The Derby City Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association Network- Serving Kentuckiana.
Message From the President
Dear Members & Friends-
As of this writing, no speaker has been scheduled. If one is not available, a video will be shown. Pizza and soft drinks will be provided. Please note the meeting location change in the calendar. We are now meeting in the 10th floor dining room.
April's meeting will be held at 6:30 at Frazier Rehab, 10th floor dining room.
- David Allgood
VANCOUVER'S QUADRIPLEGIC MAYOR WITTILY OUTLINES CLOSING CERMONY ROLE By David Crary
A new star emerged Thursday at the Olympics: the quadriplegic mayor of the city that will host the 2010 Winter Games. Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan has used a wheelchair since he broke his neck in a skiing accident when he was 19. "Some have questioned the wisdom of Vancouver sending its worst skier to Torin," he said at a news conference where, with wit and charisma, he demonstrated how—despite minimal use of his hands—he will be on the receiving end of the traditional Olympic flag handover at Sunday's closing ceremonies. Addressing reporters in a large auditorium, Sullivan drove his motorized wheelchair from behind his speakers' table to the front of the stage to exhibit a custom-designed attachment with a metal cylinder to which International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge will insert the flag. Other mayors in the same role at past ceremonies have at that point proudly waved the giant flag; Sullivan plans to maneuver his wheelchair briskly enough so that the motion makes the flag flutter.
"The worst case scenario — the flag blows in my face and I fall off the edge of the stage," he said
But such a mishap seems unlikely. Sullivan confided the "top secret" information that he has spent many hours practicing his routine in Various Vancouver parking lots, often at odd hours and sometimes arousing the suspicions of neighbors. After a quick spin in his chair, with a practice flag pole attached, he advised reporters, "Don't try this at home." Sullivan was elected mayor in November after 12 years as a City Councilor. His term expires in 2009, but he could seek another term that would enable him to preside during the 2010 Games. Jokes aside, Sullivan made clear that this was a momentous personal occasion, as well as a milestone for the city. "Twenty-seven years ago I was lying paralyzed in a hospital bed. For many years I was on welfare and in social housing," he said. "I never, ever imagined I'd be able to represent my country, my province, and my city in this wonderful event."
From New Mobility.com, March 2006—ed. DEEP SNOW? NO PROBLEM
This winter's deep Pennsylvania snowfalls were not a problem for Paul Brigidi, 32, a quadriplegic from North Wales, Pa. He shoveled through the drifts using a wheelchair-attachable plow. "I said to my wife that I was going to put a plow on my wheelchair and she thought that I was absolutely crazy," Brigidi told an NBC-10 television reporter about his invention. "Now she helps to hitch the plow." Brigidi's wheelchair warranty may be void, but his driveway is always clear. "I've had people stop and just watch, and I've had people comment," said Brigidi. "My neighbors probably think I'm nuts."
