Life After Paralysis with Tiffiny Carlson

If you get paid more to pour a cup of coffee at McDonald's than be a caregiver, the system is surely unjust. Kevin Orr, a complete C4-5 quadriplegic from Mississippi and former police officer injured in 2009, has experienced a severe absence of caregivers since the pandemic began (with his mother becoming his full-time caregiver as a result). Tiffiny and Kevin discuss possible solutions to his dilemma, and the greater issue at hand. They also discuss his passion of mouth painting, and how painting objects with drip paint finally got him the attention of buyers. Run-time is 47 minutes. — See Kevin's artwork

In our interview with Scott W. Fedor, a C3 quadriplegic from Ohio, he shares the 5 most important life truths he's learned since breaking his neck in a diving accident 12 years ago. A non-sugar coater, Scott speaks from the soul, sharing awesome tips on how to deal with some of life's biggest blows.  For more on Scott, including where to purchase his book, see the following links: - Scott's book: Head Strong: How a Broken Neck Strengthened My Spirit (available on Amazon) - Scott's nonprofit: Getting Back Up (https://www.gettingbackup.org/) - Scott's website: ScottWFedor.com 

In Episode 29 and for October Disability Employment Awareness Month, we chat with César, a C4 quadriplegic from Tijuana, Mexico, who has his own online business, and we speak with Derek, a C5-6 quadriplegic from Mississippi, who has worked as a financial advisor and many other jobs during his 29 years post-injury. - Check out César's store: https://www.redbubble.com/people/yannichingaz/shop?asc=u - Check out César's article on becoming independent for Audacity Magazine: https://www.audacitymagazine.com/independently-dependent/

The spinal cord injury world has been eagerly awaiting some kind of viable treatment, and epidural simulation is finally providing that hope. Case in point Keith Smith. A C4 complete quadriplegic from California, he was chosen to be part of Dr. Susan Harkema's epidural simulation trial at the University of Louisville. Besieged with dangerously low blood pressure, he was considered a viable candidate.  After living in Kentucky for one year after receiving the stimulator, he is now back at home and reports loads of physical improvements including stabilized blood pressure, better bladder and bowel control, the ability to stand and improved sexual function.  Here in his own words how it changed his life in our interview with him.  Episode runtime is 22 minutes.  - Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center: https://louisville.edu/kscirc

In Episode 26, we chat with two more people about quarantining and having a spinal cord injury. Our first guest is Noel Joyce, a paraplegic from Ireland, who is a industrial designer. He shares insight into the designs occurring as a result of COVID-19 and how they benefit people with disabilities. Our second guest is Misty Dawn Piker, a paraplegic and theater usher from Indiana. She too has been home since March and shares how she's been getting everything done while home alone, from getting her mail to her plans for celebrating her birthday later this week. - Follow Misty on Twitter: @mimi_dawn_piker - Follow Noel on Instagram at @noeljoyce

In episode 23, we uncover wheelchair life hacks your therapists forgot to tell you about. From the wonders a simple cone can do to prevent parking abuse to a spatula set-up for a C1 quadriplegic that enables independent eating, Tiffiny chats with four guests who share their best tips that have the power to change lives. Guests in this episode are the following: - James Collins: A paraplegic from Hawaii, he shares his cone trick to prevent parking abusers next to his car. - Amir: A paraplegic from Las Vegas, he shares how much a simple reacher from Amazon helps him be independent. He also talks about why he prefers portable hand-controls. - Brandon: A C5 quadriplegic, he talks about how helpful the Voice Control system is on his iPhone. - Tyler Schrenk: A C1 quadriplegic from Washington, he shares his spatula invention so he can eat when he's alone, as well as other cool gadgets he has that he can independently access in his home. To watch the video tour of his home & gadgets, click here: https://spinalpedia.com/video/GBY1XqKXylJ

In episode 21 and the first episode of 2020, Tiffiny is joined by Brandon, a father of 4 who's been injured for only one year following a motorcycle accident and has already been through so much, including depression, a relationship ending and losing his job. He shares his story and how he's making it through this difficult time in his life. We want to give Brandon a HUGE thanks for his story.  He reminds us all that human resiliency is one of the greatest traits of our species.