There is just so much going on in the world with wheelchair and disabled sports! Hopefully I can re-cap this weeks happenings for you. I want to let all of you know that Rollingpix.net is getting closer to completion and I will be back in the field very soon! Here are this weeks updates.
> Wheelchair Tennis - ITF Masters - Atlanta, GA. World's #1 Player Michael Jeremiasz's retirement due to injury gives Tadeusz Kruszelnicki the win and a spot in the semi's where he will face 4th seed Shingo Kunieda. Satoshi Saida and Robin Aamerlam are on the other side of the draw playing today.
On the women's side... World No 1 Esther Vergeer (NED) lead a trio of Dutch players in to the semi-finals. Vergeer smoked World No 4 Jiske Griffioen 60 62 to gether place in the final four facing Sharon Walraven. Walraven won even more convincingly , she blew by Maaike Smit (NED) 61 60.
The next (and last) tournament of the year on U.S. turf is the U.S. Open Super Series in San Diego Oct.3rd - 8th.
> Disabled Sailing - 9/20/06 U.S. Disabled Sailing Team member Rick Doerr wins the (open) Sonar Long Island Sound Championship.
I'm sure there is alot more going on than that but I need to work on a story about the W/C Tennis Fed. Bye for now.
I'm always looking for sites, web-zines, blogs and digital media to include here. If you want to be included leave me a message and I'll look it over.
Disabled World publishes a very informative bi-monthly magazine on all the worls topics on disabilities. Their mission statement says "Disability World is a new web-zine dedicated to advancing an exchange of information and research about the international independent living movement of people with disabilities," The magazine is very well organized by geographic location and each contain easily navigated links to various issues and media about our World community.
Hurricane and Disaster preparedness information can be found at Ideas4all, designed and established after Hurricane Katrina this site has state by state disaster planning resources on a very easy to use map.
That's it for today but like I said e-mail me the details and I will take a look.
"Keep your heads up and your wheels on the ground" unkown
All over the world people like you and I live with Spinal Cord Injuries and look forward to the Stem Cell as the cure for our condition. I do think that stem cell therapies hold a lot of promise for all disabled people, but not me. Don't get me wrong, I would go through the procedure any day, but I would much rather be bionic.
The media reporting on stem cells is ridiculous. Adult or Embryonic, each term sends the scientists and theologians, politicians and lay people spinning, confusing what the core issue is, improving a paralyzed persons quality of life. What never ceases to amaze me is that people would even debate on the subject of helping us to live, function and walk again. Bionics and prosthetics on the other hand completely eliminate most of those debates.
Stem Cell Therapies are being performed in Portugal, China and other places. Different doctors do different procedures, based on what their cultures dictate to them. Dr. Carlos Lima in Portugal works with the patients own nasal stem cells or OEC's. Dr. Huang Hongyun of Beijing, China is the maverick of the field, working with the ever contoversial fetal or embryonic stem cell. Both have had limited successes, but far more people have left with tens of thousands of dollars for the treatment and come back dissapointed and broke. Stem Cell Therapy is considered the "Grail" of medical science and I'm sure that one day it will be found.
Bionics and the vision of the cyborg are not new ideas either. "This merging of the evolved and the developed, this integration of the constructor and the constructed, these systems of dying flesh and undead circuits, and of living and artificial cells. have been called many things: bionic systems, vital machines, cyborgs. They are a central figure of the late Twentieth Century. . . . But the story of cyborgs is not just a tale told around the glow of the televised fire. There are many actual cyborgs among us in society. Anyone with an artificial organ, limb or supplement (like a pacemaker), anyone reprogrammed to resist disease (immunized) or drugged to think/behave/feel better (psychopharmacology) is technically a cyborg. The range of these intimate human-machine relationships is mind-boggling. It's not just Robocop, it is our grandmother with a pacemaker." [Cyborg Handbook, 322]
In the eyes of the blind a new bionic eye has been developed that will allow the blind to see again. A man who lost both both his arms has received limbs that although crude, function better than nothing. Jesse Sullivan has a video online demonstrating the functions of his new limbs. Claudia Mitchell, a 26 year old U.S. Marine also received a bionic arm from RIC. This arm is controlled by thought alone. Using it Ms Mitchell, 26, can now fold clothes, eat a banana and do the washing up.
At a press conference in Chicago to reveal her new arm to the world, Ms Mitchell said: "I can move my elbow up and down and I can open and close my hand simply by thinking that that's what I want to do."
I worry about what will happen with my body that has been "fixed" with stem cells. I have already broken my neck, drowning face down in a lake while completely conscious and I don't wan't to feel that again. Stem Cells are just as delicate as the cells they are replacing. It might sound crazy to alot of people but I wan't to be a cyborg. Stronger, faster, more durable and impervious to physical pain. The whole concept is awesome and the technologies are growing rapidly.
The person is always more than the sum of their parts but if we could have different parts, parts resistant to the ravages of age, disease and condition we might just be a little better off. What about you? If you could choose, would it be Stem Cells or Cyborgs?
Story taken from Extreme Chairing Aug. 8 '06In a story that continues to illutrate the determination of today's disabled person John "J2" Mryczko started a 40 mile trail ride in an 8 year old power chair. On his site he talks about having trouble early on the first day off the ride, “My chairs old, it’s going to be eight years since I've had it this January, and she's been through a lot.” The ride was intended as a fund and awareness raising effort for people living with spinal cord injuries. So far they have raised roughly $700.00 dollars of their $1,000 dollar goal. If you have a little scratch to spare I suggest you go here. The link takes you to a secure online donation form or you can mail a check to. Extreme Chairing - 9445 Ozanam - Morton Grove IL. 60053
IPC World Cycling Championships - 3 Gold Medals for the U.S. Team - 7 medals overall
IPC World Athletic Championships - U.S. ties for second in both the Gold and Total Medals count. Josh George (IL) won four golds. Tatyana McFadden won Gold, and set a new world record 16.31 secs. in the 100m.
Well then! Things with Rollingpix.net are proceeding much slower than I was hoping for. Business loans require plans and plans require work. I'm still doing everything by myself and now my plan is done and submitted. I am so glad that part is over. So much has happened in the w/c sports world in the past month.
Here are some highlights for you.
>Sept. 16, 2006 - The U.S. Quad Rugby team won the World Championships, narrowly beating the home team Kiwi's 34-30. They also went completely undefeated through the whole tourney, needless to say if this team stays healthy and together Beijing looks pretty good. (full results and photos)
>Aug. 2006 - Jimmy Goddard successfully climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and became the record holder for any ascent using arm power. The guy then started a 1,019 mile trek in Scotland. That trip was abandoned on the 15th of this month due to Jimmy getting hit by a car. His site says he is un-injured but his chair and handbike are trashed.
I never cease to be amazed at what people are willing, and able to do.
