Rex Robotic Legs Allow Paraplegics to Walk Again

We posted a story last February about the ReWalk system, a device invented by an Israeli company Argo Medical Technologies, Ltd. that enables paraplegics to walk again. When I was watching the Belgian news on the Internet yesterday, which I do occasionally to keep in touch with what’s going on in the country where I was born, another walking device for paraplegics was featured. Hayden Allen from New Zealand, a paraplegic as a result of a motorcycle accident, showed off a pair of robotic legs that help paraplegics walk again. It caught my attention and I decided to investigate the system some more. Read more

Journey Forward – Changing Lives One at a Time

A few weeks ago we discovered and posted about a nonprofit started with the mission of helping to improve the lives of those with disabilities. Founded by Dan Cummings after he regained the ability to walk again through intense exercise, Journey Forward aims to help those with spinal cord injuries recover function and improve the quality of their lives. After reading about the program on their web site, we wanted to know more and recently had the privilege of interviewing Journey Forward and their founder Dan. Their words were a dose of inspiration, and reinforced our belief in the importance of helping others achieve their goals. Read on to hear about how Journey Forward is making a difference and changing lives one at a time.

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Healing Through Exercise

We’re always happy to find new nonprofits focusing on helping those with spinal cord injuries. Recently, we heard about Journey Forward, whose mission is to better the lives of those with spinal cord injuries through exercise. Journey Forward’s program is similar to physical therapy regimens, but last much longer, because typically those with spinal cords injuries need long periods of time to develop muscle they have lost and see benefits from therapy.

Just as persons without physical impairments can benefit from regular exercise, persons with disabilities can improve their health through regular exercise as well. Unfortunately for those with SCI, regular exercise can be very difficult, so a program like that provided by Journey Forward can have a large impact on people’s lives.

As a fairly new nonprofit Journey Forward is still working to raise awareness of what they do. Even so, they have helped many people improve their lives, and it was inspiring to hear about some of the positive experiences of people who have worked with Journey Forward. Hopefully, we will see more programs like this all across the U.S.

Fitness and Being Physically Disabled

For some people, hearing “you can’t” is enough to make them say “I can.” That was the case for Jothy Rosenberg when he lost a leg and parts of a lung to cancer. Having a disability strengthened his resolve to work harder than able-bodied people to be able to accomplish even more than he might have had he not become disabled.

Jothy focused on endurance sports and using the effort from that as a motivator for everything else in his life. Many able-bodied people have discovered the self-confidence that is gained from competing and completing endurance events such as triathlons and marathons, and it’s true that many disabled persons could benefit from the same type of strength and inner confidence as well.

Looking at Jothy, who swims 5 miles a week, takes spin class, and cycles, one can’t help but be inspired by his dedication to use his disability to inspire and motivate himself.

Jothy’s story is inspiring – you really owe it yourself to take a look at his website, WhoSaysICan’t.org

60 Days of Juice Feasting as a Quadriplegic

Some of you who have read my earlier story about my eating habits may think that I am a little bit extreme. My wife and I eat mostly raw vegan foods. That basically means no dairy, no bread, no meat and nothing heated above 117 F. The idea is that you kill the enzymes if you heat up anything higher than that and the nutritional value of the food diminishes. Well, if anybody would have told me ten years ago that they never cooked any of their food, I would have thought that person was nuts. However, somehow we got into this after – mainly my wife – doing a lot of research. And more and more people are starting to get into this as they learn that the standard American diet is the cause of most modern diseases such as diabetes, cancer, etc… Many people have actually been able to reverse their diseases by sticking to a raw vegan diet. And it certainly has helped me in getting me healthier, more energetic and more productive as a result of that.

Our latest adventure has been our completion of 60 days of only drinking fruit and vegetable juices. We just finished that a little while ago and I can hardly describe how good I feel and how much I am buzzing with energy these days. As a quadriplegic who had a hard time staying awake past 7PM ten years ago, that is quite remarkable.  Anyway I’m not going to give too much away yet, but I am writing a story about my 60 day juicing experience and will publish it soon under our Health category.

Luc’s Top 10 Recommendations for Working as a Person with a Physical Disability

Returning to work after an accident can be difficult. You may find that the period of adjustment is long and that you feel uncomfortable at times. Here are some suggestions to help you return to work with confidence and dignity. Read more

Benefits of a Healthy Diet

Do you, as a disabled person, usually feel tired by the early evening? Has your health started to go downhill after sitting in a wheelchair day after day for several years? Living life in a wheelchair doesn’t have to be a drag like that. If you are able to make some changes to your diet, you may likely become more energetic and get your health back on track. Read more