Sean's 180 Medical Community Story

TRANSCRIPT

My name is Sean. I’ve been in a wheelchair for, let’s see, 33 years now. Motorcycle accident. T4 paraplegic. After my injury, I think most people have to go through the seasons. Just to learn how to be able to deal with the rain, the snow, all of the different aspects of being in a chair.

It took me 4 or 5 years to really get to where I was comfortable going out and just being around people.

That was a game-changer for me as far as learning how to, you know, just get dressed and, wheelchair skills, coping mechanisms. Just learning how to get in and out of the car was... it took a while.

I wasn't planning on ever getting married. Right after I got hurt I didn’t... At first you think, “Who is going to want to marry me?” You lose your manhood.

The number one thing for me with a spinal cord injury is the loss of bowel and bladder, and sexual function. All of that was just... you know, I was 23.

I guess two years after my injury is when I met Chandy, my wife, and it just completely changed everything. She pretty much saved me.

I remember using red rubber catheters and having to boil them to reuse. And I was just a walk... (I almost said “a walking”) I was a rolling UTI. I had that back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back for probably two years.

The catheters that they have now are just great compared to what I did have.

180 Medical has been great, they were sending samples of different types. Just because one doesn’t work doesn’t mean that’s it.

I started doing some volunteer work. Actually, a friend of mine, Robert, we started the Oklahoma City Spinal Cord Injury Support Group, I started showing people some of my wheelchair tricks and things that I was able to do.

So I was invited to go to a Rehabilitation Hospital. Then I would just get a phone call saying, “Hey, somebody’s had a motorcycle wreck,” or “This particular injury has happened, could you go and visit them?”

So I’d go to the hospital or wherever they would be, and just try and encourage them the best I could and just let them know that if I can do it, then anybody can do it.

Without a doubt, I've seen hundreds of spinal cord injury or stroke patients, just people with disabilities if they're in a chair.

Some of the people that I've come across are good friends of mine today. Todd Brown, he was in the hospital, and I got a call to go and visit him. And, so I rolled in and just let him know that, “You can make it.” You know, that “There isn’t anything that you can't do.”

And obviously, he has excelled. It’s been neat to watch 180 Medical grow. I remember they started in like... in their garage, then moved to a warehouse, and then just boom. Kaboom.

So it’s been cool to see what Todd, you know, and just the whole team put together. It goes to show that quality people, quality products, and just care for others, what it can do.