Life in Action Membership Magazine — National Spinal Cord Injury Association

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Life in Action is the membership publication of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, a program of United Spinal Association.

Our mission is to empower Americans with spinal cord injuries and disorders.

Aging – As a Community

Ian Ruder, Editor, Life in Action

Whoever said, “Anyone can get old — all you have to do is live long enough,” clearly didn’t have a spinal cord injury. Between pressure sores, osteoporosis, muscle issues and social obstacles, simply living long enough to get old in a chair can be akin to navigating a mine field on casters. In short, it’s difficult and not exactly accessible. Based on your feedback, it’s also one of the issues you most want to read about. Consider this month’s cover story a beginner’s guide to the subject, but far from the final word.
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This Edition
Youth & Aging Ray Brown laughs when he thinks about how his doctors gave him a five- to seven-year life expectancy when he broke his T9-10 vertebrae. Sixty-one years later, Brown is still rolling all around South Carolina. On a more somber note, Brown is quick to add that most of the people with SCI he grew up with didn’t make it through that five- to seven-year window….		Dating/Relating: Meeting People Taking the plunge from the single wheeling lifestyle into the dating world takes guts. It’s never easy putting yourself out there, especially in a chair, but the chance of it paying off is worth the adrenaline rush. So, if you’re on the hunt to meet a new person, where do you roll and how do you do it?…
Family Matters: Our Story (And We’re Sticking to It) I’ve only dropped Darren three times since we’ve been married. That’s an average of once per year. That’s not bad considering I’m 5-foot-4 (well, almost) and he’s just over 6-2 and weighs about 90 pounds more than I do. Lucky for me, he thinks it’s a part of my charm….		Wired People: Taking Neurotech Devices Home In the last issue, we reported that functional electrical stimulation is becoming more sophisticated and widespread. As promised, here is a follow-up with a few users of next-gen FES….