonson has been named Firefighter of the Year for 2007.

Simonson’s cycling accident last April came seven years after he began as a firefighter in Milpitas. He was riding on a trail in Santa Cruz when he rode over a pothole that looked as if it had been filled. Continue Reading »

Fundraising for charity at the Ironman

A small group of dedicated competitors are aiming to achieve more than just completing this weekend’s Ironman at Taupo.

They will be completing a fundraising mission that has seem them raise over $26,000 to purchase a piece of equipment for New Zealanders disabled by spinal cord injury – many through sports such as rugby, horse-riding, cycling or skiing.

The Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) Bicycle the Ironmen are looking to purchase was originally designed for Superman Christopher Reeves after he was paralysed in a horse-riding accident.

This bike ‘automates’ cycle movement with the aim of restoring movement for the patients. Continue Reading »

Beware the chair

Travis Oldhouser proves Quad rugby isn’t for the scared, soft or squeamish

PHILADELPHIA – Metal slammed into metal in the middle of the gym.

Bodies jolted.

Spectators winced.

And players smiled devilish, satisfied smiles.

This was practice for the guys with broken necks and cracked spines.

It was a strange scene, wheelchairs racing across the floor, bumper car-style crashes every few minutes. Continue Reading »

‘Smart’ prosthetics: restoring independence to people with disabilities

People with paralysis can stand and move without a wheelchair. They can operate computers to read email and play video games. Brown University neuroscientist John Donoghue said these recent achievements are previews of a major promise of neurotechnology – restoring movement control and communication to people immobilized by injury or disease.

“We’re at the dawn of a new age of neurotechnology,” Donoghue said. “Thanks to advances in biology, medicine, computer science and engineering, we can repair the human nervous system – not with tissue but with technology. Nearly 100,000 people have cochlear implants that provide a sense of sound to the deaf. Continue Reading »

Crash survivor learning to breathe on his own

ROY — Braden Howe tells jokes, surfs the Internet and makes goo-goo eyes at his nephew, Carter, who squirms and giggles at his uncle’s attention.

But making goo-goo eyes is about all that Braden can do since the accident 10 years ago. Dandling his 6-month old nephew on his knee, for example, is out of the question.

Remember Christopher Reeve, the movie star? Braden has that exact kind of injury. Reeve broke his neck on a horse, Braden on a bicycle, but the result was the same: total paralysis from the neck down. Continue Reading »

Feds announce funding for spinal cord research

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has announced $30 million over five years that will fund spinal cord injury research and Rehabilitation.

The money will go towards the Spinal Cord Injury Translational Research Network, which was established by the Rick Hansen Foundation, the prime minister said.

“This initiative will create a national network whose purpose will be innovative research discoveries into practical benefits for Canadians with spinal cord injuries,” Harper said, sharing the stage with Hansen, who is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his 40,000-kilometre Man in Motion tour. Continue Reading »

Cost of rehab puts limits on patients

CORTNEY HOFFMAN’S CHALLENGE: She pushes for independence

Whether she’s tired or not, Cortney Hoffman wakes up before dawn, three days a week, to make the one-hour trip to the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan in Detroit for therapy meant to coax her damaged body to move.

Hoffman, paralyzed from her shoulders down in an auto accident in 2002, still does not walk unassisted, but she is stronger and has made gains that make her healthier and more independent. Continue Reading »