New in the PRC Library…

A Piece of Her Mind: A Mother-Daughter Journey Through Stroke and Recovery. By Mona Gupton & Stacy Gupton. Xlibris, 2009. xlibris.com

Stacy suffered a severe stroke at the age of 21 while she was a college student. Stacy’s mother Mona writes about their journey of rehab, recovery and of lives changed forever. Stacy’s rehab was done at Craig Hospital in Colorado. Stacy’s paintings and journal writings are included in the book. Stacy believes her stroke has changed her life but it will not define her or stop her from achieving her goals.

A copy of this book can be checked out from the Paralysis Resource Center’s library. Please see the online catalog and borrowing instructions .

If you are one of the 65% of Americans who can't name a living scientist, click here to meet some of the brilliant investigators supported by the Reeve Foundation. Regardless, read on for a unique perspective on why it's so important for the US to increase and and then sustain its research investments ... and those investments must include both public (federal) and private (philanthropic) dollars!

Read more here from the LA Times.

Susan P. Howley
Executive Vice President, Research

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Captain Reinaldo Gonzalez, friend of the Reeve Foundation, was recently profiled by the Army, of whom he serves.

Four years ago, while attending U.S. Army Ranger School, Capt. Gonzalez fell 35 feet during a training exercise, absorbing the majority of the impact on his neck. Suffering from a spinal cord injury to his neck, it appeared Gonzalez would experience severe motor function impairments for the rest of his life.

“Spinal cord injuries take a toll on the body,” Gonzalez explained. “Depending on the level of injury, one can be left permanently paralyzed. That being said, for those that recover, the lingering side-effects can prevent them from working.”

Through the support and encouragement of his family, Gonzalez spent three years in physical therapy recovering from his spinal injury.

Learn more about Captain Gonzalez.

To Captain Gonzalez and all our troops, thank you!

Janelle

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Last week, we told you about Eastman Tiu in Illinois who has been living with paralysis for half his life. His whole community came together to support him by having a Superman tag fundraiser to commemorate what he calls his "half-life". Read about it here.

Today I'm telling you about another wonderful community coming together. A football player, Colt Brake, in North Carolina who is now living with paralysis after a freak accident during a game is ready to come home. He couldn't come home to the same house he was living in prior to his injury, so his community (friends, neighbors, classmates, and complete strangers) came together to revamp some of his house to make it more accessible.

This is the spirit of the holidays and Colt truely will be home for the holidays.

Watch the video.

Janelle

UPDATE: Here is an update of Colt's homecoming yesterday. Watch the video.

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Navigating the Medicare enrollment period can be a daunting task between the fine print, numerous options, and limitless questions all coupled with the new health reform laws. However, making an important and significant choice such as this takes extended time and research, particularly for those living with paralysis.

Read on to understand what coverage you may need (and how to get it) and why this year's beneficiaries should be aware of new changes in their health care.

And don't forget, you only have until next Friday to make your Medicare selections.

Kate Matelan
Writer
Reeve Foundation

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On Sunday, January 30, 2011, The Alan T Brown Foundation to Cure Paralysis will be hosting their 7th Annual Family Fun Day. The event will be taking place from 1pm-3pm at the 69th Regiment Armory (68 Lexington Avenue, NY, NY).

Bring your family to share in this exciting carnival event that is fun for all ages! Inflatables, obstacle courses, Teen Center, crafts, performers, caricaturists, full buffet, and much more -- all for the cost of admission!

For more information and to register, click here.

Janelle

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When that bright, shiny, ball drops down and everyone yells "Happy New Year", hugs and kisses their loved ones, and starts banging pots and pans, in the back of your head will there be a New Year's resolution?

Do you want to improve your quality of life quit smoking, join a wheelchair basketball league, or finally take that vacation you always wanted but you were too afraid to travel? Maybe these are some of your New Year's resolutions, or maybe you have others?

We all have wishes and wants in our lives, so why not ring in 2011 by promising yourself something you always wanted.

