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Press On: Life's Road Trip
By Sean McKale
Since becoming an Orthotist working for Wright & Filippis, my outlook on what a disability is has changed significantly. Tony Filippis Sr., the founder of Wright & Filippis, often said, "Just because somebody has a disability doesn't mean they are disabled." The facility where I work is located in the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM) and it's there where I get the privilege of witnessing people pushing beyond their limits and achieving their goals everyday. It is only natural to become inspired by this. So with this inspiration, I set out on a road trip to challenge my mental and physical abilities.
My friend and Alumni of the Athletes with Disabilities Hall of FameSM, Brian Sheridan, and I set out on a road trip to see America, with the end resulting in a challenging bike race. Our trip made stops in Chicago, along the Mississippi River in La Crosse (WI), the Badlands, Wall Drug Store, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Cody (WY), Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Jackson Hole, the beautiful state of Iowa (I actually mean that), Portland, Seattle, and finally we settled in Wenatchee (WA). Even with so much to see, we were able to maintain the theme "Press On" because there was always more ahead.
The final destination of our trip was the Mike Utley Foundation's "Dam 2 Dam" bike tour which raises money in support of spinal cord injury research. The tour is along the Columbia River, where beautiful landscapes overwhelm your eyes and the scent of apples fill the air. As a rider you have an option of doing 25, 50, or the incredible 100 mile race. I opted to do 50 miles, Brian did 25 miles on a hand cycle, and Gary "the man" McCann, also from the hospital, completed the 100 miles, even though he had never been on a road bike before.
With over 50 hand cyclists this past year, this race is the largest hand cycling event in North America. You can't help but feel inspired by those riders who truly show what it means in life to "Press On." Mike Utley has been a positive role model in the spinal cord injury community, encouraging others to maintain a high level of personal fitness and increased independence. When you meet Mike, one thing is clear: he will continue to "Press On," in both his personal life and in the search for a cure on behalf of the many people who have sustained life-altering spinal cord injuries.
Did you know?
By Sean McKale
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| (Front from left) Brian Sheridan, Mike Utley and Dani Utley (Back from left) Theresa McCann, Gary McCann and Sean McKale |
Since becoming an Orthotist working for Wright & Filippis, my outlook on what a disability is has changed significantly. Tony Filippis Sr., the founder of Wright & Filippis, often said, "Just because somebody has a disability doesn't mean they are disabled." The facility where I work is located in the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM) and it's there where I get the privilege of witnessing people pushing beyond their limits and achieving their goals everyday. It is only natural to become inspired by this. So with this inspiration, I set out on a road trip to challenge my mental and physical abilities.
My friend and Alumni of the Athletes with Disabilities Hall of FameSM, Brian Sheridan, and I set out on a road trip to see America, with the end resulting in a challenging bike race. Our trip made stops in Chicago, along the Mississippi River in La Crosse (WI), the Badlands, Wall Drug Store, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Cody (WY), Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Jackson Hole, the beautiful state of Iowa (I actually mean that), Portland, Seattle, and finally we settled in Wenatchee (WA). Even with so much to see, we were able to maintain the theme "Press On" because there was always more ahead.
The final destination of our trip was the Mike Utley Foundation's "Dam 2 Dam" bike tour which raises money in support of spinal cord injury research. The tour is along the Columbia River, where beautiful landscapes overwhelm your eyes and the scent of apples fill the air. As a rider you have an option of doing 25, 50, or the incredible 100 mile race. I opted to do 50 miles, Brian did 25 miles on a hand cycle, and Gary "the man" McCann, also from the hospital, completed the 100 miles, even though he had never been on a road bike before.
With over 50 hand cyclists this past year, this race is the largest hand cycling event in North America. You can't help but feel inspired by those riders who truly show what it means in life to "Press On." Mike Utley has been a positive role model in the spinal cord injury community, encouraging others to maintain a high level of personal fitness and increased independence. When you meet Mike, one thing is clear: he will continue to "Press On," in both his personal life and in the search for a cure on behalf of the many people who have sustained life-altering spinal cord injuries.
Did you know?
- There are approximately two million people worldwide living with spinal cord injury; 11,000 new injuries are reported every year in the U.S. with a new injury occurring every 48 minutes.
- Lifetime costs incurred by SCI individuals average $900,000 and can reach as high as $2.7 million depending on the level of injury.
- Vehicular accidents cause 50.4% of these spinal cord injuries, 11.2% are the result of violence and 23.8% are the result of falls. Sports injuries account for 9.0% of these injuries. The remaining 5.6% of spinal cord injuries result from work related or other
accidents.
- More than half (55%) of the SCI population was injured between the ages of 16 and 30. 80% of SCI individuals are male and approximately half (47%) are married at time of injury. 10 years after spinal cord injury, 58.1% are unemployed.
- The nation currently invests less than 1% of the costs of spinal cord injury into research that has the potential to restore function and substantially reduce the costs. Current annual costs of injuries: $9.7 billion; current research investments: less than $100 million from all sources – Federal, industry, foundation, and private donations.
Courtesy of The University of Alabama