THE DERBY CITY NSCIA NEWSLETTER

Message From the President

Dear Members & Friends-

We will have our annual Christmas party this month at Highland Court Apartments, [map] in lieu of our regular meeting. See announcement below for details. Notice that the date is December 19th.

January’s meeting is at Frazier Institute, 220 Abraham Flexner Way, Louisville, Kentucky in the 10th floor dining room, at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments provided.

- David Allgood

Map and Directions

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THE DERBY CITY NSCIA NEWSLETTER

Derby City Area Chapter
of the
National Spinal Cord Injury
Association

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

The Derby City Area Chapter of the N.S.C.I.A. is a membership organization for individuals with spinal cord injuries, their families, and health professionals. Founded in 1984 as a Charter Member of the N.S.C.I.A., it was incorporated under IRS Section 501 (c) 3 as a not for profit organization. The Board of Directors consists of the Officers, Past President and the Board Members At Large.

***
OFFICERS

PRESIDENT
David Allgood - (502) 589-6620

VICE PRESIDENT
Adam Ford - (502) 425-2206

TREASURER
Tom Stokes- (502) 957-5865

LIAISON TO FRAZIER INSTITUTE
Jill Farmer

FUNDRAISING CHAIR
Betty Perry—(502) 647-0368

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY/WEB MASTER
Michael Feger- (502) 647-0368

PAST PRESIDENT
Adam Ford- (502) 425-2206

BOARD MEMBERS AT LARGE-

Mike Perry
Kelly Young

NSCIA
DERBY CITY CHAPTER
NEWSLETTER

Editor- Barbara Davis
Contributor- David Allgood

Visit Our Website at
www.DerbyCitySpinalCord.org

The Derby City Area Chapter Newsletter is brought to you through the generous support of Frazier Rehab Institute

FIRST STEPS, CONT’D

The researchers then tested numerous proteins and identified netrin-1 as the key molecule responsible for this migratory pattern of stem cells following brain or spinal cord injury. In the developing nervous system, netrin-1 acts as a repulsive or attractive signal, guiding nerve cells to their proper targets. In the adult spinal cord, the researchers found that netrin-1 specifically repairs stem cells away from the injury site, thereby preventing stem cells from replenishing nerve cells.

“When we block netrin-1 function, the adult stem cells remain at the injury site,” says Dr. Tim Kennedy, co-lead investigator and neuroscientist at the Montreal Neurological Institute of McGill University. “This is a critical first step towards understanding the molecular events needed to repair the injured spinal cord and provide us with new targets for potential therapies.”

This study was funded by the Craig H. Nelson Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO PEOPLE, PETS AND SERVICE ANIMALS
EVERYWHERE!!

THE DERBY CITY NSCIA NEWSLETTER

Refrigerator Calendar
*2007

DECEMBER

5th - Elderly & Disabled Advisory Council Meeting , 1:00; TARC; 1000 W. Broadway;
Mon Board Room.

3, 10, 17th Wheelchair Basketball Practice, Douglass Community Center, Louisville;
Every Mon 6:00-8:00p.m.; For more information contact Metro Parks Adapted Leisure Activities at 502-456-8148

4, 11, 18th Wheelchair Basketball Team Practice, Portland Community Center, Louisville;
Every Tues 6:30-8:30p.m For more information contact Jill Farmer at 502-582-761 or Metro Parks Adapted Leisure Activities at 502-456-8148

15th - Metro disAbility Coalition Meeting; 3:15 p.m.
Sat Urban County Government Center; Barrett Avenue; Louisville

17th - Rocky Horror Movie Party-7:00p.m.-9:00p.m.; Douglass Community Center,
Sat 2305 Douglass Blvd.; For more information contact Metro Parks Adapted
Leisure Activities at 502-456-8148

19th - Derby City Chapter Annual Christmas Party; 6:30 p.m. 220 Abraham Flexner Way; Mon Louisville; 10th Floor Dining Room.

JANUARY 2008

2nd - Elderly & Disabled Advisory Council Meeting
Mon 1:00; TARC; 1000 W. Broadway; Board Room.

