The Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) is the leading national user-led charity for spinal cord injured (SCI) people. Being a user led organisation, SIA is well placed to understand the everyday needs of living with an injury. SIA meet those needs by providing key services and resources to share information and experience.
On 16 May SIA is launching a new DVD resource for family members of spinal cord injured people, as part of their Spinal Cord Injuries Awareness Day activities.
Every eight hours someone in the UK is told they will never walk again due to damage to their spinal cord. It could happen to any of us, at any time, as a result of an accident or illness. The impact of spinal cord injury is life-changing and affects not just the individual but family members and friends too.
SIA already provides support to over 130 family members of spinal cord injured people each month through their well-established Peer Support Service. Talking to someone who has ‘been there and done that’ has proved very beneficial to both individuals and family members, during what can be a traumatic time. The launch of SIA’s Talking Spinal Cord Injury: the family perspective DVD will help to broaden the support that they already give.
Talking Spinal Cord Injury: the family perspective is a 30 minutes DVD that provides four different family member perspectives of the impact of spinal cord injury: a parent, a child, a sibling and a spouse. Each family member in the DVD shares their experience of spinal cord injury, giving an insight into what can be expected when a family member is injured.
SIA supporter and TV presenter Lucy Alexander, whose daughter Kitty contracted Transverse Myelitis in 2010, says:
“We found it comforting talking to other families in a similar situation when our daughter became spinal cord injured after contracting Transverse Myelitis. The Spinal Injuries Association’s DVD – Talking Spinal Cord Injury: the family perspective – is a wonderful resource to learn and take comfort from.
Spinal cord injury is life changing and this DVD helps to show that life still goes on, but just in a different way. It takes time but, moving forward together in a positive family way, you do get there.
It’s a journey that’s worth going on and brings you closer than ever to your family!
We are hugely proud of our daughter Kitty and her achievements – it’s been a tough journey for all of us but together we will be positive and continue to live life to the full.”
Lucy’s daughter Kitty was just seven when she contracted Transverse Myelitis four years ago. Transverse Myelitis is a rare neurological disease that attacked Kitty’s nervous system, leaving permanent damage to her spinal cord.
For more information about spinal cord injury and the support SIA can provide or to order a FREE copy of their new DVD Talking Spinal Cord Injury: the family perspective please visit www.spinal.co.uk or phone 0845 678 6633.
You can also support SIA’s Spinal Cord Injuries Awareness Day activities by joining in their social media campaign #everyeighthours #ShoutoutforSIA or by holding a Great British Fish and Chip Supper with your family, friends or colleagues. Visit www.siafishandchips.co.uk to register your supper.
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