Ed Quijada – chat with new patients

Ed Quijada – as part of this series, Ed and Amy chat with new patients suffering a spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury a staunch foe

Therese Riedel is battling back from a spinal cord injury she suffered in September 2008.

SAN DIEGO – Growing up in La Mesa and playing basketball at Grossmont High, Therese Riedel spent as much time as she could on San Diego’s beaches.

She even saved up a handful of paychecks from her first job to buy a custom surfboard with a basketball court and her jersey number painted on it. Continue Reading »

Creating the best possible clinical trials

The Reeve Foundation’s North American Clinical Trials Network NOA Task Force met September 24th in Dallas, TX to continue what it began last May at a two-day workshop at Frazier Rehab Institute in Louisville, KY.

NOA, which stands for Neurological Outcomes Assessments, is a group of international experts who are collaborating to develop, test and validate new improved outcome measures for use in human clinical trials of spinal cord injury. Twenty NOA members participated in-person; several more joined via web conference. Continue Reading »

Two Powerful Foundations Join Forces To Create the Nation’s Premier Spinal Cord Injury Organization

Life Rolls On Foundation and Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Merge

SHORT HILLS, N.J., Sept. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — On what would have been Christopher Reeve’s 57th birthday, Life Rolls On Foundation (LRO) and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation have announced a merger. Effective immediately, Life Rolls On Foundation, based in Los Angeles, will serve as the West Coast headquarters and division of the Reeve Foundation. Continue Reading »

New Academy to Improve Health Care for the Spinal Cord Injured Supported by Paralyzed Veterans of America

DALLAS, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A new interdisciplinary force for quality health care for people living with spinal cord injury/dysfunction (SCI/D), the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals, will officially launch this week. The new organization brings together physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, and rehabilitation therapists, and is supported by Paralyzed Veterans of America (Paralyzed Veterans), the veterans service and disabilities rights organization. Continue Reading »

Redefining ‘Cured’

A spinal-cord-injury activist puts a new priority on living with—not fighting—paralysis.

Ever since 1988, wheelchairs have figured into Alan T. Brown’s dreams. That was the year his neck was crushed by an ocean wave at a Club Med in Martinique. He was 20 years old, young and single and free, and in one second went from a vibrant college student to a quadriplegic, with no movement below his chest. The dreams began almost instantly, usually with the wheelchair off to one side, Brown standing nearby. “In the beginning, I was convinced I would walk again—1,000 percent,” says Brown, now 42, who runs his own public-relations company in Hollywood, Fla. “My old mottos were ‘There’s light at the end of the tunnel’ and ‘Never say never.’ I did think there was going to be a cure.” Continue Reading »

Asheville’s ‘Paraplegic Chef’ Megan McCauley sets an example

One night changed the course of Megan McCauley’s young life.

The former chef at Carmel’s Bar and Restaurant was in an ATV accident Nov. 21, 2007, that left her paralyzed. It’s an unexpected twist in the now 24-year-old’s life, but not a tragic one, McCauley said. Continue Reading »

“What life can I build?”

A week from Friday would have been Christopher Reeve’s 57th birthday. I bring it up nine days ahead of time because it happened again this morning. When I walk into the home office here in Short Hills, NJ and flip on the lights, this photo of Chris and Dana on the front desk often catches my eye. I’ll say, “Good morning, guys!” as I pass by — because even though I’ve never met them, I feel like I know them. And odder still, it feels like I could run into either one of them around the next corner. Continue Reading »

Life Rolls On Announces Celebrity Honorary Chairmen for Annual Gala

Life Rolls On Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for young people affected by spinal cord injury, today named professional surfer, Rob Machado and actors Simon Baker and Jeffrey Donovan as honorary event chairmen for the 6th Annual Night by the Ocean Gala to be held on October 4, at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, Calf.

As the organization’s single-largest fundraising event, the Night by the Ocean Gala is aimed at honoring those who have made extraordinary contributions to the spinal cord injury community. Continue Reading »

Funding Your Way to Quality of Life

Funding can be a need when it comes to living with a spinal cord injury and keeping up with the devices and therapies that can improve quality of life. Items ranging from specialized wheelchairs and equipment to home modifications to cutting edge therapy in some cases may not be covered by insurance or available benefits.

Fundraising is a great option for those expenses beyond the realm of insurance. Fundraising isn’t just about raising funds but also about bringing communities together for a good cause. Continue Reading »