SCI Life: May 2016


Kiesha-MRecording Progress and Positivity
A wayward moose on a late-night Alberta, Canada, road in November 2013 may have been the cause of Kiesha Mastrodimos’ C6-7 quadriplegia, but where she has taken her life since then is a much more worthy story. Despite being only 17 at the time, she embarked on her journey fearlessly and continues to persevere.

“My accident happened when I was in my senior year of high school,” she says. “Afterward, I did all my schoolwork in the hospital so I could graduate with my friends and receive my diploma. I also taught myself how to use a computer and write again.” Most recently, Mastrodimos has been accepted into college and has her eyes on a journalism degree.

But academics weren’t the only area she put impressive effort into post-injury. She also worked her butt off in therapy and wanted to share her progress with family and friends; hence, the birth of her YouTube channel as well as “Kiesha’s Road to Recovery,” a Facebook group that spreads the word.

“I started making videos because when I was in the accident that’s how my mom and I found other people, and it gave us motivation to keep striving, so I hope to do the same,” she says. So far she has made nearly 50 videos sharing her struggles and joys since her injury, ranging from “Wheeling a Tilt-in-Space Wheelchair” to the lighter side — “My Talent: Downing a Full Glass of Water in Seconds.”

Motivational speaking is also one of her goals. By the time you read this, she will have given her first speech at the center where she did her rehab. Resilient to the core, she seems certain to make an impact (and we cannot wait for her next video update).

Type Mastrodimos’ name into YouTube and enjoy her videos.

wolturnus rugbyDanes Take On Sport Chairs
Every country has its own premiere wheelchair manufacturer. When wheelers from Denmark want the finest quality wheelchair around, they turn to Wolturnus, a company named after a WWI steamship that sank on its way from London to Copenhagen carrying crutches for the British Navy.

What makes Wolturnus unique is its vast selection of wheelchairs manufactured for a variety of adapted sports, all made from 7020 aluminum alloy (the strongest aluminum alloy you can weld). The company makes rigid wheelchairs and Comfort Wheelchairs (narrow, easy-to-push wheelchairs for kids and adults), but its sport chairs and handcycles are where it’s at.

Wolturnus makes highly maneuverable models for basketball, quad rugby and tennis, but it’s the E-hockey power chair, with a singular front wheel, and the dance chair, with a tight center of gravity and three casters, that are ultra-cool: They make you want to try the sports out yourself.

Visit www.wolturnus.dk/en/products/sports-wheelchairs/

More Than a Pillow
For quadriplegics who use automatic beds, traveling can be stressful without the ability to sit up in bed independently. In comes the 10-in-1 Flip Pillow. With the ability to transform into 10 different positions, including a backrest to help you sit up, this pillow could be a game changer for many. Cost: $49.99

Check it out at www.sharperimage.com/si/view/product/10-in-1-Flip-Pillow/202035?trail=


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