We are pleased to share this guest post with our readers:

I’m Megan. I was born on May 6, 1985. I’m 23 years old and I am so thankful that I can say that. I nearly died when I was 22.

It was November 26, 2007. It was the night before Thanksgiving. My partner Shannon & I had been going through a rough financial time, but finally got back on our feet. So we decided to ask off work to visit my family in Charlotte for two days. Originally we had planned on just the two of us going the night before and having a romantic dinner out and then spending the holiday with the family. However, we learned that my sister had just recently gotten back together with her husband and we thought it would be nice to include them in our dinner since we didn’t get to see much of each other.

This soon turned into a dinner of seven because my step brother and his friend decided to come along, and so did my sister’s husband’s friend. At first the dinner was all kinds of awkward, because half of us didn’t even know the others. But, it wasn’t anything a little alcohol couldn’t fix. Soon, we were all laughing and joking and having a great time. The fun didn’t stop after dinner. We were having so much fun we decided to go next door to the pool hall. The alcohol didn’t stop there either.

It was around 9:30pm and we had a designated driver to get safely back to my parent’s house. My sister’s kids were being babysat by her husband’s dad, so we figured why not squeeze just a little more fun in there? We went back to their house to do some more drinking. While hanging out in their garage, we caught eye of the ATV. We thought it would be a good idea to hop on and ride it around the neighborhood a few times.

Shannon got on the back with me once, but was too scared so she decided not to ride it. Something you should probably know about Shannon is that she is not a risk taker. She’s more like a maternal nurturing person. She likes to play it safe and make sure everything is always okay. This night, she decided not to nag me because she knew it had been a while since we’d gotten out like this with no worries and didn’t want to ruin my fun. She stayed in the garage and chatted with the guys while I rode the ATV with my sister. We pulled back into the garage and turned it off and were ready to leave, when my sister and I decided to take it out one more time.

I remember driving it down the street. I remember my sister yelling “Slow down, Megan! You’re going too fast!” I remember U-turning to go back to the house. What I don’t remember is the wreck. All I can tell you is what Shannon and my family have told me, and try to piece it all together.

Here’s what Shannon says happened:

“I was talking to the guys in the garage, when Megan’s step brother (our designated driver) asked, ‘Do you guys hear that? It sounds like Katie yelling.’ Of course, we didn’t hear it because we were all too drunk. About 5 minutes later, he said ‘I’m going to go find out what’s going on.’ Then Megan’s sister’s husband decided to go check things out because he wasn’t back yet. I was still chatting it up and was just waiting for them to pull into the garage when the husband comes running up to us. He tells his friend to lock up his house that we had to go to the hospital. They’d been in a wreck. I laughed it off. I really had only known this guy one night, and the whole night he’d been joking around, so I thought he was kidding. When his eyes told me a different story, I knew something had gone terribly wrong.

I leaned out of the garage and peeked down the street. All I could see were ambulance lights. I cannot describe the feeling that overcame my body. I kicked off my 4 inch heels in the yard and started running with everything I had. ‘Megan, Megan, Megan, Megan’ that’s all that came out of my mouth with every single step. It was like the world stopped and everything was just swirling around me. I passed the ATV which was up against a tree. They were about 30 yards away, one on each side of the ditch. Katie was screaming ‘Help Me! I can’t breath!’ There were about 10 neighbors all standing around.

Megan was on her back surrounded by EMT. I leaped down on the ground next to her. She was lifeless. Her eyes were open but there was nobody inside. ‘Mam, you need to step back.’ Was all I was told. Nobody to tell me everything was going to be alright. I was barefoot, alone, cold, and scared to death. My everything was about to be nothing. How could I be the last one to know what happened? I could have stopped this from happening if I would have just told her to get off. I could have helped her if I was there sooner. This is my fault. The ride to the hospital was the worst ride of my life. Following those flashing lights knowing she was inside and I couldn’t ride with her, was the absolute worse feeling. Getting to the hospital and not being able to see her, was horrible. One second we were laughing and talking and hugging, and the next second, she’s gone.

