Starting to figure out how to stand up without a walker. On a good day when I'm stretched out, I have the grace of an old man crawling out of the car after a cross country journey. Maybe that proves my point: I'm not behind physically, just ahead of my time. Anyways...Kinnavey and I have fun keeping it weird.

Let's call Christmas a state of mind and let me say a belated "Merry Christmas! and Happy New Year!". We missed our families and holiday blizzard travel but spent it instead at the peaceful and restorative Conlin cabin.  It snowed, days were merry, puzzles were fixed, life was good. 

end chapter.

Some Progress Updates

- Four years later, finally had the bright idea (and strong enough) to take the chest brace/table off my standing frame. Still braced at the knees, it makes it a whole new challenge to stay upright. My thing now is to stand up and do a 30 minute punching routine that works everything: arms, shoulders, core muscles, hips and lungs. Loosens my knotted back gets me in better walking shape. Running is the goal but these seemingly insignificant improvements keep me fired up to keep on fighting.

- A few weeks back my hip flexor suddenly began intensely contracting to the point I couldn't stand up anymore. Scary, but I like to use my brain before I throw myself at the doctors. MRI's, specialists, more appointments, PT and usually for what: to be given a list of exercises you could get off the internet and more followup appointments. Sometimes it's how it goes but I do anything to avoid it.

Wasn't hard to trace it to a lifestyle problem, was feeling the winter blah's and getting too used to the chair again. I say it a lot: "Things can always either get a little better or a little worse". Obviously it had gradually been getting worse. Literally spent an entire day on the floor stretching out and working it with a massage tool. It didn't correct itself overnight but I kept putting in the work and remained focused on a positive outcome. In relatively short time, it's back under control and it was a blessing in disguise, a chance to re-plot my course.

- Diet. Every ounce I put on my body is one more I've got to use my shoulders to lug around. The confines of a wheelchair are not conducive to weight loss and I work hard to keep it reasonable. I credit Kinnavey for being a stickler for organic produce and healthy meals, the slight extra cost investment does pay off. Monday is my light eating day and I limit myself to few bare essentials: supplements, granola, hemp oil, fruit protien shake, green tea, lentil soup, mixed salad and exercise. It's notable what just one day of cutting back can do and I'm very aware of the achievement of not ballooning up in the chair because it's not easy.

Food and supplements are entirely overlooked when it comes to SCI (life in general). I get the UW newsletter, scan over it, laugh and throw it away every month. It's so full of redundant, marginal information from "the experts". I can only assume that every affliction is as dumbed down and the point is that you are your own best doctor and advocate. Not that I blame them, hospitals are more about patient management than health/wellness centers. It takes time, research, experimentation and consistency but it's no accident I've thus far been able to avoid the typical ailments associated with wheelchair life. Rebuilding, shattered nerves need nutrients. Your skin and other organs need extra support. You have to get out of the chair many times throughout the day and stretch out. Before you take the bait and get a Baclofen pump surgically installed to drip drugs into your spine (I was being consulted by the docs on this possibility before I'd even left the hospital), realize your alternatives!

Of course I hate SCI, but considering my choices I elect to fight it. I rarely believe what I'm told and am always exploring new options. It's actually a fascinating journey considering most people are resigned to staying in the chair and getting back to "real life" and there's a distinct lack of progressive information to be had. Every day I wake up, my body is literally tied up in a knotted pretzel. Legs are tightly crossed, hands are clenched, feet bouncing, body aches and it can take hours to reset. There's no "up and at 'em, hop in the car and off I go" but every day I try, keep my head strong and do the work.

Some pictures of a peaceful Sunday at the Japanese Garden with Kinnavey and her parents. Ah, yes. Very satisfying to the soul, what a time to be there. All good pics taken by Kinnavey per usual.

This snip of film rather captures our outlaw lake friend (of the reformed persuasion I'll refer to as) James. A strong start in life, some unsteady footing and wobbly choices prepare for disaster...but then...a moment of clarity, decision and commitment and he pulls off what you don't seen coming.

He's one of these people you might write off or judge a checkered past but then you're missing out on side splitting stories and a giant heart who'd do anything for you if you needed. And he'd make fun of me for having a blog too so I'll sign off before he does.

Movie Videos & Movie Scenes at MOVIECLIPS.com

And now for some investigative reporting...

This is a rather rare find, an alleged miracle involving paralysis filmed and documented at what is referred to as a Holy Revival. These happenings always seem to occur in remote jungles and far off lands and are usually unverifiable by nature. Watch for yourself.



This an extraordinary event that has supposedly happened! A woman who has not moved her legs in 22 years supernaturally stands up and walks - now that is some news. A week later, she made a triumphant return to her hometown decked in high heels (news article) and a legend has been spawned. People henceforth will believe what they want to regardless of facts and it's a good look into the many weaves that make up our beliefs.

The subject of divine miracle is Deliah Knox, co-Pastor along with her husband of Living Word Christian Center in Mobile, Al. The well edited youtube video is the prominent focus on their site, why not I guess - it is after all a true miracle. Red flags pop up in my mind over the heavy emphasis on "signs and wonders" over salvation and wisdom but again, it does seem a particularly significant event.

