Spinal Cord Injury Books and Stories

Inside the Halo, Maxine Kumin: In July 1998 Maxine Kumin suffered a terrible accident when her horse bolted. Ninety-five percent of such victims die before reaching the emergency room. Of those who do survive, ninety-five percent are paralyzed for life. But Kumin, less than a year later, was pronounced "a miracle." Though at first words threatened to elude her, writing (at first by dictating) became a way of maintaining her sanity. Kumin tells of her time "inside the halo," the near-medieval device that kept her head immobile during the weeks of intensive care and rehabilitation. During the long evenings she gets hooked on the Red Sox, muses on the state of the world, and forms lasting "rehab" friendships. She salutes the loving family who always believed she would heal and who "kept the garden going as a way of keeping me going." "She swerves from despair to hope to unshakable determination.

Rise and Walk: The Trial and Triumph of Dennis Byrd, Dennis Byrd, Michael Dorso: Byrd, a defensive lineman for the New York Jets, was paralyzed from the neck down in a collision during a game in November 1992. His book provides a graphic description of the physical and emotional devastation he experienced from the impact. In a matter of months Byrd defied all predictions and reasonable hopes and began walking again. He relates the role played by his wife, family, friends, doctors, therapists, and the general public; a combination of "medicine and miracles, of divine love and human faith and, yes, of endless hours of sweat, and pain and tears." This story was also produced as a TV movie.

Gary Karp has written several books that could be useful to SCI survivors. These include Choosing A Wheelchair: A Guide for Optimal Independence and From There To Here: Stories of Adjustment to Spinal Cord Injury. Read more about Karp's books at his website, http://www.lifeonwheels.org/books.html

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