North Carolina Chapter: Coast-to-Mountain Activities


NCSCIA’s semi-annual handcycle clinics are popular with its members.
NCSCIA’s semi-annual handcycle clinics are popular with its members.

When Debbie Myers fell while painting her home in Henderson, N.C., she couldn’t have anticipated what the next 12 years would bring or how many lives she would affect. While rehabbing from her T12 SCI, she inadvertently became the go-to person for SCI questions and resources. Myers was approached by the therapists and managers of WakeMed about starting a North Carolina chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association (now United Spinal Association).  Unable to resume her career at Sprint, helping start the NCSCIA was an opportunity to fulfill a need in North Carolina’s famed “Triangle” area and allow Myers to apply her professional skills and talent for the greater good.

In the fall of 2003, WakeMed Health and Hospitals Rehabilitation Center provided the initial support, time and personnel to help get the NCSCIA off the ground. The initial goals centered on four objectives: support, communication, information and advocacy.

The chapter’s first fundraiser was a “Womanless Pageant” spaghetti dinner fundraiser, featuring men dressed in hideous pageant attire. Twelve years later, the chapter is now known for its much fancier, and more formal, annual Wine Event at Angus Barn. Every year in October, Raleigh’s Angus Barn restaurant plays host to a fabulous evening of wine, silent auctions, raffles and community. The money raised at this annual event helps to maintain the chapter’s current programs and services, as well as aiding in the development of new programs for the SCI community in NC.

This event also promotes community awareness and education about SCI in sometimes-unexpected ways. When it came time to expand and renovate their restaurant and facilities, the Angus Barn went so far as to solicit accessibility input from Myers. The result is a wonderfully accessible host facility with bathrooms so large you could live in them.

Following the release of the 2005 documentary “Murderball,” NCSCIA capitalized on local interest in quad rugby to host a quad rugby clinic in Raleigh. Despite having only a beginner’s understanding of the game, the chapter begged for and borrowed rugby chairs and assembled a ragtag (but inspired) group of players and volunteers who eventually formed the core of the Raleigh Sidewinders. This year, the chapter will embark on the 10th year of the annual Raleigh Rumble Quad Rugby Tournament. Players have credited this team with helping to pull them out of their “dark place” and one player’s father saying the team “saved his son’s life” post-injury.

The chapter has continued to build its adaptive sports programs. Semi-annual hand cycle clinics and adaptive fishing events have become popular, and in 2007, the Triangle Thunder wheelchair basketball team came under the umbrella and sponsorship of NCSCIA.

NCSCIA

From being largely Raleigh-centered initially, the NCSCIA now includes board members from the coast in Wilmington to the mountains in Asheville as well as the core group from Raleigh. The chapter boasts a diverse board with members of the community as well as three of the state’s rehabilitation hospitals. The chapter’s offerings have mirrored the group’s geographic expansion. “We have expanded the reach of our programming to include educational programs at various rehab facilities and support groups. We are currently producing a video series that includes stories of people living with SCI as well as stories about less-than-ideal medical interactions,” says Myers. These videos will be shown in rehab hospitals to educate newly-injured patients as well as used to educate primary care providers and hospital staff who may not be familiar with the specific needs of the SCI population.

In the last few years, the NCSCIA has taken on some exciting new projects. Providing structured peer support and a peer-mentoring program has long been a goal of the chapter. With the assistance of Lindsey Elliot of United Spinal, the NCSCIA has hosted peer mentor training sessions in Raleigh and Charlotte, with more planned in the future. Another exciting development this year has been the addition of a financial assistance program. Each quarter, the board reviews applications for financial assistance for anything from ramp repairs, respite care, gym memberships, etc. The first recipient is putting his grant money to use to allow him to participate in an independent fitness program and utilize WakeMed’s FES bike.


