Before her spinal cord injury, Leigh Ann was very active and spontaneous. She took salsa lessons, roller bladed 50 miles a week, and loved jet skiing and wake boarding. She traveled several times a year, and enjoyed socializing with friends. When she injured her spinal cord, Leigh Ann was only 28 and had just received her degree in massage therapy. The way in which she was injured is somewhat unusual. My boyfriend came up behind me unexpectedly, tried to pick me up in a joking manner, and unfortunately, he slipped, and dropped me, Leigh Ann recalled. I only dropped from about two feet off the ground, but [because of] the way my body was angled, it broke my vertebrae, and left me paralyzed from the waist down.
Before this happened, Leigh Ann understood little about the dangers and complications of such injuries. I thought having a spinal cord injury meant that you couldnt walk, she said. I didnt realize it involved bladder and bowel complications, and you would experience bone loss, muscle fatigue, and severe back pain.
Living with the injury has caused major life changes for Leigh Ann. No longer able to participate in her favorite outdoor activities, she spends much of her time indoors, watching movies and relaxing. She tires more easily, and her daily routine has changed dramatically. Incorporating a bladder program and bowel management into the scheme of getting ready in the morning has really lengthened the process, said Leigh Ann. While it used to take me about 25 minutes to get ready in the morning, now it takes [up to] an hour and forty-five minutes.
Rehabilitation helped Leigh Ann adjust to living with a spinal cord injury. My rehab program was custom-designed for my specific needs, she explained. Every exercise I did, every transfer, was designed to tackle every obstacle. I didnt feel like I was part of a cookie-cutter program. Leigh Ann has also participated in many studies at the Kessler Research Center, which has improved her quality of life. She had chronic shoulder pain, a common problem for many users of manual wheelchairs. In one study, researchers looked at whether the angle at which she was pushing her wheelchair was directly associated with the pain she was experiencing. The research I performed made me more aware of how to push my wheelchair, she said. Kessler Research Center has a variety of studies that inpatients, outpatients, and members of the fitness gym can be involved in.
Inspired by her experience, Leigh Ann now works as a research assistant for Kessler Foundations research center. Everyday, I get to help people improve their quality of life. Although Leigh Ann is a mentor to other patients, she has noticed an increase in her own quality of life, as well. Now, she has a much more optimistic outlook on life, and refuses to sweat the small stuff. Adapt and overcome, she said. Understand that your life isnt over, it has just changed.
For more information about Kessler Foundation, go to http://www.KesslerFoundation.org
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