Support for people with spinal cord injury comes in many different forms and from many different people, and it helps to keep them moving forward. The emotional support from family and friends has a profound impact on an SCI person’s life.
For Bill Mancini, president of the NSCIA-CT Chapter, the emotional support that he has received from his family has given him the drive and motivation to graduate from Central Connecticut State University, find work with the Bristol School System and buy a home in West Hartford.
"Their positive support gives me the peace of mind to know that if I fail, they are there to help me move forward," said Mancini. "It’s not about the financial support; it’s about the emotional support and acceptance that family and friends give someone with SCI. It has nothing to do with money."
Mancini (30) has been a paraplegic since 1993. His family has been there to help him through the little events in his life such as learning to drive with his hands as well as the larger events like finishing school, finding a job and buying a home.
Deborah Kaplan from New Haven raised $500 for the NSCIA-CT Chapter by running the Family Fun Run 5K marathon in Walt Disney World, Florida. Her drive and motivation to run the race came from the affection she has for her friend Camille (Millie) Suggs, who is a quadriplegic.
And after seeing Kaplan’s efforts to train for the event and generate donations, Millie decided to run the warm up race the day before Kaplan’s marathon. Millie was the only wheelchair athlete in the race and was given a special award for finishing.
"It was great for me to be able to cheer her on and then to have her cheer me on," said Kaplan. "If you think about it, it’s kind of funny because Millie actually finished the race a day before me."
Kaplan (26) is a medical student at Yale University. She hopes to become a Physiatrist, which is a rehab doctor that specializes in pediatric rehabilitation medicine.
She befriended Millie though the "Winner on Wheels" program in New Haven - a scouting organization for people in wheelchairs. Here, people with spinal cord injury or disease do activities like sports, camping, arts and crafts, and earn badges for completing the activities.
"Something about Millie that touched my heart, and that love and affection has only grown over time," added Kaplan. "I have a special place in my heart for people with disabilities thanks to my friendship with Millie."
Paul McCloskey (17) from Brookfield raised $12,000 for the CT Chapter through a swim-a-thon that he organized for his Brookfield High School English project to support his brother Tim (21) who is a quadriplegic.
"The CT Chapter helped a lot with my brother’s therapy while at Gaylord Hospital," said Paul McCloskey. "As long as we show my brother support and think and act positive about his situation it will help him to focus on his therapy. It will show him what’s behind him to help him work hard."
The swim-a-thon was held at the Greenknoll Branch of the YMCA in Brookfield. Paul created pamphlets that talked about Tim’s accident and the CT Chapter. Participants then went out into the community to raise funds.
Some people pledged money based on the amount of laps the participant could swim, while others donated a flat amount of money. Then, once the local paper ran a story about Paul’s crusade, the donations started pouring in the mail to Paul’s house.
"It was great to the out pouring of support for my brother’s situation from different people in the community," added Paul. "People I didn’t even know came forward to show their support."
The support from Tim’s family has enabled him to move forward with his life. Less than one year after his accident, Tim is back in school, attending classes at Western Connecticut State University.