Debbie JohnsonSpotlight: North Carolina

by Debbie Johnson

Skinny on the State

Stretching over 500 miles from east to west, North Carolina’s geography boasts something for everyone. After getting your fill of the outdoors, try exploring, eating and drinking to your heart’s content at the Biltmore Estate, Grove Park Inn or any of the amazing restaurants, breweries and attractions in downtown Asheville.

My Take

If the mountains are your preferred getaway, visit Western North Carolina and enjoy the Great Smokies, Blue Ridge Mountains and all the eclectic uniqueness of Asheville. Tour America’s largest home and experience life as a Vanderbilt at The Biltmore Estate. Enjoy a sunset while sipping wine at the Grove Park Inn. A fall drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway can’t be beat for leaf-changing beauty and scenic vistas, all from the comfort of your vehicle. The Parkway’s Linn Cove Viaduct is an engineering marvel, and accessible peaks, including Mount Mitchell and Grandfather Mountain’s mile-high swinging bridge, give amazing 360-degree views.  Bring your endurance because level terrain is hard to come by!

If beaches are more your style, North Carolina’s Outer Banks will not disappoint. Sun, sand, lighthouses, the Wright Brothers, the USS North Carolina, and fresh seafood are just a few of the attractions at the Outer Banks. The Life Rolls On Foundation hosts yearly adapted surfing events at Carolina Beach in June and there are seven different locations that have beach wheelchairs available to borrow free of charge. These are provided on a first-come, first-served basis, so plan ahead if you go during peak season.

This mile-high swinging bridge is wheelchair accessible.
This mile-high swinging bridge is wheelchair accessible.

Places to Go

Raleigh is consistently voted one of the best places to raise a family and a top city for careers and business in a multitude of national surveys. As a Duke grad, I’m partial to Durham and visiting the Duke Chapel, Sara P. Duke Gardens and if you’re a fan of NCAA basketball, Cameron Indoor Stadium. Alternatively, you can venture down the road a bit to the oldest state university in the United States, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, if you insist on cheering for the Tar Heels. Durham is listed on the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation’s Top 20 Most Livable U.S. Cities for wheelchair users. The American Tobacco Trail, a paved greenway beginning in Durham, provides over 22 miles of uninterrupted wheeling or walking.

For recreation, the Adaptive Sports and Adventures Program of Carolinas Rehabilitation, in Charlotte, provides a huge array of adaptive team sports and activities for wide variety of disabilities. Their primary fundraiser, Cycle to the Sea, provides a unique opportunity to cover 180-240 miles of North Carolina terrain via handcycle/bicycle in a safe and supported environment. Of course, if you prefer to travel in a faster manner, Charlotte is also ready to offer you wild rides at the U.S. National Whitewater Center, or faster yet, NASCAR, at the Charlotte Motor Speedway!

Health Care

North Carolina’s major central cities host impressive rehab centers, premier medical care, Research Triangle Park, top colleges and universities and adaptive sports programs. Raleigh is also the central location of the NCSCIA’s offices as well as North Carolina State’s Center for Universal Design. North Carolina is proud to have three CARF-accredited spinal cord injury rehabilitation systems of care — WakeMed in Raleigh, Carolinas Rehabilitation in Charlotte and Vidant Rehabilitation Center in Greenville. The rehab facilities in Raleigh and Charlotte offer highly advanced therapeutic equipment, including robotic walking programs, featuring the Ekso and ReWalk systems, respectively. Additionally, Carolinas Medical Center was recently chosen as a study site for the neuro-spinal scaffold, an investigational device intended to improve recovery after a spinal cord injury, by promoting structural support for spinal cord regeneration.

Must See, Must Do

Visit Raleigh next February for The Krispy Kreme Challenge — a “2,400 calories, 12 donuts, 5 miles, 1 hour” race that benefits the North Carolina Children’s Hospital. Participate to your stomach’s content or just watch the carnage! Afterwards, indulge in some delicious North Carolina barbecue, and wash it all down with North Carolina’s own cherry soda, Cheerwine. In 2017, Cheerwine will be available in all 50 states, but why wait till then?


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