It’s National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month – and Our Veterans Need Your Help

September is National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month and a time when veterans who are suffering from spinal cord injuries (SCIs) need your help. SCIs are one of the most tragic types of physical injuries an individual can sustain. While recovery from a SCI is not unheard of, many SCI victims suffer from paralysis which could leave them requiring multiple surgeries, extensive treatment and care, as well as facing a lifetime of immobility and other health issues.
Care for SCIs can be very costly, and sometimes out of reach for veterans who are currently unemployed. Those veterans may need our help gaining access to the services which will allow them the independence for which they fought so hard

Exactly what is a spinal cord injury?

A spinal cord injury is one which is caused as a result of a fracture or dislocation of the vertebrae which makes up a person’s spine. The majority of spinal cord injuries happen following a sudden and traumatic blow as can occur due to a fall from a height, an explosion, a car accident, or any wartime injury.
Spinal cord injuries generally cut off communication between the brain and other parts of the body, which leads to impaired functionality or the complete loss of feeling and mobility. Although SCIs were once considered to be irreversible injuries, research, testing and laboratory results have shown that the effects of SCIs may not have to be permanent. The possibility of reversing nerve damage and restoring neurological function does exist. In the meantime, with proper treatment and care, veterans suffering from spinal cord injuries can achieve an improved quality of life.

What You Can Do to Lend Support to a Veteran with a SCI

If you are interested in lending your support to a veteran with spinal cord injuries, the following are some of the actions the PVA recommends you take:

• Make a monetary donation to Paralyzed Victims of America
• Have you or your company become a sponsor for one of the many fundraising activities in which the PVA is involved
• Attend an event and lend your support
• Hire a disabled veteran
• Donate clothing, bedding, CDs, books, housewares, and small appliances to the PVA’s G.I.V.E. Clothing Donation program
• Donate a vehicle to the Wheels Helping Warriors program
• Volunteer your time
• Create a tribute to honor a hero

The attorneys at the Eastern North Carolina law firm of Riddle & Brantley, LLP have been long-time, staunch supporters of veterans’ efforts in Fort Bragg near Fayetteville, Camp Lejeune near Jacksonville and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro. We understand the true worth and commitment of our veterans, and we know how important it is to make sure these heroes get the help they deserve.

Source:

• Paralyzed Veterans of America: Spinal Cord Research & Education