Science soon might catch up to athlete’s desire

The experimental surgery that gives hope to Tara Blackwell and others with spinal cord injuries is being developed in clinical trials under the direction of Dr. John McDonald.

He is the director of the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore.

McDonald was Christopher Reeve’s doctor.

His work is part of an international research project that experts hope will result in a simple, outpatient surgical procedure that can speed Regeneration of the spinal cord and the recovery of patients with spinal cord injuries. Continue Reading »

Exploiting Paralysis 101

Hwang Mi-soon was paralyzed from the hips down for 19 years when, in 2004, South Korean researchers implanted umbilical-cord stem cells in her spinal cord. The experimental surgery led to a visually dramatic recovery.

She showed off her new ability to walk, with the help of braces, at a Nov. 25, 2004 press conference. The anti-embryonic stem-cell research crowd loved it. The results were a giant step toward proving that embryonic stem cells were unnecessary, they said. Umbilical-cord stem cells were relatively easy to get and free of the controversy surrounding embryonic stem cells. (This research is unrelated to that of the recently discredited South Korean researcher Hwang Woo-suk.) Continue Reading »

Olympic flag passed onto Vancouver mayor for 2010 Winter Games

TURIN, Italy — The Olympic flag has been passed to Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Games.

Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan accepted the five-ringed flag from International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge on Sunday night during the closing ceremonies of the Turin Winter Games.

Sullivan, a quadriplegic since a skiing accident at the age of 19, needed a special holster on his motorized wheelchair to wave the flag. Rogge inserted the flag’s pole into the holster, then Sullivan rolled his chair on the stage to wave the flag eight times, bring a standing ovation from the crowd. Continue Reading »

Murderball Nominated for an Academy Award

Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, Murderball also took the Audience Award for an American Documentary and a Special Jury Prize for Editing at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. MURDERBALL is presented by THINKFilm in association with A&E Indie Films and is an EAT Film Production.

MURDERBALL features fierce rivalry, stopwatch suspense, dazzling athletic prowess, larger-than-life personalities, and triumph over daunting odds. Continue Reading »

Geron wants to test stem-cell spinal cord treatment in humans

Scientists have made stunning progress helping paralyzed rats and mice walk again by injecting them with stem cells. Now researchers at Geron of Menlo Park want to take the next step — in people.

They hope to get federal permission to inject those cells into damaged spinal cords. The procedure — which Geron intends to do next year — would be the first human tests of a treatment derived from human embryonic stem cells, the highly versatile body cells that can be coaxed into becoming almost any tissue in the body. Continue Reading »

IKAN Sports Foundation

We’re here to help people who are quadriplegic due to spinal cord injury as well as those affected by diseases such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, spina bifida and more reach for sports’ highest honors and be recognized like any other athlete who raises the bar. And just how many are out there? Millions worldwide. We aim to be behind each one with every turn of the wheel. Keeping People In The Game Of Life.

Paralyzed football player making strides

Nat Little gently wraps his arms around Tamela Johnston and squeezes with all the strength he can muster.

“Good,” the personal trainer tells him. “It’s getting stronger.”

A simple hug is a big step for the former Carrollton R.L. Turner High School football player, who was paralyzed from the neck down in a spring football game 1 ½ years ago.

Thanks to the help of strangers, friends and family, Nat is on the road to recovery – one small step at a time. Continue Reading »

Game control gives disabled chance to play

Nintendo has been in the technology spotlight since announcing plans for a video-game controller that can be used with only one hand.

But a disabled fan in Southern California took notice for more reasons than just the excitement about the next generation of interactive entertainment.

To Travis Taft, 19, the controller was a stunning godsend in his fight against an injury that left him a quadriplegic. He has tried to call national attention to the unintended benefits that the gadget will offer for people with a variety of physical disabilities. Continue Reading »

The State of Stem Cells, 2006

Hwang Woo-suk’s reputation, and the hopes of millions of disabled people, balanced precariously on the outcome of the investigation into his alleged cloning successes. Longing for a cure for paralysis, I held out a faint hope that Seoul National University’s final report, released Tuesday, would clear Hwang’s name and allow him to continue his research.

On the count of fabricating data about 11 tailor-made embryonic stem-cell lines in 2005: guilty. On the count of lying in 2004 about being the first scientist in the world to derive human cloned embryonic stem cells: guilty. Continue Reading »

Poised for the next step

College student ready to undergo experimental stem cell transplant

MISHAWAKA — Joey McTigue relies on his muscular shoulders and arms to pull himself down the lane of the Memorial Hospital’s rehab pool. Leg power isn’t available. A float holds his knees together and keeps his legs from sinking.

It really doesn’t matter how fast he goes. Speed is no longer the main goal for the former Michiana Soccer Association standout.

Instead, his workouts are about time. Continue Reading »