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Hawai'i Spinal Cord Injury Support & Resources

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Kokua (koh-ku-ah) Hawaiian meaning help, aid, provide assistance.  Kokua is an important concept in Hawaiian culture as it goes deeper than "help". Kokua is about helping others without expecting anything in return. A beautiful illustration defining the term can be found HERE.

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According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, Nearly 300,000 people in the United States live with a spinal cord injury & less than 3% of those with total spinal cord injury ever recover basic physical functions.  My journey down this path began on September 23, 2018 when I suffered a catastrophic C2/3 Spinal Cord Injury from a shore break accident body boarding on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. I spent four months at Craig Rehab Hospital in Denver re-learning how to breathe, walk, & talk before returning to Hawai’i. That was only the beginning…

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Returning to Oahu I discovered numerous challenges in attempting to function following my spinal cord injury. I classify these challenges as physical, mental, emotional, & spiritual. The following are a collection of resources I have assembled in order to support those in Hawai’i living with spinal cord injuries. These are a special group of people that helped me move beyond my despair, move forward in my new life & get back in the ocean. These links are for reference only & do not imply sponsorship or endorsement.

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Physical

Maui's Hook represents strength

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The Honu represents wisdom

Mental

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The Hibiscus represents love

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Emotional

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Spiritual

The Rainbow represents spiritual connection

Physical

Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, is a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital that exclusively specializes in the neurorehabilitation and research of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and brain injury (BI). Craig is a not-for-profit, free-standing national center of excellence.

Serving Hawaii since 1953, REHAB rebuilds lives together with individuals, families and communities by providing exemplary patient care services in Hawaii and the Pacific.

AccesSurf builds an inclusive community that empowers people with disabilities through accessible beach and water programs.

As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization since 2009, High Fives has helped countless injured athletes and Veterans get back to doing what they love. The Foundation aims to be the leader of education and recovery of life-altering injuries in outdoor action sports.

  • Best Spinal Cord Injury Rehab Centers in the U.S.

Here is a list of the most trusted rehab centers in the U.S. that specialize in spinal cord injury.

  • Recreational Therapy: The Unsung Hero of Recovery.

Recreational therapy addresses unique social, physical and cognitive dimensions. It can help restore neurocognitive function by involving the participant in games and exercise

Mental

Reeve Foundation Paralysis Resource Center (PRC) offers free, comprehensive, national source of informational support for people living with paralysis and their caregivers. 

The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC), located at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, supports and directs the collection, management and analysis of the National SCIMS Database.

JSCM publishes articles encompassing the field of spinal cord medicine leading to excellence in practice, education, research, policy development, and academic administration.

The journal reports on clinical practices, state-of-the-art concepts, and new developments in spinal cord injury patient care and research.

The Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy (JNPT) is an indexed resource for dissemination of research-based evidence related to neurologic physical therapy intervention. 

Research article catalog for the official journal of the International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS), publishing research on spinal cord anatomy, physiology and management of injury and disease.  

Emotional

Emotional health is one aspect of mental health. It is your ability to cope with both positive and negative emotions, which includes your awareness of them.

Having good emotional health doesn’t mean you’re always happy or free from negative emotions. It’s about having the skills and resources to manage the ups and downs of day-to-day life.

A sense of social connection is one of our fundamental human needs and it impacts our mental health, physical health, and longevity.

Support groups provide an opportunity for members to connect with others who understand what they are going through and to gain support, insight and guidance. 

Pain management is an ongoing issue following a spinal cord injury.

COVID 19 shut down took its toll on many people in many ways.  The Oahu SCI Support Group disbanded at this time & work is underway to re-start it.

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Spiritual

Spiritual or compassionate care involves serving the whole person—the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual. 

Sojourners is an independent, award-winning print and online magazine of faith, culture, and politics. Our mission is to inspire hope and action by articulating the biblical call to racial and social justice, life and peace, and environmental stewardship.

Online content from the print magazine. A dive into educational, eye-opening topics from some favorite writers. You can access two premium articles for free each month online.

Wu Wei is a concept in Chinese philosophy that translates into “inaction” or “effortless action” and promotes inner harmony, stillness, and letting go of the need to control everything.

Helpful Shopping Links

Libraries & Journals 

Spiritual

  • Spirituality

  • Spiritually Healthy You. Articles

  • Finding Meaning and Joy After Spinal Cord Injury

  • The role of spirituality in spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation: exploring health professional perspectives​​

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