Neuro Note #1: Jillian's Story


       In lecture, I have found spinal cord injuries and their physiology fascinating. At the same time,  I have also realized how devastating they can be when a person loses their ability to use a large part of their body. One reason I chose to watch “Jillian’s Spinal Cord Story” is because I really enjoy the learning process that comes from hearing person’s account of their experience with that injury.  I am much more likely to retain the physiology or therapy practices when I can connect it back to someone’s story and the emotions and connection that come with that.
        Jillian is a young adult who sustained a T4 spinal injury when she fell backwards off a third story balcony. She spoke about the initial fears of losing the ability to drive, not being able to be in a relationship, or missing out on attending concerts with friends. However, she spoke about choosing to be “strong” for her parents and embraced the challenge of therapy. The goals she and her therapists decided on included transferring without assistance and becoming completely independent with all her self-care activities. 

     During this video, I learned about Jillian’s favorite adaptive equipment which was the exoskeleton. I did some furthering research and learned that this is basically a robot that allows paraplegics to stand upright and walk.  Jillian comments on how powerful it was to be able to speak with friends standing up and also being able to walk again.

     I have often found myself saying “I do not want to work with adults”. However, recently I have watched several stories similar to Jillian’s where an adult loses the use of part/s of their body and with therapy regains the ability to participate in activities very meaningful to them. As a therapist I know this would be challenging, but I also see how rewarding it would be to walk alongside someone as they work hard to reach their goals and life a full life after injury . The jury is still out on where I will specialize in occupational therapy, but until then I hope to soak up all these learning opportunities and explore the possibilities. 

References: 
Gannon, M. (2013, March 22). Exoskeleton allows paraplegics to walk. Retrieved April 05, 2018, from https://www.cnn.com/2013/03/13/tech/innovation/original-ideas-exoskeleton/index.html
G. (2017, September 17). Jillian's Spinal Cord Injury Story. Retrieved April 05, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_FpT4Fu3sE
Gannon, M. (2013, March 22). Exoskeleton allows paraplegics to walk. Retrieved April 05, 2018, from https://www.cnn.com/2013/03/13/tech/innovation/original-ideas-exoskeleton/index.html
G. (2017, September 17). Jillian's Spinal Cord Injury Story. Retrieved April 05, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_FpT4Fu3sE
Gannon, M. (2013, March 22). Exoskeleton allows paraplegics to walk. Retrieved April 05, 2018, from https://www.cnn.com/2013/03/13/tech/innovation/original-ideas-exoskeleton/index.html
G. (2017, September 17). Jillian's Spinal Cord Injury Story. Retrieved April 05, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_FpT4Fu3sE
Gannon, M. (2013, March 22). Exoskeleton allows paraplegics to walk. Retrieved April 05, 2018, from https://www.cnn.com/2013/03/13/tech/innovation/original-ideas-exoskeleton/index.html
G. (2017, September 17). Jillian's Spinal Cord Injury Story. Retrieved April 05, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_FpT4Fu3sE
Gannon, M. (2013, March 22). Exoskeleton allows paraplegics to walk. Retrieved April 05, 2018, from https://www.cnn.com/2013/03/13/tech/innovation/original-ideas-exoskeleton/index.html
G. (2017, September 17). Jillian's Spinal Cord Injury Story. Retrieved April 05, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_FpT4Fu3sE
Gannon, M. (2013, March 22). Exoskeleton allows paraplegics to walk. Retrieved April 05, 2018, from https://www.cnn.com/2013/03/13/tech/innovation/original-ideas-exoskeleton/index.html
G. (2017, September 17). Jillian's Spinal Cord Injury Story. Retrieved April 05, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_FpT4Fu3sE

Gannon, M. (2013, March 22). Exoskeleton allows paraplegics to walk. Retrieved April 05, 2018, from https://www.cnn.com/2013/03/13/tech/innovation/original-ideas-exoskeleton/index.html

G. (2017, September 17). Jillian's Spinal Cord Injury Story. Retrieved April 05, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_FpT4Fu3sE





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