She also co-host's the chatty "3DWoman". I cringed a little at the 1:00 mark gushing in the name of God that her husband is the best preacher in town that puts the bling on her finger, but maybe it's just the way she is.


Here's my problem. Four years into this, I've seen spinal cord injury misrepresented every conceivable way. From doctors to the media to the general public and everywhere in between. I am legally paralyzed with an incomplete cord injury. That means that there's a nerve pathway that survived injury and is the reason I have sensation a movement below injury. I hobble around with a walker at home but for all intents and purposes use my chair as a means to get around and have walked in front of very few people - it's painful to watch! I could roll into any revival and duplicate her experience and it wouldn't be a miracle.

I wonder if this is closer to what happened: She has an incomplete injury, can impractically walk like many of us with similar diagnosis, was perhaps caught up in the moment or even inspired by God to be helped to her feet hoping to be healed at the altar, performed her rehab routine in front of everyone, was invigorated to work harder at using the chair less and the media spun it out of control from there...fair enough. In the video it looks like she is doing the hip flexor hike walk, again very common in nerve damaged walkers. The hips fire all or nothing and jerk the leg up.

That in itself is not malicious. I start to question when no effort has been made on her behalf to further explain her circumstances. She maintains that it was "a God thing" and wishes to leave it at that but on the other hand produced a video of it and promotes her ministry with it. Fine, but such an fantastic claim could be easily bolstered with a simple disclosure of her medical record, testimony from a certified doctor, and a frank interview. If the passion of her heart is to witness the healing power of Jesus, these are the least she can do to drive it home. If it were some humble soul that shunned attention and wanted to be left alone, I might understand but Deliah is a charismatic lady who appears to thrive on public exposure, c'mon give us some details.

But so far she hasn't or won't and it starts to irritate me. I'm inclined to believe it's a shady tower of half truths that is being used for notoriety. As I noted earlier, people often ultimately believe what they want based on perceptions over facts. These stories relegates spinal cord injuries back to the domain of pseudoscience and the belief that if you are at the right place at the right time with the right beliefs, you might be healed. If not you aren't doing something right, keep trying and why bother furthering science/research/stem cells/etc when these miracles are taking place as we speak?

Could God, existing outside space and time repair a spinal cord and negate the effects off 22 years of sitting? Of course! I don't enjoy knocking holes in these stories but I believe it is on the Christian community to research and moderate these claims, when fake or embellished they are a mockery. Unfortunately I doubt she'll ever have to explain herself to anyone as there are enough people with "blind faith" that will be writing checks to the LWCC for years to come. Again, a simple note from the doctor signing off on her account would go a long way and I'm prepared to alter my judgment in light of some evidence. Thoughts?

Mafioso hit thwarted by life jacket.

The following links are the two major studies involving nerve regeneration in the spinal cord using people as test subjects. Both essentially involve the injection of stem cells at the site of injury to ascertain the long term safety of doing so.

www.chinascinet.org I have much respect for Dr. Wise Young, distinguished professor and scientist at Rutgers University. He is Co-chairman of ChinaSciNet a consortium of 25 leading spinal cord injury Centers in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Dr. Young established and trained the centers to conduct human clinical trials. Positive results in the Chinese trials will open doors for furthered research and application here via SciNetUSA. Documentation problems have set back the actual injection until November. I'm excited about the greater scope and momentum these efforts are taking as they are focused on repairing chronic, long term injury.

www.geron.com is using the old politicized H1 line of embryonic stem, the so-called "Presidential Line" that Bush restricted for limited study and funding. Geron is using a newly injured (acute) trial subject and not much else is being said about it. I'm sure the patient's safety from the hands of a programmed zealot has as much to do with the secrecy as the proprietary information garnered by Geron. It's a study that is 10 years overdue and serves a couple examples.

In the end, progress in this field is going to happen one way or the other. Short-term implications of halting studies are that billions of people are denied the hope of discovery of cures and therapies. The US, despite the potential to lead the world in restorative technology, will miss the closing window of opportunity but who cares right we made Facebook and Lady GaGa. Ah but there I'm on again! I have to believe there is still hope for our increasingly vapid society, that the persistence of a few can impact many. It gets frustrating reading the comments from the general public regarding these studies. I guarantee you the majority of folks could rattle off the American Idols in alphabetical order before they could tell you what a stem cell even is other than they are against it. The chorus of ignorance, the baying of talking points brings music to the politician's ears which affects funding and restriction which affects interest in scientific study. What scientist wants to embark on a career in stem cell research that is mired in politics and red tape?

These human trials are indeed small rays of hope and testament to the dedication of a relatively small group of people. Two small and underfunded theories in what will surely be years of refinement. While proof of safety is a win/win for science, it's an educated guess whether or not the implanted cells will sprout neurons that will lead to function in this round. Incidentally, Geron trades publicly as GERN if you're interested in investing. It's a speculative stock as they've yet to produce anything and rises and falls with news and reports. It often dips below $5 when the economy drops and spikes when the words "stem cells" make the daily news. Draw your own conclusions on that one.