SCI Participant Statements

Standing & Transfer

“Can some electronic wires, batteries and software change someone’s life? It sure can. I’m living proof. After acquiring a C6-7 incomplete spinal cord injury in March 1998, I was told to start to get comfortable with the wheelchair. It would be my one and only mode of mobility; life would be at a seated level. Those with spinal cord injury are not only limited with mobility but also plagued with secondary medical complications, such as urinary tract infections, osteoporosis, pressure sores and muscle atrophy, to name a few.

“Nearly two years after my initial injury, I received the Stand and Transfer FES system developed by the team at the Cleveland FES Center. The system allows me to exercise, transfer and stand using implanted electrodes in my lower limbs. Those three functions can dramatically change the world for someone with a spinal cord injury. The ability to exercise the lower limbs helps to combat the medical complications that haunt those with spinal injury. My muscles are healthy and free from pressure sores. Exercise also allows me to control my spasticity without pharmaceutical drugs. The transfer feature not only allows an easy way to solve those unusual or difficult transfers, it also gives me the freedom to access places where the wheelchair will not fit, such as narrow doorways and the isle in an airplane. Aside from the exercising and transferring, standing provides the greatest reward.

“My first stand was an unforgettable moment. No longer burdened with big, uncomfortable KAFO braces, I can now easily transport the system and use it for practical purposes. I can stand to reach things that are too high for a wheelchair, stand to make a presentation behind a podium, stand to see in a crowd of people. The system provides the stability and support so I may enjoy the sport of sailing. Those are some practical purposes for standing, but there are emotional ones as well, such as standing to hug my parents and standing at my wedding. Those unforgettable moments provide the freedom and independence that no other solution can provide today.

“My FES Stand and Transfer System has so many different uses. I’m sure there are more I have yet to discover. It is not a replacement for my wheelchair, but it is an option that gives me the freedom of movement. It is always a satisfying moment to look back at an empty wheelchair.”

- Jen