7, 14, 21, 28th Wheelchair Basketball Practice, Douglass Community Center, Louisville;
Every Mon 6:00-8:00p.m.; For more information contact Metro Parks Adapted Leisure
Activities at 502-456-8148

8,15, 22, 29th Wheelchair Basketball Team Practice, Portland Community Center, Louisville;
Every Tues 6:30-8:30p.m For more information contact Jill Farmer at 502-582-761 or Metro Parks Adapted Leisure Activities at 502-456-8148

19th - Metro disAbility Coalition Meeting; 3:15 p.m.
Sat Urban County Government Center; Barrett Avenue; Louisville

21st- Derby City Chapter Annual Christmas Party; 6:30 p.m.
Mon 220 Abraham Flexner Way; Louisville; 10th Floor Dining Room.

For More Information Call
David Allgood, 502-589-6620

THE DERBY CITY NSCIA NEWSLETTER

SOME DON’T LET INJURIES KEEP THEM FROM TAKING GIANT STEPS

Persistence, diligence and hard work are making great strides at Project Walk in Beaverton.

The nonprofit recovery center is helping people with devastating spinal cord injuries gain greater independence, improve their health and regain control of movements in their body.

“I’m a lot stronger and a lot more independent,” said Kip Johnson, who participates in an intense exercise-based recovery program offered by the team at Project Walk. “I keep pushing forward and the improvements come little by little every week.”

The 22-year-old college student injured his C5-6 vertebrae in a skiing accident four years ago when he crashed and slid into a tree. A year after his injury, he began training sessions with Project Walk’s international center in Carlsbad, Calif.

When the Beaverton center opened its doors in June 2006 at 9923 S.W. Arctic Drive, Johnson was one of its first clients.

Since then, he has served as ambassador for the program, reaching out to hope to others healing from similar spinal cord injuries at Legacy Emmanuel Children’s Hospital in Portland.

“I try to let people know that life isn’t over,” Johnson said. “There is still a lot of stuff they can do. Even though they are in a chair now, it is not the end.”

Clients at Project Walk are proving that spinal cord injuries do not always mean a life in a wheelchair and that recovery is possible, said Nat Willis, facility business manager at the Beaverton center.

Many of our clients are told that they won’t heal below the injury site, but we are seeing gains in function,” he said. “Where we’ve seen the biggest gains is when clients come to us right after they leave the hospital.

“We’ve found that our clients have greater independence, less reliance on medication, better overall health and increased bone
Density, muscle mass and circulation.”

They are also less susceptible to bladder infections, pressure sores and other ailments.
Clients work one-on-one with a recovery specialist three times a week at the Beaverton center. For two to three hours clients are out of their wheelchairs and working every muscle of their body.

“Each workout is specifically designed for our clients with their strengths and weaknesses in mind,” said Jerod Warf, lead certified spinal cord injury recovery specialist. “We try to bridge the gap between what they have and what they want.”

Project Walk specialists follow the Dardzinski Method, working with clients through five phases of recovery. In every workout, trainees focus on stimulating the central nervous system

From the Internet –ed
GRANT RECIPIENT GETS NEW WHEELCHAIR
By Sara Buscher

Jeremy Shortsleeve has put a lot of miles on the wheelchair he has used since he was injured in a motorcycle accident in June 2005.
It’s banged up from being broken down, dragged across the concrete and put into the car daily as Shortsleeve travels to work, graduate school and physical therapy appointments, he said. It’s also heavy.
“A wheelchair is just like a car. If it breaks or you pop a tire, you’re out of luck,” Shortsleeve said.

Though his insurance policy would cover a portion of the cost of another chair, it would also limit his options, Shortsleeve said. When he heard about the Travis Roy Foundation for spinal cord injury survivors, he applied for a grant to buy a new chair, and got one.

Established in honor of Travis Roy, who suffered a paralyzing injury while playing hockey at Boston University, the nonprofit has distributed more that $1.3 million in grants to individuals and to research projects and to rehabilitation institutions across North America since 1997. The money has been used to modify vans and to purchase wheelchairs, computers, ramps, shower chairs, and other adaptive equipment to help paraplegics and quadriplegics.

Thanks to a $4, 124 grant from the foundation, Shortsleeve expects to receive a new, lightweight chair this week.

The motorcycle accident that changed Shortsleeve’s life occurred just before 7 a.m. June 30, 2005.

