Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D- IA) delivered the following remarks yesterday on the floor of the Senate urging the adoption of S. 1183, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act.
The text of the speech is below.
Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I come to the Senate floor with a heavy heart and a clear purpose. Last Thursday would have been the 56th birthday of a great actor, a devoted father and husband, Christopher Reeve. Many Americans got to know Christopher Reeve when he put on that blue and red uniform of Superman and acted in so many Superman roles. He was also on television and stage. So we always think of Christopher Reeve as the first Superman. Continue Reading »
Two charities will share in proceeds from tickets they sell for Scottsdale Fashion Week VIP shows Nov. 6-9.
The Arizona Spinal Cord Injury Association and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Arizona will sell “supertickets,” good for three VIP shows on designated days.
The spinal-cord association will sell tickets to VIP shows Nov. 8. The organization will sell tickets to the final three shows of the festival, including a show by famed designer Zang Toi. There are 500 tickets available per show, starting at $250. Continue Reading »
In the early morning hours of Dec. 24, 2004 track worker Armando Gonzales was struck by a security vehicle rendering him a C2 quadriplegic. Continue Reading »
theDevice Helps Paralyzed Pull Ankle, Toe Upwards
Eleven-thousand people in the United States suffer from spinal cord injuries each year.
Men are more at risk than women for this type of injury, accounting for 80 percent of them. Those between the ages of 16 and 30 are most likely to suffer such an injury. Most of the time, a spinal cord injury will result in permanent paralysis and loss of sensation below the area of the spine where the injury took place.
A quadriplegic or tetraplegic is paralyzed throughout most of their body, including their arms and legs while only the lower body of a Paraplegic is paralyzed. Continue Reading »
Mount Shasta, Calif. -Driving around Mount Shasta this week, you may notice a new feature on many cars. Stickers and magnets reading “The Corbster” and “Corben Brooks #54 – Stay Strong” have been plastered everywhere, a reminder to the community of one young man’s struggle to get back on his feet.
Friday’s Booster Club Tailgate Party raised over $40,000 for Corben Brooks, the 17 year-old Mount Shasta High School senior who was seriously injured during a football scrimmage in August. Continue Reading »
Sense of adventure, sense of humor survived crippling injury
Mike Utley went deaf in his right ear while having dinner in January. He was robbed of equilibrium and made so sick he had to seek a doctor the next day. He traded partial hearing for a nonstop fire alarm that still reverberates in his head.
This was nothing more than piling on for the former Washington State and Detroit Lions football player, left a quadriplegic nearly 17 years ago when the offensive guard suffered a spinal cord injury while slammed to the ground on a pass-blocking play.
The latest setback was another reason for Utley to feel sorry for himself, though that never happened. Continue Reading »
In a stop on a nationwide tour, he encourages others with disabilities.
Wiggling a single toe was the impossible goal Aaron Baker dreamed about achieving in 1999.
Nine years later and more than 1,500 miles into his trek, Baker is pedaling a specially made, three-wheel bicycle across the country to show others what it means to beat the impossible.
“I’m crazy enough to ride a bicycle all the way here from San Francisco,” Baker said.
With more than 2,500 miles to go, Baker rode through Tulsa on Tuesday as part of his Rise Above Tour to speak to members at The Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges, 815 S. Utica Ave., a center that has helped people with disabilities in Tulsa since 1959. Continue Reading »
Published: August 17, 2008 | Category: Information
People with spinal cord disorders are more Prone than most to developing type 2 diabetes. But the condition can be managed and even reversed with diet, exercise and medications.
“You are diabetic.” No one wants to hear these words and when they do, they are likely to be in shock or disbelief. “Sure, I’m in a wheelchair, overweight and I don’t get much exercise, but nobody in my family has diabetes,” may be a typical response.
Surprisingly, genetics plays only a limited role in the development of type 2 diabetes, but diabetes now afflicts almost 1 in 10 Americans and a recent study showed that 2 in 10 spinal cord injured veterans are diabetic. Continue Reading »
Andrew Commons is determined to walk again – utterly determined. As well as following an intensive daily exercise regime, he’s also undergone courses of stem cell treatment for the spinal cord injury that has confined him to a wheelchair. Just back from Beijing Tiantan Puhua Hospital, Commons says it’s too early to tell whether several injections of stem cells into his spine have worked, but he’s optimistic. “I’ve now got a bit of movement in my left big toe, which is pretty good. They say if you can move your toes, you’ll walk at some stage, so obviously I’m pretty hopeful about that – if the stem cells do have a benefit, with luck I’ll be on my legs.” Continue Reading »
Published: August 13, 2008 | Category: Information
My readers have asked me, “What is a tetraplegic?” It’s time to answer their questions.
I am a tetraplegic. Because you won’t find Adah Marie Guy listed under tetraplegic, I’ll explain it to you. Bear with me, though. I’ll try my hardest to define a tetraplegic in layman’s terms.
An insight into living with a spinal cord injury Web site defines a tetraplegic as “someone who is paralyzed because the spinal cord in their neck region has been damaged in some way.” Continue Reading »
Loading ...
Mike Utley went deaf in his right ear while having dinner in January. He was robbed of equilibrium and made so sick he had to seek a doctor the next day. He traded partial hearing for a nonstop fire alarm that still reverberates in his head.
In a stop on a nationwide tour, he encourages others with disabilities.
Andrew Commons is determined to walk again – utterly determined. As well as following an intensive daily exercise regime, he’s also undergone courses of stem cell treatment for the spinal cord injury that has confined him to a wheelchair. Just back from Beijing Tiantan Puhua Hospital, Commons says it’s too early to tell whether several injections of stem cells into his spine have worked, but he’s optimistic. “I’ve now got a bit of movement in my left big toe, which is pretty good. They say if you can move your toes, you’ll walk at some stage, so obviously I’m pretty hopeful about that – if the stem cells do have a benefit, with luck I’ll be on my legs.”