Tell us all about your New Year's Resolution for 2011 here. Or even resolutions you've really loved of years' past!

Janelle

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"The Christmas tree is soooo much bigger than last year!" Jeffrey (pictured) sing-songed in five-year-old fashion, dancing around the beautifully wrapped gifts. He turned to me, his chocolate-brown eyes reflecting the tree's blinking lights. "Isn't the tree much bigger and more beautiful than last year's, Mommy?"

"It is a much bigger tree than last year's tree," I agreed. At least that's what I'd been told. Christmas 1985 was not even a memory for me. I had undergone two spinal cord surgeries that year, and I didn't have any recollections of the holiday.

Read about the gift only a child could give.

Donna Lowich
Reeve Foundation Information Specialist


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While Willowbrook High School, located in Villa Park, Illinois, is no stranger to the usual fundraising bake sales, they took a different approach to raising money while helping one of their favorite teachers, Eastman Tiu (pictured here with his family). Tiu is commemorating, what he calls, his "half-life" -- an event that marks the day where has spent the same amount of time being able-bodied as he has spent using his wheelchair.

In 1991, Tiu was skiing when he was injured, now living with paralysis as a result. Tiu wanted to memorialize his half-life by donating to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. He wanted to do this because he and Christopher Reeve were injured around the same time and has always felt a connection with him.

Find out how his whole school gathered around him!

Amy Wilson
Reeve Foundation Intern

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In this study, a combination of chitosan guidance channels and transplanted neural stem/progenitor cells is reported to improve cell survival, although not enough to result in any "significant" improved functional recovery. But the investigators say that the results are promising and that these channels (chitosan is a naturally occurring substance in the shells of lobsters and shrimp) could one day be safely and effectively used to help guide regeneration in the spinal cord. Study author Charles Tator, MD, PhD is a principal investigator in the Reeve Foundation's North American Clinical Trials Network.

Learn more.

Susan P. Howley
Executive Vice President, Research

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I just left the mall not to long ago to do some more Christmas shopping. Still I am no where near done, and if you're not either, have a look at the Reeve Foundation's 2010 Holiday Gift Guide for People Living with Paralysis. I know we've told you a lot about it already, but that's just because it really is that amazing!

For that gamer in your life, there is the Ableware adaptive bowling ramp and the Enabling Devices Guitar Hero Controller (pictured at right). Both can be found on in the Kids section.

And then of course there is great fashion from Life Rolls On, Versa Access Wear, and IZ Adaptive Clothing.

And here's a fun product not on the gift guide, uDrink, pictured at left. One of the inventors is living with a spinal cord injury, so you know this has got to be a useful product! From the website: The uDrink is a simple but ingenious device that uses patent pending technology to empower the end user with the ability to hold and drink a beverage independently. The uDrink is an ideal solution for people with limited or no grip strength due to spinal cord injury, MS, cerebral palsy, stroke, arthritis or other disabilities.

Learn more about uDrink.

Happy shopping everyone!

Janelle

PS: Don't forget about the Reeve Foundation Care & Cure Holiday eCards. A gift that truely has meaning.

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The Class of 1975 from Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School celebrated their 35th reunion at Shackamaxon Country Club on November 13, 2010, and welcomed alumni friends from other classes. Multiple award-winning musician/composer, Marc Shaiman, class of 1977 also joined the party and provided some spontaneous musical sing-along entertainment.

Over 150 people attended, some traveling from overseas. Many of them made a weekend of it, meeting at The Tavern at the Stage House on Friday night, and then for brunch at the Crowne Plaza Clark Hotel on Sunday. It was a weekend full of fond memories, warm greetings, huge smiles, and a palpable, loving energy between all who attended.

Reunion guests celebrated their joy by raising funds for charity through a raffle of simple things donated by classmates – a rum cake, a gift basket, some music CDs, and the mum centerpieces.

