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Hello from a C1-2
Quadriplegic!
My name is Bill Miller; I am 33 years old and live in Central
Florida (Leesburg). For the past 12+ years, I've been paralyzed from my
neck down and living life as a ventilator-dependent quadriplegic. My
accident involved alcohol, but nonetheless, was just a simple trip and
fall in my college bedroom that dislocated C5 and C6. The dislocated
vertebrae bruised my spinal cord, which caused my paralysis, and after
two surgeries, my injury level ascended from C5-6 to C1-2, which as you
probably know is essentially the same level as the late Christopher
Reeve.
I'm considered a C1-2 complete injury, which is about as high as
possible, so in theory, every other spinal cord injured person has
either the same level of function or more than me. So my thoughts are
that if I can accomplish what I'm about to share with you, then any SCI
person should be able to succeed similarly, or in whatever challenges
they choose. So I hope you find my
story encouraging.
When initially injured, we all probably think of the same thing... when
will the "cure" get here? I certainly did, but that is a question with
no clear answer. As of now (in late 2009) it appears legitimate
therapies that restore useful function in paralyzed people MIGHT be
available in as little as three to five years. I fully believe I'll
regain significant, useful function, and walk again, BUT... whether
it's 3, 5, 10 years, or more... what about now?
Time Flies When You're
Having Fun
After rehab and getting "settled" at home, I realized the best thing to
do would be to get busy doing whatever, whatever I could considering my
physical limitations. I wanted to get busy doing things to see how
quickly time could "fly" for the years I'm going to be paralyzed. That
started with learning to operate a computer by voice (actually, I also
had to learn how to speak well with the ventilator). With voice
software, I can do just about anything on a computer from playing games
to being productive.
I have voice commands that enable me to: play solitaire,
play hearts, play minesweeper, do sudoku puzzles (which I love:), do email, surf the
Internet, read the news online, read and participate on message boards,
follow my favorite sports teams, shop online, research anything in the
world, and work with just about any application -- I can even edit
photos by voice. I did movie reviews for our local
newspaper, which was a lot of fun and my first post-accident job. I had to stop doing
movie reviews after about two-and-a-half years because I wanted to
pursue other things, specifically, these four things: (1)
doing
speaking engagements, (2)
building websites,
(3)
developing a way to bowl, and (4)
resuming my
education.
Speaking Engagements
People are often surprised that someone who is vent-dependent and
paralyzed from the neck down is a positive person who is intent on
"living life" and doing what I can to be productive (personally, I'm
trying to do God's will, which I believe is helping people). Some people
who see me in this big chair with the vent on back (and don't know me)
might, naturally, feel sorry for me -- which is what I DON'T want! :-)
So to share my story, I put together a base presentation which I now
call "healthy perspectives and overcoming challenges" which is a message
I can tailor to just about any group of adults (and even adolescents:).
Everyone will face
challenges in life, some daily, and sometimes it takes a healthy
perspective in order to conquer life's challenges. Three big
challenges I faced after my injury were: (1) not being able to talk, (2)
not being able to eat, and (3) not being able to breathe at all on my
own. I now talk well, eat a normal diet by mouth, and can breathe
for over 4.5 hours on my own (feel free to
contact me for details). Overcoming challenges is a message
that was/is
well received and needed at Anthony House, a homeless shelter which has
a 4-week "self-help" program for the adults. I've been a regular speaker
at Anthony House, and have spoken with church groups, school groups,
service clubs like Rotary and Kiwanis, Chambers of Commerce, and also at
a few conferences. I've done more than 100 presentations since the year 2000. Here's
a
picture of me at Florida Hospital Waterman giving a presentation for
them titled: Where I Now "Stand" -- The View from a Power Wheelchair.
Building Websites
I wanted to learn how to build, design, and edit websites, which I did,
starting with my own which is:
LookMomNoHands.net
(you are on it:). I designed my website to both tell my story, but
more importantly, to hopefully be a resource for other disabled people,
especially quadriplegics and vent users. When I was initially
injured and in rehab, we couldn't find a whole lot of info on life as a
C1-2 quadriplegic, and we SCI people are our best sources of info, so I
wanted to put mine out there. I also have done several websites
for family and friends and have done 12
websites altogether (ten
are current). It's fun, and it's a way I can do something for my
family and friends who do so much for me.
Developing a Way to Bowl
My Stepmom saw that I could drive my wheelchair very well and knew there
must be a way I could bowl. But nothing existed that I could use. The
stationary ramps at bowling alleys do me absolutely no good -- because I
can't physically participate in executing a shot with one. So we wanted
to develop a legitimate way I (and other wheelchair users) could bowl. A
retired engineer named Claude Giguere ("G-gair") said he could work with
me to develop a way to bowl.
