Real Action Against Spinal Cord Injury

By United Spinal Staff

United Spinal Association (USA) has partnered with the Cycle For SCI fundraiser, created by Ciara O’Sullivan and Larissa Clifford. The two women just cycled from New York City to Orlando to help improve the lives of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). O’Sullivan’s sister, Siobhan, who is the inspiration for Cycle For SCI, sustained a C5 SCI in a 2013 zip-lining accident.

“Siobhan’s injury helped to motivate us to take action because we were able to see, firsthand, how a spinal cord injury can completely change the way of life for someone. We continue to see how much spinal cord specific rehabilitation helps Siobhan become more independent each day and improve her life in a multitude of ways,” said O’Sullivan.

One of the major issues that Siobhan has faced is complications due to nerve and back pain. She had to be readmitted to Kessler Institute of Rehabilitation last year to manage the pain.

“I don’t think people realize how much pain can be associated with spinal cord injuries. Trying to pinpoint the cause of pain with specific spinal cord injuries and how to treat it, is such an important area to us. We hope that some of the raised money can be used to help people reduce the amount of pain they experience on a day-to-day basis,” said O’Sullivan.

With support from United Spinal, O’Sullivan and Clifford are utilizing Cycle For SCI as a platform to advocate for improved quality of life and independence for individuals with SCI.

“We chose to partner with United Spinal Association and several of United Spinal over 50 chapters because we believe that quality of life for people living with spinal cord injuries is one of the most important things to advocate for after an injury,” added Clifford.

Click here to read “United Spinal Named Beneficiary of ‘Cycle For SCI’ East Coast Bike Ride".

For more information on Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month, please visit United Spinal Association.

Editors note: Allsup helps individuals living with spinal cord injuries and other disabilities apply for SSDI and return to work.