Stories of Resilience During Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month

Anthony Purcell, Founder of Walking With Anthony

Guest post by Anthony Purcell, Founder — Walking With Anthony

September was Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month, making it an important time to help uplift the voices of those who have survived spinal cord injuries. The struggles those in the SCI community face are profound, and they often lack the support they would need to make a full recovery. However, through resilience and community, spinal cord injury survivors can get through the recovery and rehabilitation processes.

Using stories of resilience to inspire others

I am no stranger to spinal cord injury, being an SCI survivor myself. In 2010, my life was changed forever when I dove into the waters of Miami Beach. I misjudged the landing spot, which caused me to break my neck, bruise two vertebrae in my spine, and injure my spinal cord. 

Thankfully, my cousin was there to bring me out of the water when I could not resurface on my own. The emergency responders saved my life, but I still faced a future of paralysis.

Nevertheless, this was only the beginning of my journey. The rehabilitation process was long, arduous, and expensive. The medical industry — especially the insurance companies — seemed content to allow me to live the rest of my life in a wheelchair, but I showed resilience. 

I refused to give up and accept that this was my only option, and I hope to help others who don’t want to give up either. There are ways to get stronger, live healthier, and even get the opportunity to walk again, but the system unfortunately deprives so many individuals of access to these treatments.

Why the SCI community needs help

The reality of living with spinal cord injury is that most insurance companies don’t provide the support SCI survivors need to recover and resume living normal lives. Generally, SCI survivors require anywhere from 3 to 5 months of intensive rehab at a dedicated facility, but in my case, my insurance provided only 20 days. Some may think this is the exception, but it is frustratingly the standard — regardless of the quality of insurance one carries.

As a result, many SCI survivors are left to pay for their rehab out-of-pocket if they hope to live a lifestyle even close to what they may have prior to their injury. However, the cost of care for SCI patients can range from $1.5 million to $4.5 million over the lifetime of a 25-year-old — an amount that is unreachable for the average individual. 

I was lucky enough to have support from my family, who had enough savings to support my rehabilitation. But many SCI survivors are not so fortunate.

What makes this situation so frustrating is that there are already proven therapies and solutions to spinal cord injuries. Insurance companies simply refuse to cover them, instead doling out “life sentences” to virtually anyone who suffers from an SCI that does not have the means to afford out-of-pocket therapy. While organizations do exist to help support SCI survivors through grants and other resources, the ultimate goal is to create a system that makes treatment more affordable for all.

Resources that SCI survivors have to aid their recovery

Thus, many of the same organizations that provide financial support to spinal cord injury survivors have made it their mission to lift the voices of those in the SCI community. By calling attention to the obstacles SCI survivors face in their rehabilitation, these organizations have the opportunity to inspire real change in the healthcare system. They not only highlight the need for better access to life-altering treatment, but also show survivors they are not alone in their struggle.

Indeed, one of the most powerful resources spinal cord injury survivors have is each other. Although the discussion of the impact of SCI is generally on the survivor’s physical abilities, the more insurmountable obstacle is the depression and hopelessness they commonly experience. Navigating this emotional anguish alone can be the most difficult part of living with a spinal cord injury, but with the support of a community of people who share similar experiences, those feelings of loneliness can go away. 

Through my experiences meeting hundreds of my brothers and sisters in the SCI community, I have found that sharing my own story can often be just as valuable — if not more — than the financial support our organization provides. My success in overcoming my injury serves as a reminder that it is possible to keep moving forward with SCI. 

I hope to provide a sense of assurance and purpose to those suffering from spinal cord injuries. I also hope that the stories of resilience of people like myself and the hundreds of people I have worked with through my organization help those still on their recovery journey. 

For those who wish to support the SCI community, the easiest way to do so is to donate so that survivors can receive the financial support they need to receive treatment. You can also help spread the word about these stories so that real change can occur.

— Walking With Anthony has helped Anthony Purcell join forces with others trying valiantly to walk the path of living victoriously over the physical, emotional, social, and financial challenges of SCI. He has met with hundreds of his brothers and sisters in the SCI community and given them a sense of assurance and purpose they might never find without the help of Anthony and this foundation.