I saw her being removed from the ambulance and I noticed all of her clothes were off. They had taken off her clothes. I felt so violated for her because I did not know at the time the extent of the injury. The EMT told me she was scared and drunk and she’d probably be fine. I waited for her to walk out of the ER room and come give me a great big hug. This never happened. When I finally got to see her, she looked like a corpse. She was purple, not talking, not moving. Was she going to die? That’s when the trauma doctor told me what had happened during the wreck. Her T-8 & T-9 vertebrae were wedged together. Her spine had been smashed. I had no idea what this meant because I had never had to deal with anything like this before and had no knowledge on the subject. ‘What does that mean?’ I asked him. ‘Is she going to be okay?’ I waited for his reply. When he cocked his head and scrunched his face I knew it wasn’t good.

‘She’s going to have a long hard road ahead of her. She smashed her spinal cord. She has no feeling or movement from here down.’ He pointed above her belly button. I didn’t know how to take this. I was thankful she was alive but I didn’t know what that meant for our lives. I went two rooms down to check on her sister. I first heard she had one broken rib. Then I heard she had two broken ribs. I eventually came to find out she had eight broken ribs (all of them), a broken shoulder blade, broken collar bone, and collapsed lung, all on the right side of her body. She had 2 children to care for at home. How could this have happened? What are we going to do? I have to be back at work the day after tomorrow and so does Megan. What’s going to happen? I ended up calling my boss, and getting as much time off as I needed (which happened to be a month). I still to this day cannot thank my boss enough.

The first two nights she had to stay in ICU to be stabilized. I had to spend Thanksgiving day without her. How could I eat? How could I sleep? How could I be enjoying the holiday knowing what she was going through in the hospital? Of course, she had no idea because she was basically in a coma for about a week. I just couldn’t eat knowing she couldn’t. I moved the food around on my plate and that was about it. I don’t even think I could cry anymore. I had shed so many tears in such a short amount of time my body was exhausted. This did me no good either, because I couldn’t sleep. After she finally got her own room I didn’t leave her side. I stayed in that hospital room 24/7. Sure she may not have spoken a word, or looked at me, or held my hand, but I was going to be there when she came out of it.”

That’s what Shannon has told me from day one. About a week later when I did come to, I had already had back surgery. My surgeon said it looked like someone took a sledge hammer and smashed my spinal cord on a table. They did testing and confirmed I was an ASIA A Complete. For those of you that don’t know, that means that I had no feeling, no movement, and my spinal cord was so damaged I most likely would not get any of it back. I did not see this as depressing. I try to look at life as positive as possible. It’s almost as if I already knew what had happened to me before being told. The first words to come out of my mouth that I still say to this day are “I don’t need to walk to love.” (more…)

Q: What factors need to be considered with an acute spinal cord injury (SCI)?

A: For acute spinal cord trauma, stabilization is the first priority. After an injury, according to Jack de la Torre MD PhD, there are biochemical, metabolic and physiological issues that arise such as reduced blood flow to the spinal column, the formation of free radicals, sodium channel activation, inflammation and energy substrate depletion.

To address these issues de la Torre suggests the use of fructose 1,6-diphosphate combined with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as when combined, the two stabilize the SCI and provide a high-energy substrate to the damaged tissue. Dr. de la Torre is a professor of neurosurgery and physiology at the University of New Mexico Medical School in Albuquerque who has been one of the main advocates for the use of DMSO, a controversial drug that has many healing properties.

Anders Holtz with the Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital in Uppsala, Sweden emphasizes the need to consider secondary injuries that can result from surgery. He believes that the aim of surgery is to minimize neurological deterioration, stabilize and align the spinal cord, reduce pain and prevent secondary complications.

Immediately after a trauma to the spine, Holtz stresses the importance of monitoring the respiration system in order to time drug treatment so that the chosen medication is given at the most optimal time. In addition to the respiratory system playing an important role in medication administration, it also accounts for a high percentage of illnesses in SCI patients.

According to the Journal of Neuroscience Nursing in an article by Kathleen T. Lucke, “lung diseases and breathing complications cause significant illness in patients following spinal cord injuries. The mortality rate from pulmonary complications, such as pneumonia, lung collapse, respiratory failure, and infections, can be 40-80% in the first year after injury.”

As you can see, there are a variety of important factors that need to be addressed and closely monitored immediately and soon after a SCI. Awareness of the areas of special concern will help you to better understand what your doctor is focused on and why - not to mention that this knowledge will help you to determine if your doctor is competently approaching the treatment of the injury.

