Meet Ian B., finding a future with SCI
After a spinal cord injury left him unable to walk, Ian had to rethink how to live his life and achieve his goals. He was injured while serving as a pilot and combat rescue officer in the Air Force.He was injured while serving as a pilot and combat rescue officer in the Air Force. An active and ambitious young man, he was also studying for a graduate degree and playing professional rugby. Following my injury, I was very fortunate to come here to Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, he said. That enabled Ian to participate in clinical studies offered at Kessler Foundation’s Research Center.
Ian participated in two studies aimed at helping people regain their mobility after spinal cord injury. His experiences enabled him to make gains that Ian feels would have been unattainable anywhere else. Ian gains are more than just physical. The staff’s support has helped him plan his future. I have been closely working with Kessler Research for 6 years now and they have remotivated me and kept me focused on getting into medical school, Ian recounted. I hope to come back and work alongside them with a new skill set, he said, so I can ‘pay forward’ some of the wonderful care and research that has been afforded to me.
Ian tells patients with spinal cord injuries: Anything they want to do post injury is completely possible. It’s just a matter of how much effort it’s going to take. He uses his own experience as an example. Post injury, I finished my master’s degree at Harvard University and started my postbaccalaureate premedical program, he said. This year he went skiing, race care driving, and traveling, and found time to work with advocacy organizations and help new friends customize their wheelchairs. Looking forward to applying to medical school for next fall, Ian notes that his options are pretty much limitless, just as they were before. It’s a matter of finding that focus, that motivation, to go out and do things. helped me pinpoint my problems with remembering and learning and develop ways to work around them.
Ian’s participation in studies at Kessler Research Center has helped him regain mobility, raise his quality of life, and find a focus for the future. In addition to the many personal benefits he received, he has contributed to research that benefits both civilians and veterans. Ian summed up his experience saying, I got to participate directly in the future of medicine and the future of my own health care right away.
Interested in participating in a research study? Check out what studies are currently accepting participants.