The last few years, as we have grown as an independent Veterans’ Service Organization (VSO), United Spinal Association has received more invitations to participate in local, regional, and national events commemorating Veterans Day. It was with great pride that I had the opportunity last month to attend the White House Veterans Day Breakfast. It was a distinct honor to meet and mingle with the President, dignitaries from the Executive Branch, and the leaders of the other Veterans’ Service Organizations. At the conclusion of the breakfast, many of the VSO Commanders joined the Vice President at Arlington National Cemetery at the Tomb of [...]
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I recently traveled to Denver, Colorado to spread the word about United Spinal Association. My first stop was at Craig Hospital, which has a world-renowned spinal cord injury (SCI) rehab program, as well as an excellent rehabilitation program for traumatic brain injury. I spoke to staff about our services, and about ways in which we can help their patients, particularly after they are discharged from their facility. My second stop was at Wells Fargo in downtown Denver. Wells Fargo has an Employee with DisAbility Advisory Coalition and was holding its fifth annual DisAbility Awareness Fair-DisAbility Expo. I had the opportunity to [...] by Tom Scott Youakim honored for 60 years of service to United Spinal and wheelchair athletes. On the evening of November 5, River Edge, New Jersey native Albert Youakim, was awarded United Spinal Association’s inaugural Community Service Award named in his honor, during a ceremony and dinner at the Hilton Hasbrouck Heights Hotel in New Jersey. The award is presented to individuals who make a substantial contribution of time and effort to serve United Spinal Association and the disabled community. Among Youakim’s many achievements, he has been instrumental in the growth of United Spinal’s adaptive sports program and clinics. A pioneer of [...] by Lori A. Wood When people think of yoga, they sometimes conjure up images of students contorting their body into unusual positions and holding them for interminable amounts of time. Yoga instructor Mary Cavanaugh proves that there are much simpler ways to use the discipline that even those with spinal cord impairment can practice. Mary Cavanaugh When she was in her 20s, Cavanaugh fell from a horse. “I broke my pelvis, but I hit on my back, on the fourth and fifth lumbar,” she remembers. As a result, she had back problems years later, for which doctors wanted to do surgery. Instead, Mary [...] by Ed Lash Multiple sclerosis (MS) is often described as a mystery disease. One of the mysteries is the exact cause of MS. With the evidence we have today, the likely cause is considered to be a combination of complex factors which include genetics, environmental influences, probably early childhood diseases, and possibly other unknown factors. But rather than using the word “cause,” many authorities suggest that this combination of factors gives us a “predisposition” for MS. Having a predisposition for MS, however, does not necessarily mean that a person will “get” MS. In order for MS to manifest itself, an additional precipitating [...] by Rob Ingraham There is general agreement in Congress and among health care stakeholders that the Medicare Trust Fund is in serious financial trouble and many programs could be in jeopardy if Congress does not come up with ways of reducing costs. While a number of possible remedies are circulating, one has sparked a firestorm of protest from health care organizations and patient advocates to equipment manufacturers. The concept is known as “gainsharing” and it proposes a formal arrangement between hospitals and physicians whereby doctors will be financially rewarded for reducing the average services ordered per patient for a particular diagnosis, for [...] by Jennifer M. Rodriguez For individuals with disabilities, the simple act of voting can be both difficult and discouraging. In response to numerous complaints about inaccessible voting machines and polling places, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) to ensure that every American qualified to vote is able to exercise this fundamental civil right. Facing a January 2006 deadline for the implementation of fully accessible voting machines, United Spinal Association has been working closely with the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) to ensure that all machines are truly accessible. [...] by John M. Williams I have stuttered severely for 53 years. I have never liked it. Hundreds of times I have cursed it. Stuttering is a communication disorder in which the flow of speech is broken by repetitions, prolongations, or abnormal stoppages of sounds and syllables. Unusual facial and body movements are associated with stuttering. It affects four times as many males as females