The majority of people who sustain SCIs will not have the medical knowledge to determine the best course of treatment, but even some awareness of the problems that can arise can add to you overall security that you are getting the best treatment available.

For further reading:
Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Review and Self-assessment, Julie K. Silver & Walter R. Frontera, pp. 346, 2003. Price £28.99. ISBN: 1-56053-563-6. Hanley & Belfus, Philadelphia

Pulmonary management following acute SCI. (spinal cord injury) Journal of Neuroscience Nursing; Apr 1, 1998; Lucke, Kathleen T.

The time following a spinal cord injury can be a confusing and difficult time, both physically and emotionally. This is the time during which the patient and his or her family will come to terms with what has happened, and will plan for the future. That’s why it’s helpful if both the survivor and his or her family have some general information about spinal cord injury.

Number of Americans With Spinal Cord Injury

About 11,000 Americans sustain a spinal cord injury each year, and nearly 200,000 Americans live with a long-term disability as a result of a spinal cord injury. About 52 percent of spinal cord injury survivors are considered paraplegic, while 47 percent are considered quadriplegic.

Males are more likely than females to experience spinal cord injury, and African Americans pose a higher risk than whites. According to the Center for Disease Control, more than half of the people who sustain spinal cord injuries are between the ages of 15 and 29.

Cost of Spinal Cord Injury

Only 52 percent of spinal cord injury survivors are covered by private health insurance at the time of injury. The first year expenses for a paraplegic are, on average, $152,000, while the first year expenses for a quadriplegic are $428,000. A paraplegic who is injured at the age of 25 can expect to spend $428,000 on care throughout the course of his or her lifetime, while a quadriplegic who is injured at the same age can expect to spend $1.35 million.

Life Expectancy of People with Spinal Cord Injury

Life expectancy of spinal cord injury survivors remains slightly below that of people without spinal cord injury. Mortality rates are highest the first year following the injury, and then decrease. Common secondary complications that cause death include renal failure, pneumonia, pulmonary emboli, and septicemia.

Anyone who experiences a traumatic brain or spinal cord injury is aware of how significantly his or her life can change within a matter of seconds. The two populations most at risk to sustain brain or spinal cord injuries are drivers and athletes. By being aware of certain information, both these groups can minimize their risk for brain and spinal cord injuries.

How Drivers Can Minimize Risk

There are several ways that drivers can minimize their risk of brain and spinal cord injury:
• Don’t multitask—turn off cell phones and put away anything that may distract you from the task at hand.
• Wear your safety belt.
• Drive defensively.
• Don’t drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• Do not drive when you are fatigued.

How Athletes Can Minimize Risk

There are several ways that athletes can minimize their risk of brain and spinal cord injury:
• Always protective gear that is appropriate to your sport, such as a helmet or padding.
• Be safety conscious, and don’t attempt high-risk stunts or tricks.
• Prepare yourself by knowing what to do should a brain or spinal cord injury occur.

Seek Medical Attention

All the care in the world can’t prevent every brain and spinal cord injury. If you suspect that you or someone you know has sustained a brain or spinal cord injury, seek medical attention immediately. Remember, brain and spinal cord injuries can be caused without any direct impact to the area of injury, and sometimes do not show symptoms for several days or weeks.

Last Friday night Houston Texas receiver Harry Williams sustained a spinal cord injury (SCI) during a game against the Dallas Cowboys leaving him temporarily paralyzed. Monday he underwent surgery to fuse two vertebrae in his spinal column, a procedure that will hopefully allow him to lead a normal life, but won’t put him back in the game.

Williams was only 26, an age that would have given him years more on the field had this accident not happened. An estimated 14 percent of SCIs are a direct result of a sports related injury. Considering that there is about ten thousand new SCIs a year, this is a fairly significant number.

Last year Kevin Everett with the Buffalo Bills football team was paralyzed during a game. He has since recovered his ability to move his arms and legs, but he will never play football again. His recovery from paralysis, along with Williams’, is a rare occurrence as most who experience paralysis stay paralyzed.

There are 31 pairs of nerves that spread out from the spinal cord into the arms, chest, legs and abdomen. The nerves that are in charge of upper body movement are in the upper portion of the spine, while the ones that control the legs are in the lower area. Not only are these nerves responsible for limb movement, they also control basic functions such as breathing and heart beat.

