ATV accident victim on road to recovery

‘It’s amazing how she’s tackling’ tragedy

After a tragic summer accident 18-year-old Tyhme Thompson was told that she would never walk again.

“My surgeon told me I was complete, so what happens is a complete spinal injury means you won’t walk. That’s what it means,” said the Orillia teen.

“But, the doctor said ‘Please do; prove me wrong,’” said Thompson’s dad, Mike. “It’s hope and persistence that wins the battle.” Continue Reading »

Spinal Cord Injury

An injury to the spinal cord could result in a catastrophic permanent disability to the patient. Approximately 10,000 new cases of spinal cord injury (SCI) occur each year in the United States with most occurring in men between the ages of 16 and 30. The etiology of the majority of cases is associated with motor vehicle crashes followed by penetrating trauma; falls, especially in the elderly; and sports and recreational activities. Elderly patients are more prone to suffering from SCI from minor trauma due to degenerative vertebral disorders. In addition, elderly patients have become more active over the years; thus, the incidence of SCI in the elderly is on the rise. Continue Reading »

JP Price Shoots for Cure

Local Snocross racer J.P. Price has chosen to lead a pledge fundraising program and will ride the Canadian SnoCross Race Association season opener event at Searchmont Resort on December 6-7th, 2008.

He challenges the residents, business owners, bingo halls and sports clubs to pledge for Shoot for a Cure in raising funds and awareness for Spinal Cure Research through the Canadian & American Spinal Research Organizations (CSRO/ASRO).

Everyday, we all take risks, whether it is motorsports, school sports, hockey, walking, biking or working. Please pledge today and help the CSRO/ASRO, who is dedicated to the improvement of the physical quality of life for persons with a spinal cord injury and those with related neurological deficits, through targeted medical and scientific research. Continue Reading »

P.L.A.Y-ing, not just for kids anymore

CLEMSON — It’s a day that many soldiers look forward to. A day where they’ve reached the end of their service time and are able to head home and fill the gap in the family that had been missing a parent, son, daughter or spouse. It’s a time when they can finally enjoy the comforts of home cooking, melt in a warm embrace and catch their breath because of hearty laughter, not because they’re in the middle of enemy fire.

For Jeff Snover, while on military leave from serving in Iraq, was soaking up time with his family and getting a head start on some work that needed to be done on his property in Tennessee. But, while clearing out an area on his land, a tree fell, trapping him and causing a spinal cord injury, paralyzing him from the waist down. Continue Reading »

Simple steps reduce spinal cord injury

With fair weather and more tolerable temperatures, the arrival of fall months often draws people outdoors to enjoy a variety of activities. However, as people spend more time outdoors, their exposure to high-risk behavior increases.

This increase in high-risk behavior can often lead to higher rates of injury, especially potentially disabling or fatal spinal cord injuries. Fortunately, careful attention to surroundings and safety can often help people avoid these life-threatening accidents. Continue Reading »

New UAB lab helps spinal cord patients cope

A new lab at UAB’s Spain Rehabilitation Center offers spinal cord injury patients a look at how technology can help them overcome disabilities, particularly in using computers and other electronic equipment.

The Dr. Samuel L. Stover Assistive Technology Laboratory is being dedicated at 12:15 p.m. today at the Center for Psychiatric Medicine. The lab is named for a former chairman of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s department of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

“We want to empower patients with information,” said Phil Klebine, project coordinator for the lab. Continue Reading »

Grand Lake teen readjusts to life at home after nearly fatal car accident

As he was growing up in Grand Lake, everybody knew Zack Peterson as the kid with the big smile and the tousled blond hair who was a good athlete and a great guy.

When you meet him today, he’s still all of those things with one addition. He’s now in a wheelchair.

Zack, who graduated from Middle Park High School in May, was involved in a single-car accident just after midnight on Sunday, July 13. He fell asleep behind the wheel while returning from a trip to Denver and crashed on U.S. Highway 34, a few miles short of his home. Continue Reading »

Make smart decisions to reduce risk for spinal cord injury

With fair weather and more tolerable temperatures, the arrival of late summer and fall months often draws people outdoors to enjoy a variety of activities.

However, as people spend more time outdoors, their exposure to high risk behavior increases. This increase in high risk behavior can often lead to higher rates of injury, especially potentially disabling or fatal spinal cord injuries. Fortunately, careful attention to surroundings and safety can often help people avoid these life threatening accidents. Continue Reading »

Two Oakdale men headed to Beijing for paralympics

Jon Rydberg and Dan James will be representing their hometown of Oakdale and their country by heading to Beijing this September to compete in the U.S. Paralympics.

This is Rydberg’s second Paralympics and he will be competing in singles and doubles wheelchair tennis.

“It’s one of the coolest things you can do,” Rydberg said. “Representing your country, your state, everything like that. It’s a whole package deal.”

James is the coach of the U.S. Paralympic tennis team and Beijing will be the third Paralympics he has coached in. James echoed Rydberg’s sentiments about how it feels to be a part of the games. Continue Reading »

Special needs players showcase their shots

The Madame Lise Thibault Golf Tournament is in its eighth year

The sun was shining, the balls were flying and the chairs were rolling yesterday at the Fanshawe Golf Course Parkside Nine.

It was the eighth annual Madame Lise Thibault Golf Tournament, a three-person-per-team golf scramble for people with disabilities.

“The golf tournament takes its name from former lieutenant-governor of Quebec Lise Thibault,” said Mike Olizarevitch, golf pro at the club. “In a way that’s how it all started. I taught her lessons and showed her the course here, and she came down here to open it.” Continue Reading »