and about three million people in the US. by Marion Murray, PhD The Problem: Acute Injury Kills Neurons During embryonic and early postnatal development, neurons in the Central Nervous System (CNS: brain and spinal cord) employ an active genetic program to drive growth of axons and formation of specific patterns of connections with other neurons. Neurons of the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS), whose axons innervate muscle or autonomic ganglia, can readily regenerate axons even in the adult and thus retain the capacity to restore functional connections. Diagram of spinal cord following an injury. A bruising injury induces hemorrhage and cell death. The epicenter is characterized by necrotic cell death and the lesion expands [...] by Dan Anderson On October 21, Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) announced the Senate would not consider his legislation (S471) to expand federal funding for embryonic stem cell research until 2006. The news was a sharp blow to supporters of the bill who had hoped the Senate would approve it this fall, capitalizing on the positive momentum created by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist’s (R-TN) August announcement that he supported the legislation. The House passed an identical bill (HR810) in May. It is estimated that more than 100 million Americans have a disease or injury that could be treated or cured with stem [...] by Michelle Pierre, MA, RD A little more than a year ago, Orbit published an article describing a feasibility study to investigate pressure ulcer healing in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) “Can Anabolic Steroids Heal Pressure Ulcers?, September 2004″. The 1-year multi-center feasibility study was successfully completed, and in January 2005, the VA Cooperative Studies Program approved and funded a study entitled “A VA Cooperative Study, Anabolic Steroid Therapy on Pressure Ulcer Healing in Persons with Spinal Cord Injury.” (Orbit, April ‘05) by Erin Siniff In February of 1997 U.S. Army veteran Dan Alberts was involved in a snowmobile accident that resulted in a tear in his aorta. Alberts survived the injury that doctors thought would take his life, but it left him paralyzed from the waist down. Prior to his injury, Alberts was an avid athlete and outdoorsman. Standing almost seven feet tall, he participated in many community sports leagues and enjoyed time fishing on the river. His injury has not slowed him down. Today, Alberts is the captain and one of the star players on his wheelchair basketball team, the Iowa Chairiots, and [...] by Kathleen M. Muldoon One day when I was walking in the mall, a young girl in a wheelchair whizzed by me. I never knew anyone could travel so fast in a manual wheelchair! But my first thought about her was, “There goes a girl who would be fun to know!” I didn’t get that feeling from her speed (although I was impressed), but because her wheelchair spokes were covered with brightly covered neon straws- flaming orange, hot pink, and electric green. Did you know that your favorite colors tell other people a lot about you? Even if you don’t get to [...] by Rosemarie Rosetti, PhD With the rising cost of gasoline, everyone is trying to economize. Many are looking at ways to get more mileage out of every gallon of gasoline. Did you ever consider how to get more mileage out of everything you do? Have you thought about how you can be more effective and have a broader scope of influence? Last month, I realized that I had the ability to get more mileage out of my speaking presentations. by Charlotte Bethune-Fisher Last month, I gave an overview of how to start planning a trip, how to use a travel agency, and what to consider when using ground transportation. This month, we’ll look at how to use air travel. The Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 prohibits discrimination against air travelers with disabilities. For more information about this important legislation and how it affects you, you can order United Spinal’s free booklet Air Carrier Access by calling our toll-free publications hotline 800-444-0120, or you may order it online at www.unitedspinal.org. Where there is a choice of airlines, check on their policy [...] by Tom Scott New Beginnings and Old Memories: The United Spinal Jets Quad Rugby Team The successful summer release of the movie Murderball, a documentary on the hard- nosed sport of quad rugby, has boosted interest in the United Spinal Jets quad rugby program. The team, now stacked with 10 new players, including Murderball star Keith Cavill, has been hard at work preparing for the new season after a year-long hiatus. Wearing badges in memory of their former teammate and 11-year quad rugby veteran Scott Davies who passed away in June 2005, the team practices every week in Hackensack, New Jersey. The [...] |
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