Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month

As September comes near, United Spinal Association is getting ready to mark National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month.  Each year, they come together to celebrate the SCI community and to educate the general public on the challenges of living with a spinal cord injury. Despite living with SCI, they have confidence in a productive, full, rewarding life is within the grasp of those with the power to believe it and the courage to make it happen.

According to the latest figures from the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, located at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, “there are approximately 296,000 Americans living with spinal cord injuries.  Approximately 17,900 Americans will experience a spinal cord injury in 2021”. The average age at injury has increased from 29 years in 1970s to 43 years currently. About 78% of new SCI cases are male.

Life after a spinal cord injury (SCI) can be tough.  Having to deal with the change of being able to move and feel everything to not, is the most frustrating, challenging, and difficult part of a SCI.  I’ve learned over the years how to cope with my spinal cord injury and the different abilities that I can do.  I’m lucky to be so positive about my situation; there aren’t always people that.  The reason I choose to be, is because I couldn’t imagine going through life being mad or sad about what happened.  I choose to deal with it the best that I can for my own sanity.

As hard as it is I know that by working through the challenges and overcoming each obstacle that comes my way is another victory towards a better quality of life for me.  If I can keep that momentum going and those thoughts in my mind, I know for fact I can accomplish anything.  My goal is to teach what I’ve learned to others; to share my story so that maybe I can hel also like someone threw neck down. P those in need of a little inspiration in their life to keep going no matter what comes their way.  

One thing that helps me along with others is the different organizations working to improve the quality of life of people with SCI’s.  They also want to help show others what life is like with a SCI so that people can understand a little bit more about what one goes through when they suffer an injury like mine. I’m glad that there are organizations out there working to improve the quality of life of people with spinal cord injuries. United Spinal helps thousands of people overcome the daily challenges of living with an SCI each year. 

You can show your support for their community and mission by raising awareness, as they celebrate SCI Awareness Month. In order to educate the public on issues that affect people with SCI’s, they pull all their resources together. “United Spinal asks their supporters to share throughout September to help educate the general public on spinal cord injury and spread awareness to the community. If you share any of the content below on your social media networks, use hashtags #UnitedSpinal #WeRollUnited #SCIAwareness.”

Jenni

Poems and Quotes

Whether you’re looking for poems about life to celebrate a loved one or for yourself for inspiration, you’ll find that each one is unique and has a different meaning. They may be short, unique, strong and powerful or long, impactful, meaningful and courageous. Narrative poems may tell a story or simply paint a picture. Motivational poems about life encourage us to take on a new perspective. Other poems about life may stop you in your tracks and cause you to think. 

There are also many quotes out there. They may be only a sentence or two, but just as influential as a poem. These are reasons why I like poems and quotes so much, especially after my accident. They have the power to change people’s minds about certain issues and situations in life. 

That brings me back to my favorite quote and what I always say about it: "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." This quote has two meanings for me. The first meaning is exactly how it’s stated. The second is a literal and more personal meaning. Life is not measured by the number of breaths I take, which happens to be 14 breathes a minute, but by the moment that took my breath away.

Jenni

Update

Things have been going great at ABLE. After only seven weeks of intense working out twice a week, I now can sit on the side of the mat unassisted and move myself side to side and back-and-forth (almost like a sit up, only not while laying down). Also, if someone pulls my right arm forward on my armrest, I can pull it back by myself. These are all new things that I couldn’t do before ABLE. I’m very excited with my progress along with newly gained strength and can’t wait to see I can do from here on out. I posted some videos below.

Since being in the hospital to try to find the source of my edema, I’ve lost over 20 pounds of fluid. I guess they were right about my seizure medication being the source of my water weight gain. I feel so much better, and people have been noticing a significant difference as well. There is more fluid that I could lose over time, and I believe ABLE will help with that.

At the beginning of this month, I went to the orthopedic surgeon to get both of my legs checked out. Since I injured my left knee in the middle of 2018, it healed up for about a year after wearing a knee brace but has been bothering me for the past year. At the beginning of 2019, I fractured my tibia on my right leg. A couple weeks ago while doing ABLE, I believe I reinjured my right leg somehow. I’m not sure which part is injured I just know that something is not right about it because my leg spasms and was bruised. It also won’t straighten out.

After getting to my appointment, I had to wait 50 minutes to see the doctor. I talked to him for roughly 15 minutes for him to tell me that in order to see what’s wrong, that I would have to get an MRI and x-rays on both legs. Exactly what I thought before going to my appointment. Then I waited 45 more minutes for my transportation driver to come bring me home. I thought it was a waste of time, but then again, he had to check it out in order to make his decision.

The soonest I could get an MRI was 19 August. I have a follow-up video appointment with the orthopedic surgeon the second week of September. I’ll post an update after I get the results and whatever action he wants to take going forward. I also have an appointment with my pulmonologist at the end of this month. It’s just one of the yearly visits I need, just like a checkup. I usually have them for most of my doctors, either yearly or every other year. I have so many doctors for every need that I can’t even count them.

My family has been doing good. My sister’s birthday is August 11 and oldest niece’s birthday is August 16; she will be eight years old. My other niece will be 1 years old in October. Oh, how quickly they age! Other family birthdays will be coming up in October as well, including mine. Also, I have been getting outside and taking Brody for walks as much as possible. Although the temperature these past couple of months have been in the 80s and 90s with high humidity, which makes it a little and comfortable.

Avery and Madilyn beginning of July

That’s all for this month’s updates. I will update more next month as things progress.

Jenni