Articles en-us http://www.thescizone.com/news N/A http://www.thescizone.com/news michael@thescizone.com 20 http://www.thescizone.com/news/articles/1584/1/One-mans-quest-to-walk-again/Page-1.html After John Pou was paralyzed, he embarked on an arduous path of rehabIt was only a chair, but it had become his purgatory. Each day that John Pou spent in the wheelchair, his spirit seemed to die a little more. It was a perpetual reminder of the calamity that had brought him and Marci, even the kids, to this place. The chair stood for all that was lost: A promising career, a vigorous life spent fishing the lakes of North Carolina, future plans conjured when things were perfect — plans that seemed impossible now. michael@thescizone.com (Michael Feger) Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.thescizone.com/news/articles/1585/1/Surfer-girl-finds-out-how-fragile-life-really-is/Page-1.html Devyn Bisson, 15, suffers a spinal cord injury, gears up the courage to surf again.BEACH She doesn't remember the man's name or much more about him. Just that he approached her and asked for donations as she worked at Becker Surfboards.And how that changed everything. michael@thescizone.com (Michael Feger) Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.thescizone.com/news/articles/1583/1/Motorsports-Legends-Richard-and-Kyle-Petty-Make-Pit-Stop-to-Meet-Paralyzed-Veterans-at-Richmond-VA-Hospital/1.html Richard and Kyle Petty, in advance of the Crown Royal Presents Dan Lowry 400, May 3 at the Richmond (VA) International Raceway, will drop by to meet paralyzed veterans at Richmond’s Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center on May 1, 2008. The legendary duo will visit with seriously wounded troops and meet leaders and members of Paralyzed Veterans of America (Paralyzed Veterans) Virginia Mid-Atlantic Chapter. The Pettys are longtime supporters of Paralyzed Veterans’ work to ensure that those who have served and sacrificed have everything they need to thrive. michael@thescizone.com (Michael Feger) Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.thescizone.com/news/articles/1582/1/The-Quest-for-a-Cure-Paving-the-Way-in-Paraplegic-Research/1.html World's Leading Spinal Cord Scientists Meet in Salzburg, AustriaThe foremost spinal cord injury researchers from the U.S. and around the globe will meet in Salzburg's Hangar 7 this April 28-May 2 for a scientific symposium hosted by Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation. Twenty-six of the world's most renowned neuroscientists, including 13 U.S. scholars, will be discussing such topics as an injured spinal cord's ability to regenerate and the potential treatments for paraplegia. michael@thescizone.com (Michael Feger) Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.thescizone.com/news/articles/1580/1/Spinal-cord-injury-research-hampered-by-animal-models/1.html Scientists say difficulty lies in extrapolating animal data to humansResearch on traumatic spinal cord injuries is hampered by a reliance on animal experiments that don’t accurately predict human outcomes, says a new study in the upcoming edition of the peer-reviewed journal Reviews in the Neurosciences. The review was written by scientists with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. “Despite decades of animal experiments, we still don’t have a drug to cure spinal cord injury in humans,” says Aysha Akhtar, a neurologist with PCRM and the lead author. michael@thescizone.com (Michael Feger) Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.thescizone.com/news/articles/1579/1/New-stem-cell-therapy-for-spinal-injuries/1.html Namita's life came to a standstill the day she suffered a spinal cord injury 16 years ago. Bound to a wheelchair all these years, she felt life was passing her by. Namita, who loved the outdoors, couldn't even move without help. But what embarrassed her most was her loss of bowel and bladder control. Depressed, she had almost become a recluse. Then life changed suddenly again after she went for a new stem cell therapy. It worked wonders — she has regained some movement of her legs; she can take a few steps with the help of a walker and has even regained control over her bladder. Harsha, a Bangalore-based paraplegic, too has reason to smile these days. He had got used to life in a wheelchair for years. But a mesenchymal stem cell transplant in his spinal chord has given him some hope. Harsha can now move his limbs a little, and that's given him a new lease of hope. michael@thescizone.com (Michael Feger) Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.thescizone.com/news/articles/1578/1/Show-support-for-Wheels-in-Motion/1.html A team of volunteers in Surrey is preparing to organize the sixth annual Rick Hansen Wheels In Motion, presented by Scotiabank and taking place on Sunday, June 8. The Surrey Event Committee, chaired by Stan Leyenhorst and Tara Cleave, is asking the local community to show their support by joining the local event committee. “Last year’s event was an unbelievable success and we want to build on that success this year by getting as many people involved as possible,” said Cleave. michael@thescizone.com (Michael Feger) Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.thescizone.com/news/articles/1577/1/New-clinic-opens-at-the-Temple-VA-hospital/1.html Military veterans with spinal cord injuries have a new place to get the specialized help they need in Central Texas. The VA Hospital in Temple opened a new clinic Monday morning. More and more veterans are finding the care they need at the VA Hospital in Temple. michael@thescizone.com (Michael Feger) Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.thescizone.com/news/articles/1575/1/Spinal-cord-injury-victims-get-support/1.html Lena Schoemaker has always been an athlete. She played varsity basketball and softball and ran cross country at West High. A big part of her life was being active. But a car accident in 2006 nearly took that all away from her. She suffered a lacerated kidney and a collapsed lung and - most life-altering of all - she was left paralyzed from the chest down.  michael@thescizone.com (Michael Feger) Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.thescizone.com/news/articles/1573/1/Fil-Am-is-most-severely-wounded-Iraq-veteran/1.html The most severely wounded and disabled US soldier to return home from Iraq is a Filipino-American by the name of Joseph “Jay” Briseno Jr. Shot in 2003 in the back of the neck at pointblank range that severed his spinal cord and left him quadriplegic and blind, Jay now lives with his parents and siblings in Virginia and requires full-time, around-the-clock care.In an article by news editor Edmund Silvestre published in the Filipino Reporter, Jay’s father Joseph Sr., a retired US Army sergeant, describes the extent of his son’s injuries and needs: “Aside from spinal cord and brain injuries, Jay also suffered two cardiac arrests and has been attached to a life support… doctors told us that he would die, that it’s impossible for him to survive his injuries and that it’s best for all of us if he were to die.” michael@thescizone.com (Michael Feger) Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400