New in the PRC Library…

The Able Life of Cody Jane. By Marly Cornell. Lightalight Publications, 2011 Read More

New in the PRC Library…

They Call Me Wheels. By Geoffrey E. Matesky. iUniverse, 2010. Read More

New in the PRC Library: The Paralympic Athlete. Edited by Yves C. Vanlandewijck and Walter R. Thompson. Wiley-Blackwell, 2011 Read More

Exercises For Stroke: The Complete Program for Rehabilitation through Movement, Balance, and Coordination by William Smith, M.S Foreword by Rick Pumill, M.D., F.A.C.C. Hatherleigh, 2010. Read More

It is not always easy to express the amount of respect, joy, love, or admiration you have for someone...especially someone you have never met, never will meet.

With this, I speak of Christopher Reeve. This Saturday, September 25, would have been his 59th birthday. I, as well as I hope many of you, will celebrate this day, not mourn it. Even after Christopher (and Dana) are no longer with us physically, there is no doubt they are here in other ways.

They are everywhere... How we can look at the impact of Christopher in the paralysis field, and not be moved is simply impossible.

So even though I am writing this birthday wish in honor of Christopher as someone who never knew him, I encourage you to read this letter from his oldest son, Matthew, someone who knew him quite well. Here's part of the letter:

Rather than allowing his injury to define him, my father redefined what was possible for people living with spinal cord injuries. And, with the generous help of caring friends like you, he energized an international search for treatments and cures for paralysis -- a search that, with your help, led to this remarkable breakthrough.

We are now closer than ever to realizing my father's dream of regained movement, recovered function, and new steps for individuals living with spinal cord injuries. And though he is not here to continue the journey with us, you and I keep his memory alive by carrying on the work he began. (Picture credit above: Ken Regan; Matthew, Christopher, and Alexandra 1996)


Read all of Matthew's letter here.

Happy Birthday Christopher. May we all celebrate your legacy!

Janelle

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I look up the definition of "power" and all the definitions I am finding don't really express the power of our Social Mediathon this past Tuesday. The theme of the first ever Reeve Foundation Social Mediathon was "The Power of We;" all of us coming together to empower the paralysis community to raise funds for our mission of "Today's Care. Tomorrow's Cure.

We raised over $4,000 and counting. But more than this tangible amount was the intangible evidence of everyone who supported us. This, to me, is "power."

So I thank everyone on behalf of the nearly 5.6 million Americans living with paralysis for their support, compassion, and selflessness to spread the message. (8-year-old Chase Ford, pictured, is walking again thanks to the Reeve Foundation's NeuroRecovery Network.)

My favorite quotation that we used in many of our posts was from Dana Reeve, "Giving back is the rent you pay for being on the planet." It is so simple, yet, well, powerful. While we are all on our Facebook and Twitter accounts several times daily, we gave back during the Social Mediathon to disperse our message into cyberspace, to donate, to support our work.

So one more time, I will say, thank you, because each and every one of you is ultimately THE POWER OF WE. YOU are part of this movement.

Janelle

PS: There's still time to donate. We are asking to donate $1 for every year you have been fortunate enough to walk. Whether it was $5 or $500, you are helping us to carry on Christopher and Dana's legacy.


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We are just days away from the Reeve Foundation's first ever social mediathon happening on Tuesday (September 20) beginning at 8am.

That's right, I'll say it again so you can mark your calendars:
REEVE FOUNDATION SOCIAL MEDIATHON
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
8AM - 11:59 (EST) PM

Here's the plan people. Plain and simple. Via social media (mostly Twitter and Facebook) we are trying to raise awareness and donations for our mission of "Today's Care. Tomorrow's Cure." Sounds easy, right? It is, I promise. So now you're probably wondering, 'Well, that's easy enough, how can I help?' Great question!

