Walking 500 Miles for SCI

Carolina Gonzalez-Bunster is walking 500 miles in 32 days.

Beginning on August 1, Gonzalez-Bunster, 26, will be embarking on an 800-kilometer walk, just under the length of the east coast of Florida, along the northern trail of the Camino of Santiago of Compostela, to raise awareness for her organization, The Walkabout Foundation.

Walking for a reason
Just this year, Gonzalez-Bunster left her job as a financial analyst to launch the Foundation. “The stock market crashed and the economy deteriorated,” says Gonzalez-Bunster. “I thought it was the perfect moment to leave and start a foundation in honor of my brother, something I had wanted to do for fifteen years.” Continue Reading »

Paralyzed teen still surfing… and now his dog is, too

What makes a bad day? Is it missing the bus? Spilling coffee on your new shirt? Leaving your wallet at home?

For Patrick Ivison, who has spent nearly his entire life in a wheelchair, there is no such thing as a bad day. Fifteen-year-old Patrick is the quintessential optimist.

Patrick was only a toddler when he wrangled away from is mom in a grocery store parking lot, and in that split second, a car backed up over him. Doctors told Patrick’s mom Jennifer that her son was paralyzed from the neck down. It was news that could cripple any parent, but Jennifer considered it a blessing, realizing that her son, who narrowly escaped death, had now been given a second chance. Continue Reading »

‘You’ve got to keep going’

Jill Mason embodies challenges, successes of people living with spinal-cord injuries

One of the annoying things about life with two paralyzed legs is time, Jill Mason said.

It takes hours to get up, to shower, dress and fix something to eat, the daily routine that an able-bodied person — like the competitive triathlete Mason used to be — could accomplish in minutes.

In the five years since a drunken driver smashed into her bicycle on Highway 12 near Oakmont, severing her spinal cord, Mason, 31, has gotten faster at these mundane chores, but they still take an entire morning. Continue Reading »

She sings, she dances, all from her wheelchair

Ali Stroker is a ball of energy. It is exhausting just being in the room with her. Ali came by our offices the other day for a meet and greet because she is going to be a Reeve Foundation Ambassador.

She is 21, and was paralyzed in a car accident at the age of 2. She just graduated from the Musical Theatre Conservatory at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She could be the next big thing on Broadway. Continue Reading »

Spinal Cord Injuries – Is there Hope?

Turning tragic events into opportunities for others

There are many flashing lights in our lives – when we see “green” we speed right on through life not even aware of what the next day or move could bring. As we cruise through the green light not realizing that sometimes others who have the red light do not halt and come to a standstill – they are in a hurry to “beat” the light and then our lives collide.

There are flashing yellow lights which warn – and instruct – they mean “caution” or “look out” – proceed with care. And then that ever nuisance, the red light, which makes us have to stop dead in our tracks when we want to be moving forward. Continue Reading »

At 6 mph, Darrell Gwynn still presses on

DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -The phone is ringing in Darrell Gwynn’s office, which is filled with reminders of a life that nearly ended two decades ago. From his windows, he sees cars being built and fiddled with in the garage, where stacks of racing tires are piled almost to the roof.

The former champion drag racer maneuvers his wheelchair toward the phone. With his right hand – his only hand – he pushes a button to lift the receiver an inch from the cradle. His wife is on the other end, they chat about lunch for a couple minutes, he presses the button again and the phone hangs up.

“Sorry,” Gwynn says, directing his chair away from the desk. “Important stuff.” Continue Reading »

‘Incredible’ Journey- From Paralyzed to Helping Others Walk

New Therapy Helped Janne Kouri Walk Again, Inspired Him to Help Others

On August 5, 2006, Janne Kouri dove into the ocean off California and crashed his head into a hidden sandbar. He knew immediately his life would never be the same.

“Instantly I could tell I was paralyzed,” said Kouri, then 31, of Hermosa Beach, Calif. “I was just floating in the water and I got flipped over on my back and there were waves crashing over me so I knew something bad had happened, because I could not move my body at all so I just took a deep breath and basically hoped for the best. I thought, ‘this could be it.’” Continue Reading »

Andy’s mountain chair challenge

A SEVENOAKS man is tackling Snowdon for charity less than a year after being paralysed in an accident.

Andy Adamson, 27, of Chipstead Lane, said he was lying in hospital after a mountain biking accident in the French Alps in August last year, wondering if he would ever be able to get out, let alone get back to his previously sporty life.

Now he is preparing to climb Snowdon to raise money for the Back Up Trust, a charity which supports people after they have suffered spinal cord injuries. Continue Reading »

Increase in spinal cord injuries during the summer

There’s a growing risk of spinal cord injuries. Austin doctors say the summer months pose the biggest threat.

Jared Dunten, 35, became paralyzed from the neck down during a summer vacation trip in April of 2000

“Sometimes it seems like it’s been forever….sometimes it doesn’t seem like long at all,” said Dunten.

He dove into the Rio Grande River. Continue Reading »

Quadriplegic honoured for active lifestyle

Kaspar Shouldice has the ability to turn mountains into mole hills. Thirty seconds after meeting him, it’s easy to see why.

“Many people who hear about my accident see it as a devastating tragedy and expect me to be depressed and angry,” says the wheelchair bound Shouldice, a Camosun College student. “In my situation, it couldn’t be further from the truth.” Continue Reading »