United Spinal Pride
Thank you for the pin. I will wear it on May 22, but I feel it should be worn more frequently, to remind us that wheelchairs are tools of freedom They do not take the personality out of the person in the chair.
Judy Pittack, MSer (Wearing my pin to tell the tale!)
I wanted to thank you for the pin my son received last week. He and I first became aware of United Spinal Association when representatives visited A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children and helped the kids play basketball. At that time, Luke received a United Spinal baseball hat. He loved it!
As with many 13-year-olds, his favorite hat changes with the season-Red Sox in Summer, Eagles in fall-and with the arrival of the pin, Luke pulled out the United Spinal hat and has been wearing both the hat and pin each day to school.
He has had to explain to his classmates what the pin is and why he’s so proud to wear it. Luke says each morning when he puts it on, and every time he explains the pin, that he is proud to know he not alone in dealing with spinal cord disabilities. (Luke was born with spina bifida.) Luke enjoys the magazine when it arrives each month, saying it’s good to see more people who use wheelchairs and enjoy life, rather than making it seem like a miserable existence.
It hasn’t been easy, and with over 20 surgeries so far in his lifetime, Luke knows life has challenges. Thank you for brightening his life with your positive reminders of how far we’ve come and how much more is yet to be accomplished.
Marie Baca, via e-mail
Editor’s Note: United Spinal’s 60th Anniversary Pin is still available for a limited time. Call 800-404-2898 or e-mail action@unitedspinal.org.
Letters to the Editor may be sent by e-mail to action@unitedspinal.org, or to Action Editor, United Spinal Association, 75-20 Jackson Heights, NY 11370-1177. Please keep letters to 300 words or fewer. Letters may be edited for clarity or space.
