Winter Bifida is a wonderful event put on each winter by the Spina Bifida Association of San Diego (SBSD). I had the great pleasure to speak at this years Winter Bifida this past Sunday, December 11th. The event was held at Balboa Park in San Diego, California and there were about 200 people that attended including those with Spina Bifida and their families. The event featured a lot of fun activities for children including face painting, arts and crafts and they even had a few fun piñatas for the kids to take swings at. There was great food and you could tell from the smiles on the faces of the children that it was a very special event.    


Dr. Chiang, who helped start Winter Bifida three years ago is a Urologist at Rady's Children's Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Surgery at UCSD. I had the privilege of having dinner with Dr. Chiang and several other families that are on the board for the Spina Bifida Association of San Diego the Friday night before Winter Bifida got to hear wonderful stories about the positive impact this organization is having on the Spina Bifida community there in San Diego. I asked Dr. Chiang how he became involved with the the Spina Bifida group of San Diego and he jokingly told me that he didn't know it was an option. He then told me that he believed that the children he worked with that have Spina Bifida should have an event during the winter. That was the beginning just over 2 years ago and I was thankful to be part of the 3rd Annual Winter Bifida.   I shared some funny stories about first being injured and learning how to overcome new obstacles in my life. These obstacles included getting back into rock climbing and rappelling as well as going back to school and finishing my degrees. I also shared stories about first meeting Todd Brown and the positive way he has impacted my life and thousands of others that he has come in contact with.

I shared about how Todd helped me get into racing and competing in road races and then started 180 Medical to help people turn their lives around in a positive direction. I had about 100 photos of me rappelling and after I spoke the children came up and I was able to sign the photos for them and several families have emailed me already thanking me for being such an inspiration. That seems a little funny to me because I was the one who truly gained inspiration from getting to witness the courageous spirits of the children and their families.  Rob Roddy is a Rehab Specialist at 180 Medical. He travels the country speaking to groups, peer mentoring, and getting involved with adaptive sports. If your group is interested in having Rob speak at an event please contact info@180medical.com. Find him on Facebook: facebook.com/SCIConnection 

I had a blast in Grapevine, TX, this past weekend participating in RISE Adventure's End of Summer bash. It is so great to have such wonderful organizations to help give people an opportunity to try adaptive sports. 

One of my first thoughts after being told I would not walk again (well, after thinking about vans, wheelchair parking and never getting a date again) was I didn’t want to have to depend on people constantly. I had been independent. I had moved out of my parents’ home and had been attending college and was enrolled in school to start again once summer ended. My summer ended a lot earlier than I thought on July 26th when a car struck me going 60 mph. 

I wanted to sit in the rain and feel the grass underneath my feet but I couldn’t even roll myself over in bed. All in time I gained my independence but it came at a snail’s pace, it seemed. Once I was off bed rest, I still had trouble transferring and several therapists used to joke with me about carrying a transfer board in my backpack of my wheelchair. They said “Rob, why do you always carry that transfer board around?” The answer was simple I thought, in case I needed to transfer. I did not want to depend upon people. 

Dependence upon people is a necessary part of life though. A necessary part of everyone’s life but when you are 19 (or any age) you have something like walking or even moving your arms taken away it’s terrifying. A book called Tuesdays With Morrie helped me accept the fact that there are times when I need help. Rather than a reminder of what I can’t do, it is a huge blessing to have the help of loved ones or the kindness of strangers there to help me. 

It used to take me 45 minutes every morning to get dressed. Now, depending upon how late I am running, it takes as little as 5 minutes. There is no more transfer board behind my chair. I have found that even sitting down, I am able to do more than I ever thought possible. I ended up not needing a van and even bought a motorcycle or two that I ride, when they are not broken down. Independence is different for everyone and since I’m a paraplegic it might seem that I have more independence than those that have higher levels of spinal cord injury trauma, independence is also a state of being or mind. I am free to make decisions and choose how to feel or how to act. Early on after my accident I read a quote by a young man who was paralyzed and he said that before his accident there were 1,000 things he could do and that after his accident there were 900 things he could do. The numbers of course were just for impact but what struck me was he said that he chooses to focus on the 900 things he can do instead of the 100 things he can’t do. By the way, I’m yet to find something I can’t do. 

I was very fortunate to be able to attend the Life Rolls On They Will Surf Again (TWSA) event in La Jolla, CA on Saturday, September 10th.  TWSA is an adaptive surfing program for those with spinal cord injury and a life-changing volunteer experience for all. It's not all about the surfing, it's about proving that anything is possible. 

We will be at the Houston Abilities Expo on August 26-28, 2011 at Reliant Center where we would like to introduce you to all the great things we have to offer. In addition to us, there will be more than 130 suppliers of products and services that will increase your quality of life through new technology, great seminars on important issues and networking opportunities that will meet your specific needs. The expo is FREE and it’s the leading event for people with disabilities, their families, caregivers, seniors, veterans and healthcare professionals.

If you have not pre-registered, you can do so now and receive priority access to the show onsite. Here are just a few of the remarkable things that you will experience:

• The latest products and services for people with disabilities
• Cutting-edge assistive technology at the AT Pavilion
• Low-cost daily living aids at the Retail Pavilion
• Workshops on the issues that made a difference to you
• Pre-register for the City of Houston's session on how to write official tickets for people who park illegally in accessible parking as there is limited seating
• Adaptive rowing for better health and vitality
• Canine assistance demo to learn how dogs can help their human partners
• Hip-hop wheelchair dancing for the hottest dance moves on wheels
• Adaptive sports like handcycling, power soccer, adaptive tennis and wheelchair basketball
• Essentials for seniors
• Face painting for kids
• FREE wheelchair repair
• FREE loaner scooters
• And more!

You can find more information by visiting www.abilitiesexpo.com/houston.

Come meet us at booth #234 for your chance to win an Apple iPad2! We look forward to meeting you there!