Did you know that September is Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month? I know I am a tiny bit late, but better late than never, right? I actually didn’t know that September was Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month until I stumbled upon an article that TEAM speech therapist, Tabitha Mayberry, shared on Facebook. It was an article in the in the Huffington Post about living life with paralysis.
Since the fabulous Ms. Tabitha Mayberry shared the article that informed me of SCI Awareness Month, I decided to ask her to share a bit of her story on living life with paralysis. (Cool tidbit of information: Tabitha is the reigning Ms. Wheelchair Arkansas. You can read more from my Ms. Wheelchair Arkansas Q&A interview with her here.)
Tabitha’s Story
I was 21 years old when I sustained a spinal cord injury in a car accident. When I was first injured, I fought diligently for the longest time to walk, mostly to satisfy my family. I attended regularly scheduled therapy sessions. After approximately 18 months, however, my insurance company decided to cease payment for therapy. Despite the progress I had made, it was not enough to warrant continued services, according to the insurance company.
I shared with my rugby coach my desire to use an AutoAmbulator. This is a treadmill device to help patients train to walk and learn gait patterns. It was not available in Arkansas at the time. Some dear friends of mine, including my college rugby coach, decided to make their very own version of the AutoAmbulator. They completed the task with an old treadmill, a harness, some 2x4s and their own strength. For an hour every day throughout the entire summer, we would gather in my rugby coach’s garage where they hooked me up to a harness and took turns moving my legs for me while we laughed, sang, and truly enjoyed each other’s company. However, once the summer was complete and my right leg consistently began to swell, we had to make the tough decision to stop.
Tabitha joined by other contestants at the Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant (August 2016).
In order to make an attempt at receiving additional therapies, I decided to try KAFO (knee, ankle, foot orthotic) braces. This allowed me to receive 6 more months of treatment. Anything to continue therapy. I set a goal to walk across the stage at graduation to receive my Bachelor’s Degree. I completed the goal and obtained a standing ovation during the ceremony. It was one of the proudest moments of my life. It was a moment in my life that changed me – a moment when I realized we can accomplish anything we set our minds and hearts to do. After that moment, therapy was no longer an option. I made the decision to stop focusing on the desire to walk again, and instead, focus on living. Really living.
You see, my spinal cord injury may have been an accident, but I am much stronger now. I am grateful for the human I am today. I have become a firm believer that things in life happen for a reason. A reason we may never know, but a reason nonetheless.
In Guatemala with TEAM OT Jordan Pfeifer, Mama Carmen and TEAM PT Eric Pate
Since my injury, I have sky-dived from an airplane, been to the beach several times, become a Speech-Language Pathologist, purchased a home, attended professional rugby matches, attended many concerts, traveled to Guatamala to serve orphans with disabilities (through TEAMworks), survived a second back surgery, and much, much more. These things I could never have imagined when I first woke up in that hospital bed on June 6, 2005. And for that, I am extremely proud of myself. I can only hope to inspire others around me and to let them know that limits do not exist.
Want more information on truly living life with a spinal cord injury? Check out our links below a few statistics on Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) in the United States, obtained from the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center. All of these numbers are listed as “approximate.”
- 17,000 individuals sustain a new spinal cord injury in the US each year
- 282,000 people in the US currently living with a SCI
- Males account for 80% of new SCI cases each year
- 38% of new injuries are caused by car accidents, while an additional 30% of new injuries are the result of falls
An Interview with Ms. Wheelchair Arkansas!, Children’s Therapy TEAM Blog, May 2016
The Precious Commodity of Time: Taking a Second Look at the Effects of Paralysis,The Huffington Post, November 9, 2014
Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Facts and Figures at a Glance, National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, accessed September, 2016
United Spinal Association, accessed September, 2016
Melissa Foster is the leading contributor to Children’s Therapy TEAM’s Weekly Blog. She is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist with over a decade of experience in the field. An active public advocate in the NWA community, Melissa addresses topics related to Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder and general health and child development.
_____________________________________________________________
Children’s Therapy TEAM believes that every child who may benefit from therapy should be able to access it… PERIOD. We feel strongly about it. That’s why we offer financial assistance to families at every income level, even those with insurance, if the cost of treatment creates a hardship. Therapy may even be provided at no charge, depending on a family’s level of need. Please don’t hesitate to contact our Family Support TEAM to learn more about options. Every child deserves the best we can give!