1. First, click here: it outlines the social mediathon with all the basics you need to know.
2. Then, click here to donate ($1 for every year you've been walking) and help us kick this off!
3. Finally, be sure to post it on your own Facebook and Twitter pages, email your friends and family, spread the word!

THE POWER OF WE! That is what this is all about. Coming together via the power of cyberspace and the social media world. We are asking to let your fingers do the talking so that those living with paralysis may have the chance to start walking!

Are you in? Let's go!

Janelle
 

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On September 20, next Tuesday, the Reeve Foundation will be hosting their first ever Social Mediathon. We are letting your fingers do the talking so others may have the chance to start walking!

Via Facebook, Twitter, and all other forms of social media, this 16-hour event will consist of promoting our mission to raise funds for "Today's Care. Tomorrow's Cure." Messages posted and tweeted throughout the day will ask for donations to support the Reeve Foundation's efforts in honor of spinal cord injury awareness month.

The event, ongoing from 8 am to 11:59 pm EST is ultimately, the power of we.

Join us, our ambassadors (like Major League Soccer star Daniel Hernandez pictured at left,) friends (like Team Reeve athlete John Carson pictured at right,) and celebrities (stay tuned to find out who!) as we raise awareness among the social media crowd to the fact that we cannot support the research without donations and motivate social media followers to make a gift to help find cures.

We are asking people to give a dollar for every year that they have been walking.



We hope you'll join us!

Help get us started, donate now!

Janelle

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New in the PRC Library…

Superbug: The Fatal Menace of MRSA. By Maryn McKenna. Simon & Schuster, 2010

In Superbug, scientist and journalist, Maryn McKenna sounds a powerful alarm which may prove to be the crucial early warning needed in the hope of preventing an uncontrollable epidemic of the MRSA infection. MRSA, a drug-resistant staph infection, was originally thought to be limited to hospitals and clinics, infecting only those who were already ill or elderly. This caused doctors to dismiss it as a public health threat. In this compelling narrative, Ms. McKenna informs her readers that this is not the case. She documents the bacterium’s relentless advance from animals to humans; right through to the food chain. Pointing out that anyone can be infected at anytime, no matter how healthy they are. Medical professionals as well as patients would be wise to heed the lessons McKenna brings to light in this book.

Visit the Superbug website.

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

by Diane Bligh Reeve Foundation volunteer

Five thousand and growing!

The Reeve Foundation Library now has over 5,000 books and videos to loan out. The collection reached this milestone last week. We loan books and videos on paralysis for free for 30 days. We will mail items to your home and even send return postage so there is no cost to you. Please see our online catalog and our online order form.

The item that was cataloged as number 5,000 was a book titled “Chiari Malformation: Causes, Tests and Treatments” by John Hewitt. CM is a rare condition characterized by structural defects in the part of the brain that controls the body’s balance and coordination. Parts of the brain may be displaced into the upper spinal canal, eventually leading to problems with the spinal cord.

Legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi once said, “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.”

When Lombardi said this years ago, I don’t think he knew he was directly speaking to Rutgers University football player Eric LeGrand.

By now, we all know this story of Eric. One bad hit on the gridiron changed his life forever on October 16, 2010. One-quarter of an inch, one second slower, one play later… it all could have been different. We know the “what ifs.” But we can’t dwell on them… and neither does Eric.

Eric and his mom visited the Reeve Foundation’s Short Hills, NJ office on Tuesday. Like any other 20-something-year-old, Eric is just living his life. The only difference? Eric smiles more than anyone else I have ever met (above.) Some might wonder what he has to smile about. I think his mom, Karen, said it best. (Eric, Karen, and Reeve Foundation staff, Alan Brown, Maggie Goldberg, and President & CEO Peter Wilderotter pictured below.)

When I asked her about this journey they have been on and what happens next, she simply said: “Oh we’re still on it. The sky’s the limit.”