The National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research has reported that in 2006 there were 16 indirect deaths and only one fatality in football, and the death was caused by a SCI. In 2007 there were eight cervical cord injuries with incomplete recoveries. Six of these were at the high school level. The majority of the SCIs occurred in games with only two happening during practice.

Considering that in 2007 there were 1,800,000 football players, these statistics aren’t painting too bleak of a picture. While each injury or fatality is a reason for concern, innovative safety gear has greatly decreased the chance of experiencing an unrecoverable injury. We have neurosurgeons such as Richard C. Schneider to thank for the decrease in permanent spine and head injuries. He helped to develop the football helmets our players currently use which have directly influenced this decrease as documented in the National Football Head and Neck Injury Register.

As researchers come up with better and more intuitive protective gear, we will continue to see these traumatic injuries decrease. In the meantime, those who have had their lives irrevocably changed from a brain or spinal cord injury deserve our continued support.

Q: What spinal cord injuries occur most in sports?

A: There are two types of spinal cord related injuries that occur most frequently in sports. The first is called a stinger or burner and the second is transient quadreplegia. While they can happen in almost any sport, they are most commonly found in contact activities such as wresting, rugby and football.

Stingers are a painful nerve injury created by compression in the neck or shoulder area that creates a sharp stinging or burning sensation in an arm. Transient quadriplegia typically results from hyperextension of the neck coupled with cervical spinal stenosis or disc protrusion.

The aptly named stingers affect close to 50 percent of those in contact sports, while the more debilitating transient quadriplegia occurs in roughly 1.3 athletes out of 10,000. Overall, spinal cord injuries are decreasing as better equipment is created and worn.

“A steaming bathtub and a group of bathers will make their way down Nicollet Mall Tuesday for the launch of a Hennepin County Medical Center campaign to prevent traumatic brain injury.

The rolling shower scene is meant to draw attention to the number one cause of traumatic brain injury: falls. The tub will travel…accompanied by campaign workers in bathrobes and slippers.”

This news item in the downtownjournal caught our attention. What a great way to bring awareness to an important topic! It’s easy to imagine the number of people who will notice this spectacle - people who may never have given traumatic brain injury (TBI) a second thought.

I think this highlights the importance of creativity when trying to create public awareness of TBI and spinal cord injuries (SCI). There is so much information thrown at us these days that its hard to sift through it and still hear the important messages. Perhaps we need to think of more ways to create “rolling shower scene” type scenarios… just a thought!

Did you know that motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of spinal cord injuries in kids? Not surprising, an estimated 70 percent of these injuries happened to children who were not wearing seat belts.

Even a small impact, such as a minor rear-ending, can cause potential spinal cord damage. Here are some of the symptoms to look for:

Flaccid extremties

Paralysis

Numbness or paresthesias (sensations such as tingling or burning)

Paresis or weakness

Priaprism

Incontinence of bowel or bladder

Injuries to the spinal cord are difficult to discover in children, so it’s necessary to closely monitor for these signs as well as indicators of pain or poor reflexes.

While we can’t always prevent an injury, we can work to limit the damage by acting quickly after an accident.

Statistic on Paralysis

Paralysis affects about four to five million Americans. Here are some other interesting statistics on paralysis:

• As many as 400,000 Americans are living with spinal cord injuries.

• Most spinal cord injuries occur between the ages of 16 and 30, and about 82% of those who experience spinal cord injuries are male.

• The average age at which spinal cord injuries occur is 33.4 years

• The most frequent age at injury is 19.

• Motor vehicle accidents account for 44% of spinal cord injuries.

• Other leading causes of spinal cord injury include acts of violence (22%), falls (22%), and sports (8%). Two-thirds of the sports-related injuries are from diving.

• Falls are the leading cause of spinal cord injury after the age of 45.

From bones to muscles and even blood vessels, the more than 1,500 photos in the Bassett Collection are graphic and detailed and guaranteed to give you a new perspective on the way your body works.

The images are of dissected portions of the human body. While gross to many, this clear view of the ligaments, filaments, nerves and other portions of the body are appealing to the curious. With details like these, medical students are able to gain a better idea of how to help those with brain and spinal injuries as they note what goes where and why.

For the curious, and not the faint of heart, click here to see some stunning images of human anatomy.