Walking with Anthony

SPINAL CORD INJURY AWARENESS MONTH

INTRODUCING SCI HEROES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

This September, we aim to raise SCI awareness by sharing 30 different stories from 30 individuals with SCI, highlighting their tragedies and triumphs each day on our social channels and website. Walking With Anthony receives thousands of grant applications every year from individuals with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) in desperate need of help. Each story has the same underlying theme: these brave heroes need mental, physical, and financial guidance and support. 

SCI HERO

Amanda Stuckey

Amanda

Woke up normally 8/10/15 & sat up in bed stretching a little when I suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of my neck.

My hands started tingling and going numb, and it quickly moved up my arms & down my entire body, and was completely paralyzed within 15 minutes. Was married at the time & he took me to the ER where I continued to worsen over the next few days.

Lost my diaphragm and was put on the ventilator by day 3 and was in n out of a medically induced coma for about 8 days as they tried to get my body to stop attacking my spinal cord. I swelled bilaterally from C2-T2, was put on heavy steroids & had plasmapheresis. I had to get a tracheotomy in ICU, PICC line, and feeding tube.

After 2 weeks in ICU, I spent 6 weeks in an acute care facility, then 4 weeks of inpatient rehab. Misdiagnosed with Guillan Barre & NeuroMyelitis Optica, and ultimately diagnosed with acute Transverse Myelitis with lesions at C5-6.

I came home 11/3/15 in a wheelchair completely dependent on others. It took a solid 6 months before I was able to use a walker confidently. My husband quickly realized he didn’t want me like this and left me a few months after I returned home, with our 2 yr old son and my 9 year old daughter.

My daughter became my helper & critch and helped me to relearn how to do things with my still partially paralyzed body. I live 95% independently with my 2 kids & 2 dogs, 7 years later. I’m still partially paralyzed from the chest down– I can’t feel temperature or external pain for the most part, I’d say I can feel maybe 60%. My left leg doesn’t work all the way & I wear an AFO.

My hands hardly function, I can wiggle my fingers and lift them up with tenodesis but can’t close them/curl them to make a fist at all, they’re stuck mostly straight. I have bladder and bowel incontinence but not fully, I do have a little control, but I wear incontinence protective products.

I’m really trying to find assistance with purchasing a newer minivan for myself & my kids. I’m driving a 2004 Chevrolet Venture that’s reached 170k miles on it that isn’t going to safely last me much longer. I’m overwhelmed by the inflation of used vehicle prices suddenly and am worried that I’ll be stuck without transportation soon.

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More SCI Heroes

Please share these stories during the month of September to help us raise awareness for spinal cord injury:

SCI Heroes

Ian Malesiewski

I was wrestling at the junior freestyle and Greco world team trials. It was my first match of the Greco portion of the tournament and I threw my opponent. I landed hitting the mat with my...

Rhonda Williams
SCI Heroes

Rhonda Williams

I am a C5 C6 quadriplegic who had a car accident when I was 16 in 1989 in Virginia. Through the many years of living as a quadriplegic I have had ebbs and flows. I met my husband while living in...

David Wieselmann
SCI Heroes

David Wieselmann

I was Mt. Biking with friends up in Vermont after work. We were cutting down a hill at the very end of run, and my front wheel sunk in some soft dirt. I went over the handlebars and did a...

Stephanie Nichols-Rodas
SCI Heroes

Stephanie Nichols-Rodas

I had a car accident May 6th,2017, early in the morning on my way to work. Another car was going to hit me, so I swerved and hit a concrete median while merging on to the freeway. I flipped 3...

Eden Hoelscher
SCI Heroes

Eden Hoelscher

On December 23, 2015, our five-year-old daughter, Eden, collapsed on the ground after doing a backbend on our living room floor. Within 30 minutes, she was paralyzed from the waist down. She was...

Rebecca Koltun
SCI Heroes

Rebecca Koltun

On March 13, 2021, I was skiing with some friends in Vermont. While I do not recall the day itself, I was told that I had a very bad fall. I woke up in a hospital in New Hampshire, paralyzed from...

Rob Balucas
SCI Heroes

Rob Balucas

hey, i’m rob This part of my story starts in 2015. That year was a shaping up to be a breakout year for my business and me. My business, a boutique creative agency, was on track to grow by 12%...

Stevie VanAusdale
SCI Heroes

Stevie VanAusdale

I was in a car accident the summer going into my junior year of high school. I was with 4 friends. We made the poor choice of throwing water bottles at other cars, which caused one car to chase...

Casey Ellin
SCI Heroes

Casey Ellin

On June 1st, 2013, when Casey was only 26 years old, he had an accident at Jones Beach that forever changed his life. After diving into the ocean, he fractured his C4 – C6 vertebrae, leaving him...

Michael Kim
SCI Heroes

Michael Kim

38 years old father of two young children, PARALYZED. This fund is set up for Mike's family during a time of incredible heartache, to help them navigate a long road of recovery and treatment....

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DISCLAIMER:

Walking With Anthony receives thousands of grant applications every year from individuals with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) in desperate need of help. Although we are not able to directly support every individual, for your participation you will receive valuable resources regarding mentorship, mental health, community, advice, and education to help you on your SCI journey. 30 stories will be chosen to share on social media, and those individuals will also receive $200 of wellness supplements to aid in their recovery.

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