I introduced myself to Eric as the office’s “resident football fan” (and then my coworkers chuckled and said ‘Fins up!’) So naturally, Eric’s story hit me more than most spinal cord injury cases I hear about. I questioned if I would ever be able to watch football the same again. No question, I’m still as big a fan as ever (just ask my boss… I’m debating which Dolphins game to fly out to Miami for this season!)

So when it comes to the pigskin and the turf, I wondered how Eric felt now. I asked him, “What would you tell the football world now?” Admittedly, I was expecting his answer to be on the cautious side, but just like with his contagious smile, he surprised me and said, “Play hard. Every single play. You never know when it’s your last.”

Ever since I was six-years-old, my idol has always been the legendary Miami Dolphins quarterback, Dan Marino. I met Marino when I was 16-years-old, was completely star-struck, and could barely utter two words. Standing in front of him, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

With Eric, I got that same feeling. (Eric and I pictured at right.) Except it was when I went home Tuesday night and replayed the meeting in my head. I have been following Eric’s story for months but being able to just chat with him and his mom for a few minutes gave me a sense of what Christopher advocated for, “Nothing is impossible.”

So many people look up to Christopher and Dana. So many people now look up to Eric. So who does Eric look up to? Ray Lewis, linebacker of the Baltimore Ravens, and Terrell Davis, former running back of the Denver Broncos.

What do all of these people have in common? They are leaders. To quote Lombardi one more time, “Leadership is based on a spiritual quality --- the power to inspire, the power to inspire others to follow.”

Thank you Eric, Karen, and the entire paralysis community for being leaders. Let’s all join together and stand up for those who can’t!

Look for Eric on ESPN Thursday at 3:15 (EST) as he stops by to talk about rehab and life after his injury. (Update: Here is the link to Eric's ESPN appearance.)

Janelle

Share your thoughts on Eric.

More from CBS Sports.
 

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No two success stories are alike -- except for one thing. Most of the individuals living with paralysis and spinal cord injuries that I have spoken to have said that walking isn't always the first thing they want back.

Do you agree?

The Reeve Foundation wants to know: As a person living with paralysis, what one function would you most like to regain?

We have set up an easy poll with 11 choices from you to chose from -- everything from bowel and bladder functions to spasticity and sexual functions.

So let us know!

Take the poll now!

Janelle


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New in the PRC Library…

Campy: The Two Lives of Roy Campanella by Neil Lanctot. Simon and Schuster, 2010.

In this book, historian Neil Lanctot, gives his readers a well researched, comprehensive biography of the two lives of Dodger great, Roy Campanella. ‘Campy’ was the first African-American catcher in the twentieth century in the major leagues. The author reveals that Campanella, and not Jackie Robinson, may well have been the first player to integrate baseball. Campanella was at the top of his game in the late 1940s and 1950s when the Dodgers consistently contended for pennants. However, his life changed dramatically on a rainy January night in 1958 when his car hit a utility pole and he was paralyzed below the neck. Lanctot gives us insight about how Campanella’s complicated personal life may have played a role in the accident. He goes on to give his readers a very detailed look at a courageous man whose second life after baseball would prove to be just as remarkable as his first.

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

by Diane Bligh
Reeve Foundation volunteer

New in the PCR Library.

Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him.
By Fmr. Capt. Luis Carlos Montalvan with Bret Witter. Hyperion, 2011.

Capt. Montalvan is a highly decorated, U.S. Army veteran who found returning home after his two tours of duty in Iraq to be very challenging.  He was plagued by pain from his physical wounds along with crippling post traumatic stress disorder.  He became depressed and began to cut himself off from those he loved.  It was only when he met Tuesday, a beautiful and sensitive service dog, that things started to turn around. 

Tuesday also faced some challenges in his life.  Although he performed his service to the disabled excellently, he was not able to connect with a human being until he was paired with Capt. Montalvan.  This is a touching story about how the two wounded warriors eventually healed each other. 

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

Diane Bligh
Reeve Foundation volunteer

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