The class is proud to announce the donation of $1975 to The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, based in Short Hills. This donation is made in honor of their classmate, Charlie Newman, who sustained a spinal cord injury in a Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School football game in 1973. Mr. Newman is the Director of the Union County Office for the Disabled, advocating for people with disabilities and connecting them with services. He is President of “New Jersey Connect”, which develops affordable, wheelchair-accessible housing; and he is also involved with many other organizations that support people with disabilities.

Their gift is also made in honor of Eric LeGrand, the Rutgers University football player who recently sustained a spinal cord injury during a Rutgers vs. Army football game. LeGrand is in rehabilitation at Kessler Institute in West Orange. The SPFHS Class of 1975 feels great empathy and connection to LeGrand, his family, and the greater Rutgers University families.

The class also donated $400 to Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School for their general fund, and a brick in the Alumni Walk at the high school.

Lisa Green

Find out about other ways you can get involved with the Reeve Foundation, too.

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The Reeve Foundation held its fourth Spinal Cord Symposium December 10-12, 2010 in Phoenix, AZ. It was historic because for the first time, scientists and clinicians from all four Reeve research programs were featured and early feedback suggests that everyone there felt the bench-to-bedside continuum of science was enriching and exciting. The first three symposia focused only on investigators holding Individual Research Grant awards; the Phoenix meeting also included members of the Reeve International Research Consortium and its North American Clinical Trials and NeuroRecovery Networks.

Pictured at right are the four speakers and session chair of Saturday morning's session on regeneration - Eun-Mi Hur, Moses Chao (chair), Michael Bastiani, Michael Fainzilber and Warren Allilain.

Read more!

And see photos from the Symposium.

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A new report from the Rick Hansen Foundation in Canada reveals large numbers of Canadians living with spinal cord injuries.

– There are 85,556 people living with spinal cord injury in Canada, the equivalent of the population of Red Deer, Alta.;

– The total includes 48,243 people with tetraplegia (impairment of the arms, trunk, legs and pelvic function) and 30,324 people with paraplegia (in which arm function is not impaired);

– There is an average of 4,259 new cases of spinal cord injury each year; – About half of all cases are due to traumatic injury – most sustained in motor vehicle collisions. The other leading cause is diseases such as ALS and cancer.

Click here for more statistics.

Take a look at a study conducted by the Reeve Foundation, One Degree of Separation: Paralysis and Spinal Cord Injury in the United States. The study revealed that nearly six million people are living with some form of paralysis; of those, 1.3 million are living with spinal cord injuries.

Read more.

Janelle

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The New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center wants you to join Patrick M. Tigue, Master of Public Policy for Community Catalyst, on a FREE webcast and live chat about the Affordable Care Act and People with Disabilities: Policy and Politics.

About the Webcast:

Community Catalyst is a national advocacy organization that has been giving consumers a voice in health care reform for more than a decade. This organization provides leadership and support to state and local consumer organizations, policymakers, and foundations that are working to guarantee access to high-quality, affordable health care and health coverage for everyone.

Community Catalyst's contributions enable consumer groups to provide leadership in the hard work of transforming the U.S. health care system. Since 1997, in states and communities across the country, it has been a catalyst for collaboration, innovation, and action in health care. For more information, visit www.communitycatalyst.org.

During this presentation, Mr. Tigue will provide attendees with a review of the basic structure of the national health reform law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn about policy implications of several provisions of the ACA that are particularly relevant to people with disabilities. Finally, attendees will learn about how the current political landscape will likely affect implementation of the ACA’s provisions going forward.

Click here to register now. Don't miss out!


UPDATE: The Stepping Forward Staying Informed Evening Lecture Series scheduled for this Wednesday January 12th has been rescheduled due to the forecasted snow storm in the northeast. “The Affordable Care Act and People with Disabilities: Policy and Politics” lecture will be held on Monday, March 14, 2011. (Please note, the March lecture will be held on a Monday instead of a Wednesday.)

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