Increasing Understanding: September is Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month

by David Nicholas, RN, MSN

In my 24 years as a nurse – home health, ICU, psych, physical rehab and hospice – I've cared for hundreds who have endured a spinal cord injury (SCI). But whenever I hear the phrase Spinal Cord Injury, I always think of Dan. Before I met Dan, he worked a job he loved – he was a high-rise building window cleaner.

Dan was happily at work one day, doing what he loved, when his equipment failed and dropped him several floors to the concrete. This fall resulted in massive trauma to Dan's body, especially his brain and spine. This fall happened in mere seconds but forever changed his life. Dan received excellent medical care, surviving the injuries against all odds. He underwent many surgeries and stints in physical rehab before going home. His modest red brick home is where I met him when I was blessed to be his home health nurse.

Dan was prone to calling things as he saw fit. If he didn't like someone's appearance, he would tell them – loudly. He was equally un-reserved in professing his love for Jesus and would frequently give his testimony to anyone nearby. Dan was also prone to telling an off-color joke at the least appropriate moment. Dan never met a stranger (although he sometimes offended a few), and left an impression on everyone. A proud member of the 82nd Airborne, Dan was a good man – a character, yes, but a good man.

As a result of his injuries, Dan was never able to return to the work he loved. He went from being able-bodied and physically fit to needing help with the most basic functions. He went from providing for his family of 5 to his family taking care of him. In between the pill-passing and vital sign taking, Dan and I would sneak out to the nearby Denny's to grab a coffee and a piece of cherry pie.

In between off-color jokes and witnessing about Jesus, he would tell me about his life, both before and after the accident. He often would cry, feeling like a burden to his family and like he wasn't a good person. But, before we would leave and amble to the car, my arm around his shoulders to prevent a fall, Dan would tell me Jesus would use this injury to help others – to bring others to Him. For this, he would give thanks to God.

Spinal cord injuries are tricky – often the level at which the injury occurs, and the severity of that injury, determines the effects the injury will have. Generally, the higher up on the spine, the more severe. A Spinal Cord Injury can affect a person’s ability to breathe, use their arms and legs, or have control over their bowel and bladder. Even further, people with an SCI have a harder time with healthy aging. They have much higher rates of unemployment, depression, genitourinary diseases, wounds and chronic pain. The average life expectancy for people with SCI has not improved in 40 years, and rates remain significantly below life expectancies for people without SCI.

Dan is why Spinal Cord Injury Awareness (SCI) month (September) is so important to me. Almost 300,000 people in the United States live with spinal cord injuries, and there are nearly 18,000 new ones each year (National SCI Statistical Center, University of Alabama Birmingham, 2020). But those of us in the healthcare field see that there continues to be a general lack of awareness about how common these injuries really are. Unfortunately, most people's knowledge of SCI comes whenever they encounter one themselves or a family member has one. Although there are lots of resources, many are not well known.

So, how can you help?

Become familiar with the United Spinal Association - and their #StrongWheeledTogether campaign.

Also, check out the critical legislation they actively support.

Check out the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and consider a donation.

If you're a medical professional, consider taking some education courses through the Shepherd Center NeuroRehabilitation Learning Institute.

And please consider sharing this post, so we reach as many as possible.

David Nicholas, RN,MSN, has worked in nursing for more than two decades. He is the principal healthcare industry writer at The Niche Writers, and he loves family, brisket and strong coffee.