Daily Dose

From Doctor to NRN Patient

gerthro — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:00:00 GMT

When Stanley Yoo, 31, landed on his neck while warming up on a trampoline before an adult gymnastics class, he knew all too well what had really happened. At that time, Yoo was a resident doctor in Temple University's Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation program (PM&R) in Philadelphia, PA. PM&R provides evaluation and comprehensive treatment for patients with physical impairments.His comeback will inspire you. Read about Stanley here.He is pictured here with fellow Temple...(read more)

EyeWriter lets artist create with their eyes

gerthro — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:45:00 GMT

I've mentioned the EyeWriter here before. It's an eye-tracking apparatus and custom software that allows artists with paralysis to draw using only their eyes. I bring it up now because it just won the first FutureEverything Award, a £10,000 prize set up by FutureEverything to celebrate the creative imagination that will shape our future.The EyeWriter was chosen as winner following an online vote by a world-wide community of FutureEverything artists and participants from the past 15 years. The EyeWriter...(read more)

A magical way to move kids

gerthro — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:21:00 GMT

Tel Aviv University researcher is teaching kids with physical disabilities magic tricks as a way to get them to do their hand therapy exercises. "Children with motor disorders like hemiplegia -- or paralysis on one side of the body -- perform routine exercises with their hands and wrists to be able to carry out basic functions such as opening a door, doing up their zipper, or closing buttons," explains Dr. Dido Green, an occupational therapist with a masters degree in clinical neuroscience...(read more)

Schwarzenegger appoints paralyzed lawyer

gerthro — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:10:00 GMT

California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed paralyzed lawyer to Health Care Services post. Sara Granda, the UC Davis law school graduate living with paralysis drew national attention last year when State Bar officials nearly prevented her from taking the exam.Read more.Rob Fan the Reeve Foundation. Follow the Reeve Foundation. Subscribe to the Reeve Foundation on YouTube. Join our Reeve Foundation Paralysis Community....(read more)

Zack's not letting his injury keep him from acting (He's going to be on Glee!)

gerthro — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:39:00 GMT

My name is Zack Weinstein. I'm going to be on the TV show Glee this season.(Photo of Zack by Brad Buckman.) Ever since I was four years old, whenever anyone asked me the standard "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I would always answer definitively: "An actor!" I'm not sure what it was specifically at that age that made me want to be an actor. My favorite movies were The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, and ET. (It took me a few tries to get through ET; as soon as he turned white I lost it.)...(read more)

Follow the Paralympic Games this week

gerthro — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:13:00 GMT

The 2010 Vancouver Paralympic Games go on through Sunday. BlazeSports Worldwide is on the ground covering it for you. Check out their wonderful blog (where the above photo came from) and follow them on Twitter.You'll get unique event commentaries and perspectives, interesting interviews, photos and behind the scenes activities. BlazeSports is all about advancing the lives of children and adults with physical disability through sport, healthy lifestyles, and the prevention of chronic health conditions....(read more)

Running lawyer tackles 2 for Team Reeve

gerthro — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:56:00 GMT

Manchester, NH lawyer Ron Abramson will join three other Team Reeve members attempting to run two full marathons on opposite coasts within six days to raise funds for the Foundation.As part of the “Boston 2 Big Sur” challenge, Abramson will tackle the historic Boston Marathon course on April 19 before traveling to Monterey, California for the Big Sur International Marathon on April 25. "At its essence, distance running is about celebrating freedom of movement, so it seems natural to run on behalf...(read more)

Two Friends. Two Injuries. One Mission.

gerthro — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:24:00 GMT

Having been classmates and friends since the 1980s, Danny Heumann and Alan T. Brown share a unique story that has now brought them together again as members of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Board of Directors. Danny was paralyzed at 18-years-old in August 1985 in a car accident. In January 1988, Alan became paralyzed, at the age of 20, as a result of a swimming accident. The photo of the two of them is from their high school yearbook.Read the rest of their unique journey.Rob Fan...(read more)

Remembering Dana Reeve on her birthday

gerthro — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:46:00 GMT

Dana Reeve would have been 49 today (March 17th). There are a lot of folks still here at the Foundation that worked with her, and I mean worked. She envisioned and implemented what is our Quality of Life program, born out of her first hand knowledge of how tough it is to care for a loved one living with paralysis."Sweet Dana, was such a caring, beautiful, funny, smart, and passionate woman," says Donna Valente, who runs our Quality of Life program and worked closely with Dana. "We used to spend...(read more)

Dancer back on her feet

gerthro — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:27:00 GMT

We wrote a story awhile back about a young lady, Nicole Marquez (pictured), who was in New York City following her dream of becoming a professional dancer, when she was paralyzed from a fall. Read that story, You Can't Stop This Dancer, here.We see now that Nicole is choreographing and will perform in her hometown of Madison, Mississippi. One segment features the views of both a military wife and her husband about their hope as he served in the Mideast. Another focuses on a woman whose husband was...(read more)

Dr. Dan is in the community today

gerthro — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:27:00 GMT

Dr. Dan Gottlieb is in our community every Tuesday offering his advice as a family psychologist and answering questions. He also has a new book coming out: The Wisdom of Sam: Observations on Life from an Uncommon Child. I was lucky enough to get an advance copy. I can't tell you how inspirational and motivational this book is. It is a collection of observations and life lessons that I just could not put down. I would finish a chapter and think, Oh just one more. And stayed up half the night reading!Dan's...(read more)

Don't miss the Paralympics

gerthro — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:29:00 GMT

It's still early, but in sledge hockey at the Vancouver Paralympics, it is looking like a USA - Canada final. That would be fun. Canada and the USA are also on top of the wheelchair curling standings. Our new friend and only woman on the US curling team, Jacqui Kapinowski, sent us this photo yesterday. See more like this here.Keep up with everything paralympic here including video and live feeds of the events.Find out how to get into winter sports including skiing here (which there is also video...(read more)

Embryonic stem cell research stalled

gerthro — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:26:00 GMT

This from Monday's Washington Post: One year after President Obama announced he was lifting his predecessor's controversial restrictions on federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research, some scientists are complaining that so far the new policy is -- ironically -- more of a burden than a boon to their work.Read the rest. Fan the Reeve Foundation. Follow the Reeve Foundation. Subscribe to the Reeve Foundation on YouTube. Join our Reeve Foundation Paralysis Community...(read more)

We are hitting the road!

gerthro — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:06:00 GMT

Thursday, March 18th, the Foundation is hosting an evening with our President and CEO Peter Wilderotter and Executive Vice President of Research, Susan Howley. Ms. Howley is nationally recognized for her leadership in the field of spinal cord research for the last 25 years. We will be sharing information about the foundation's programs, including updates on recent progress in spinal cord research, news about the Reeve Foundation's plans in Florida, and the activities of the Brooks Adaptive...(read more)

News on the underlying mechanisms of spasticity

gerthro — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:36:00 GMT

A recent paper in the journal Nature Medicine sheds some important new light on the underlying mechanisms of spasticity that often develops after a spinal cord injury. Involuntary contractions of muscles, or spasticity, can have potentially serious consequences, and although medications are available that reduce spasticity, they can also interfere with positive motor functions or rehabilitation. Although spasticity represents an involuntary movement of muscle, the muscular activity originates...(read more)