“I knew it was bad, seeing my parents as I was going into surgery. I knew even when I was in the road. There was nothing: I couldn’t feel anything,” he said. Shortsleeve suffered an incomplete fracture of an L-1 vertebra in his

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THE DERBY CITY NSCIA NEWSLETTER

WHEELCHAIR GRANT, CONT’D

Lower back, which left him paralyzed from the waist down.

Following two weeks in intensive care, he underwent acute physical therapy from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day for two months.

“That’s the time things start to come back, if they come back,” he said. “The physical therapists are doing everything they can—stretches, showing me how to transfer from my seat to my wheelchair.”

Shortsleeve regained some sensation in his lower body. “But nobody would really tell me, ‘You know, you’re going to be in it a while.’”
He understands why.

After the accident, his sister moved from Virginia and bought a house in Vermont, which she outfitted to accommodate Shortsleeve in his wheelchair. A nurse, she scouted physical therapy options beyond the hospital. The two lived together until he bought his own condo.

He’s fortunate among those with spinal cord injuries, he said, because with full movement of his upper body he can take care of himself. He even plans to enter the Vermont City Marathon next year.

Since beginning physical therapy with the Rehab Gym in 2005, he’s increased the strength of his working muscles to the degree that with the aid of leg braces and crutches, he has started to walk.

For more information on grants from the Travis Roy Foundation, go to www.travisroyfoundation.org

HOLIDAY TRAVEL TIPS

Leave gifts unwrapped for security screenings.

If a flight is cancelled, call your travel agent or airline rather than going to the counter for a new reservation.

Newer, larger cruise ships are likely to have more accessibility features, but don’t rule out older, smaller cruise ships. Planning in advance can save money.

When packing for a cruise, consider extra hangers, removable wall hooks, and child-size shoe bags to hang on a closet door. This will free up storage space in the small cabin. The shoe bag is useful for storing such items as shampoo, soap, etc.

Regardless of the month you are traveling, near the ocean is cold. Bring layers of clothing in all seasons.

Some countries have restrictions on service animals. Check with your travel agent to be sure there are no problems in this regard.
Investigate where the closest animal hospital/vet is at your destination in the event your service animal becomes ill.

Check with your travel provider (bus, train, etc.) for their toll free assistance number for people with disabilities.

FOR SALE***

WC Lift; $7,000 new; only used 2 months; asking $3,000. Invacare Storm TDX 3 Power WC; full reclining; less that 1 year old; $12,000 new; asking $2,000. Quickie II manual chair; good cond.; $800. Call David 589-6620.

NC topper; used; 3 E&J Manual chairs; used; 1 Quicksilver Action manual chair; Monarch hand controls. 93,000 miles. Price negotiable. Call Ruth @ 239-9754 after 5 p.m.

*Shower Chair; 2 yrs old, negotiable; Invacare 900 Action Power Chair; 4 yrs. Old; $600. Call 448-5296.

*Cookbooks for Sale: Recipes compiled by Chapter members; $10:00. Call David @ 589-6620.

*Video tapes for sale. Various topics related to spinal cord injuries. Call David Allgood or Buddy Lawson.

***If assistance is needed to pay for any of the above items, contact Kentucky Assistive Technology Loan Corporation at 1-800-327-5287 for information on loans at 5% interest to qualified candidates.

DON'T FORGET ABOUT OUR SHIRTS!!

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
FOR MEMBERSHIP!

• Specialized activity based services for individuals with physical disabilities within the community.
• Opportunity to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle
• Accessible exercise equipment and programs to meet your physical needs and fitness goals
• Knowledgeable and trained staff to provide the necessary support to create successful outcomes

Multiple membership packages available*
Services may include: strength training, cardiovascular/aerobic
fitness, and locomotor/FES training

For more information or to request a membership application please contact:
Karey Kleinhenz or Jill Farmer
at Frazier Rehab Institute
(502) 582-7411 / (502) 582-7618

THE DERBY CITY NSCIA NEWSLETTER

You are cordially invited to join us!

The Derby City Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association
consists of people with spinal cord injuries and similar physical conditions, their family members, friends, and
professionals or other interested parties.

We meet:

WHEN- Third Monday of every month from 6:30 to 9:00 PM
WHERE- Frazier Rehab Center , 4th floor Dining Room
220 Abraham Flexner Way

If you wish to be a member, donor, and/or be on the mailing list of the Derby City Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association please complete and mail the following form to the address below