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Did you know that September is Spinal Cord Injury Awareness (SCI) Month?
A few months ago I had the pleasure of recording a podcast with Reveca Torres (listen here). Reveca is a C5 quadriplegic who was injured in a car accident while on vacation at the age of 13. In 2009, Reveca founded BACKBONES. BACKBONES exists to provide one-on-one support for individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI) and their families. They’re making connections to others with a similar injury and interests via telephone, in-person, or web to encourage sharing of experiences and ideas. BACKBONES also hosts fun, dynamic events that get people with and without SCI together for support, education, awareness and a good time! For example they have held fashion…
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Locomotor a waste of time?
Maybe I’ve been paralyzed too long, but there are a bunch of new therapy programs out there that I question. Let me preemptively say that locomotor training has a lot of great benefits (it’s good for weight-bearing, making your muscles move, organ-hanging party time). It’s a pretty intense therapy where they strap you into a harness (that’s attached to a bar above your head) and hang you above a treadmill. Read this entry
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SCI Superstar: Jesse Billauer
The ocean can be a dangerous place. Sharks, big waves with multiple personalities, fugly Man o’ Wars, but you don’t have to tell Jesse Billauer this. He’s a born and bred Cali boy who came out of the womb with a surfboard attached to the hip. Jesse, at 17, was living the semi-charmed life of a California teenager – young, athletic, gorgeous (still is) and staged to be one of the next big surfers; it was an idyllic life. But his world turned upside down in 1996 when the crest of a wave threw him off his surfboard. Jesse hit his head on a sandbar and became a C5-6 quadriplegic…
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3/28/11: Podcast #72 – Coping and dating with quad Shawn Dean
In episode #72 of No Free Rides, Tiffiny talks with lawyer and single and looking quadriplegic, Shawn R. Dean. They discuss the nuances of coping with a life-changing injury, and Tiffiny tries to persuade Shawn to try a dating site.
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11/11/2010: Embryonic stem cell research is in jeopardy, but you can help!
We are facing one of the most important battles in the history of embryonic stem cell research in the United States. If you’re not aware of what’s going on and support ethical embryonic stem cell research, here is the situation.
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10/19/10: Groundbreaking mechanical legs to help paraplegics walk again
This cutting-edge personal exoskeleton developed by Berkley Bionics will truly make you feel like the future is now.
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10/12/10: SCI newbie receives first injection in historic FDA-approved embryonic stem cell study
This time has finally come. An undisclosed newly-injured complete paraplegic has been injected with hESCs (human embryonic stem cells) in the USA’s first FDA approved (yet privately funded) treatment using hESCs. Will it work? Of course it will. The real question is when can I (and you) get the treatment.
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Geckos, mice hair, and O2 deprivation latest in SCI cure hopes
Jockeying to win; world’s top researchers are trying everything to a cure for paralysis. Read more
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Quadriplegic researching erotic energy for healing
Rafe Briggs is the man. His research explores new ways to experience erotic energy, nervous system be damned. And his blog is HOT. Read all about this sexual revolutionary here. – Tiff
