Growing up, I have always been in awe of the Olympic games. Knowing that the whole world was watching the same spectacle made me feel more significant and simply more connected to this large, fast-paced world we live in. For once, everyone seemed to be focused on the same issue—cheering for their own country and their own athletes.

However, the Paralympic games do not get the same type of notoriety as the Olympic games. Lately, there has been a lot of discussion the difference in funding for the Olympic games versus the Paralympic Games. Corporations scramble over each other to get their brand aligned with the notorious Olympic games. But why aren’t there as many big-name corporations helping to sponsor paralympian athletes or the traditional opening ceremony torch relay?  That is why I want to take the time to recognize and thank the corporations who have sponsored this year’s iconic Paralympic Torch Relay. Hopefully, this will inspire other corporations to follow suit in recognizing disabled athletes as worthy of recognition as able-bodied Olympian athletes.

BT
BT has a long history of supporting Paralympic sport in the UK and was the first official partner of the British Paralympic Association when it was founded in 1989. BT recently committed to supporting ParalympicsGB all the way to the Rio Games in 2016.

BT supports a number of Paralympic athletes through its Ambassador Programme, including Oscar Pistorius, Beijing 2008 Paralympic champion, Ade Adepitan, one of the UK’s most recognisable Paralympians, Lee Pearson,  Beijing 2008 triple Paralympic champion, Liz Johnson, Beijing 2008 Paralympic champion, Nathan Stephens, medal hopeful for discus and javelin. The latest Ambassador to be signed up is British Paralympic sprinter Jonnie Peacock.

For more information, visit http://www.btplc.com/btlondon2012/

Lloyds TSB
As a proud Presenting Partner for the London 2012 Paralympic Torch Relay, Lloyds TSB is excited to share the spirit of the Paralympic Games with communities across the UK.

At Lloyds TSB we’re looking for people who have inspired or supported disabled people and have made a difference in their local community to be Paralympic Torchbearers. It could be the coach who’s removed barriers to disabled people in sport, someone who has shown courage and determination to push beyond their personal best or the volunteer at the local disability group. You can even nominate yourself! Successful Torchbearers will work in teams of five to carry the Flame on its journey to the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

For more information, visit http://www.lloydstsblondon2012.co.uk/paralympicflame/

Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s is proud to be a Presenting Partner of the London 2012 Paralympic Torch Relay. Sainsbury’s is committed to promoting a healthier, more active lifestyle for all, regardless of ability, and supporting the values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality on which the Paralympic Movement was founded.

Sainsbury’s will be using its partnership of the London 2012 Paralympic Torch Relay to engage and celebrate those who make a lasting difference in attitudes towards disability in the UK and create opportunities for change in disabled people’s lives.

Sainsbury’s is the first ever Paralympic Games-only sponsor and this landmark commitment to the Paralympic Movement is the largest sponsorship ever of a Paralympic Games.

Find out more about Sainsbury’s and London 2012.

High school and youth football players sustained 14 brain injuries with long-lasting damage in 2011 — the highest number in more than 25 years — and this is a “major problem,” a new report claims.

The finding is based on an annual survey, conducted by the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, which collects data on catastrophic football injuries.

Although deaths from brain injuries among high school players have decreased every decade, from 128 in the 1960s to 32 in the 2000s, brain injuries with incomplete recovery reached the double digits in three of the past four years.

“The line is going down with fatalities,” said study author Frederick Mueller, director of the center and professor emeritus of exercise and sports science at UNC. “I think that’s related to kids getting better medical care on the field; they’re not dying, but they’re having permanent brain damage.”

Meanwhile, spinal cord injuries with permanent damage have mostly trended downward, with eight such injuries in 2011. There were 14 in 2008, nine in 2009 and seven in 2010.

To read the full article, click here.

Also, a HUGE THANK-YOU to our friends at ZICO. They graciously donated refreshments for us to distribute to attendees at this community event and we were so glad you all loved them!  They definitely were a nice burst of flavor and hydration in the midst of the chaos during the expo.  (Mango flavor definitely was the crowd favorite!)

To read the full article, click here.

Not only was the story published in Sports N Spokes Magazine, but it also has created quite the buzz within our community! Just the other day, a cute bunch of curious girl scouts stopped by the Experea Healthcare offices to meet Dean and hear his incredible story.

With eyes open wide, not daring to blink to miss any part of the fascinating story, the girls stood around Dean’s collection of paralympic memorabilia and listened patiently as Dean described how he first became injured and the unique journey he embarked on as he learned to cope with his paralysis.

Hands popped up in excitement as almost every girl asked what ‘spinal cord injury’ meant. Some even shared how their own grandfathers and relatives use wheelchairs too! Just like Dean!

Needless to say, this girl scout troop learned a ton that day. The most important lesson?
Anything is possible, once you stop focusing on what happened TO you
and start focusing on what you CAN do.

175 days to go until the summer paralympic games begin!

To kick off our blog series about this year’s games, we are going to dive a little deeper into the history and facts behind this sporting tradition. We all know what the Olympics are (it IS the LARGEST international sporting event of all-time) but only a few of us are truly familiar with the logistics of the Paralympic Games. Essentially, the Paralympic games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability, representing various countries around the world, compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy. The games are held immediately following the Olympic Games.

