Crawling (Video Update)

Crawling, forward and backward. 

Using Leg Braces to Cross the U.S.

Having used KAFOs (long leg braces) in everyday life for many hours and for many miles, I truly appreciate this article.  Joe Kals has used leg braces for many things, including climbing the Eiffel Tower and completing a seven-month walk across France.  He's now asking for support to accomplish a walk from New York to Los Angeles.

Still Valentine's Day

A Valentine's Day surprise for Sara Conchieri, who was injured in December 2017 and has been in recovery since then.  Her friend spread the word that she would like some encouraging cards - and the results are still coming!  This was a nice story to see.  Please don't forget to think of Sara as February moves on.

Hands and Knees (Video Update)

As mentioned a while ago, I recently came back to official physical therapy after a four-year gap.  With a spinal cord injury, it is all too common to be released from therapy and told to expect no more progress.  (On that note, another thank you to everyone who is helping with my uncommon return to active therapy!)

Lately I’ve had opportunity to work on balancing on my knees.  This week with therapists spotting I was able to go from hands and knees to elbows and knees to my stomach, and them from my stomach all the way to kneeling on my knees against a chair - without assistance.  If all of that sounds small, imagine what it means to accomplish it when you once had no motion or response below the waist, a spinal fusion, and doctors’ certainty that you would never have any movement in your legs again.

So to quote Sir Winston Churchill again:
“[N]ever give in, never give in, never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.”

Brain-to-Toe Connectivity

A headline worthy of more attention: "Half of spinal cord injury patients may still have some connectivity, Australian study finds."