How did the Paralympics start?
It all started after World War II in 1948, when Dr. Ludwig Guttman of Stoke Mandevill Hospital hosted a sport competition for British World War II veteran patients with spinal cord injuries. The very first games were named the 1948 International Wheelchair Games and were intended to coincide with the 1948 Olympics. It was Dr. Guttman’s goal to create an elite sports competition for people with disabilities that would be equivalent to the Olympic Games.

What type of sports are played during the Paralympics?
There are a total of 20 sports played in the Summer Paralympics program and 5 sports played in the Winter Paralympic Program.

So, these are the programs you can look forward to watching this summer during the 2012 London Paralympics!

- Paralympic Archery
- Paralympic Athletics
- Boccia
- Paralympic Cycling – Road
- Paralympic Cycling – Track
- Paralympic Equestrian
- Football 5-a-side
- Football 7-a-side
- Goalball
- Paralympic Judo
- Powerlifting
- Paralympic Rowing
- Paralympic Sailing
- Paralympic Shooting
- Paralympic Swimming
- Paralympic Table Tennis
- Sitting Volleyball
- Wheelchair basketball
- Wheelchair fencing- Wheelchair Rugby
- Wheelchair Tennis

Stay tuned, as we highlight specific sports and athletes in the upcoming days as we count down to the Paralympics!

1) Stay hydrated! Not only is it important to be aware of your diet and the nutritional value of your food, but you have to be mindful of your hydration too. Drinking plenty of water everyday helps regulate urinary and bowel functions so you can avoid infections and establish good bowel habits. Also, it has been proven that cranberries help with urinary health — which is vital for quadriplegics and paraplegics.

2) Keep the mind active. Paralysis does not mean your intellect has to be paralyzed too. Make the effort to continue through life as normally as possible because you can never overestimate the power of positivity on the body!

3) Change position. Make a conscious effort to continuously change positions throughout the day to avoid sores (especially bed sores, which is common with many spinal cord injury patients) and other complications. Whether it be in a recline position or being put in a standing position – moving around in this matter helps increase blood flow throughout the entire body.

4) Have a reliable form of pain management. Many people who are paralyzed or have spinal cord injury have what is known as neurogenic pain (a result of damage to nerves in the body or the spinal cord or even the brain itself). There are multiple treatment options for chronic pain including (but not limited to): medications, local electrical stimulations surgery, psychotherapy or even acupuncture. Discuss with your treating physician about what would be the best option for you before exploring these treatments. Expert advice and guidance is ALWAYS mandatory when exploring medical treatment.

Every story – whether it be a story of loss or gain, deserves to be shared.

This is the story of the Berry Children.

Photo via Joshua and Robin Berry Children's Trust/Facebook

I first came across the Berry Children’s story when I noticed a flood of profile picture changes take over my Facebook newsfeed. Almost instantaneously, people were sporting a graphic of four hearts as their profile picture, with the caption ‘show your hearts.’ Fueled by curiosity, I clicked around on the images and eventually I was linked to an article about the tragedy that led the Berry Children to where they are today.

The article, “Berry Children Orphaned: Justin Bieber Spurs Nationwide Movement”,  left me speechless. The Berry Family, a fun-loving family of 5 from Texas were driving back from a family vacation when their minivan was struck, killing both the parents and leaving the children in critical condition.

The two boys, Peter, 9, and Aaron, 8, have been treated for multiple spinal cord injuries and have been told they may never walk again. Their younger sister, Willa, 6, broke her arm, ankle, knee and wrist in the crash.

It is hard not to have an aching heart after hearing this story, but what is truly fascinating and incredible is the reaction of the nation to their story. Celebrities like Justin Beiber, Kourtney Kardashian, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry have used their public power by tweeting to their followers to donate and spread the word about the Berry Children to #showyourhearts.

Today, Peter and Aaron are still on the road to recovery as they deal with a spinal cord injury—a struggle that millions of Americans deal with, including those in the Experea Healthcare community.

“You get inspiration from them,” says Matthew Berry, the uncle of the children and now their legal guardian, “These kids smile when somebody asks to take their picture. Can you imagine being in these kids’ shoes? It’s pretty incredible how they’re dealing with it.”

Do you want to show your heart and help support the Berry children? Donate to their Trust so they can have access to all the medical supplies and equipment they will need to treat their spinal injuries.

Ryan Neslund found out he never would be able to walk again after a motorcross accident in April 2011. Neslund, who now resides in Arizona, joined a clinical trial of an embryonic stem cell therapy within weeks of his accident. That trial was ended, though neslund will continue to be monitored.

Dr. Richard Fessler, a professor of neurosurgery at Northwestern University, performed one of the first surgeries of it’s kind on Neslund using controversial stem cell therapy. However, sever months later, after a total of four patients had received the transplants, Fessler opened an email from his office informing him that the trial was finished.

” Geron Corp., the California-based company financing the study, had decided to shift focus to cancer drugs, and with that move, another foray into stem cell therapies had come to a jarring end,” explains reporter Cynthia Dizikes, Chicago Tribune reporter.

To learn more, click here.

Dean has been an integral part of our company as well as the paralysis community for many years now and his story brings a unique perspective to the struggles and triumphs of quadriplegics. We hope you will be just as inspired by his story as we are!!

To see the full article, subscribe to Sports N’ Spokes magazine and order this month’s issue.