Claude and I both quickly agreed it needed to be an "attached ramp"
concept -- like a stationary ramp that could attach to my chair, so I
could control the ball and physically execute shots (using my chair). We
built a prototype out of wood to prove we had a viable concept. That was
in 2002. Claude and I realized that if I can bowl -- someone who can't
move or feel anything below my neck -- then ANY wheelchair user should
be able to bowl. In 2003, we found a strong businessperson who agreed
that other wheelchair users should also be able to experience the fun
and joy of bowling, and so Claude, myself, and Vincent Tifer formed a
company to try to get wheelchair users (back) in the game of life. We
are a company founded by three people with disabilities, for people with
disabilities.
Today, our company is known as MGT, which is short for Manufacturing
Genuine Thrills, and our bowling device is called the IKAN ("I can")
Bowler®. Ikanos is a Greek word that means enable, and we wanted to
enable wheelchair users to say: "I kan bowl!" The bowling process with an
IKAN Bowler® is the same process able-bodied bowlers perform: setup, then physically approach and
release the shot while stopping short of the foul line. The United States Bowling
Congress (USBC) agreed that our process is the wheelchair equivalent to
able-bodied bowling, so they sanctioned the IKAN Bowler® for league and
tournament play -- any league or tournament any where -- bowling with
and/or
against able-bodied bowlers or fellow IKAN Users.
What exactly does all this mean? We have a FUN, social, therapeutic,
and recreational activity that essentially ANY wheelchair user can do with
his/her friends, family and/or caregiver(s). We CAN compete with and
BEAT the people we bowl with and against -- on a "fair playing field"
for both able-bodied bowlers and IKAN Users! I've bowled
10 games
of 200 or better with my highest score being
221.
I gotta say, that's
quite good, but not as good as the overall world record for dynamic
wheelchair bowling, which is a whopping
243 by a C4-5
quadriplegic named Jon Musgrave in Colorado. We also recognize records
in different categories, including one's reason for wheelchair use (SCI,
Muscular Dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy, etc) and one's method of controlling
his/her wheelchair (joystick, sip-and-puff, chin control, head array,
manual, etc) and we have female and male categories for each. The
records are linked on our website,
ikanbowler.com
-- you can see video and checkout our products there too!
Veterans who use power wheelchairs -- I don't want to jinx it,
but we are close to obtaining a Federal Supply Schedule that can help
you get an IKAN Bowler and/or IKAN Soccer Guard (for playing power
soccer) through your VA -- at no cost to you! Contact
me or
us for details!
Resuming My Education
I was injured literally two days before I was to begin my senior year at
the University of Florida. I was going to finish my bachelor's in
mathematics, and continue and earn a master's degree so
that I could teach on the college level. I've been a Gator fan as
long as I can remember, and I've always wanted to graduate from UF. So I
got busy doing things while "waiting" for UF to offer an online program
I could do.
In 2004, I learned that UF was offering a
nationally-ranked
bachelor's degree online in business. Switching majors
required four prerequisite courses which I took online at St. Petersburg
College. I thought it was "meant to be" when I saw that my first
day back to school (online) would be on the (seventh) anniversary of my SCI accident. I graduated with honors from UF on August 9th,
2008. I plan to pursue a
Master of Science in Entrepreneurship (MSE) also online from
UF, and believe I'll teach collegiately -- online, in a classroom,
or both -- whether still paralyzed or not.
I plan to begin the MSE program in February 2011.
I believe anyone can go back to school -- online or in classrooms -- from
grade school
through college. Each school should have "disability resources" which
can provide you with appropriate accommodations to be successful. So, if
you want to resume your education, you can, and it's a good way to
prepare for when the potential "cure" gets here. For
more on how I resumed my education, click
HERE.
Conclusion
I wrote this to share with SCI groups because I want SCI
people to be happy. I believe being happy is a choice we can all make,
despite the challenges that come with our paralysis. I also wanted to
share my strategy for making the time "fly" until the cure arrives --
get busy having fun and/or trying to prepare for when the cure does
arrive. When I can control my arms & legs again... I don't
know if going
back to school would be at the top of my priority list, so I want to
"complete" my education first. While doing so, I also want to enjoy life
and get out and socialize from time to time, which is where the IKAN
Bowler® comes in.
Power wheelchair soccer is also available, and our
company also sells the best soccer guard (our mounts work with
both the bowling and soccer attachments). Most power wheelchair users
know about soccer, but not bowling. We have a group of power wheelchair
users here in Central Florida and call ourselves the Quad Squad. We bowl
together two Saturdays a month. But anyone could form their own local
Quad Squad if you so desired.
If you're interested to know even more about me, I hope to have a book coming
out in several months that is part semi-autobiography (largely
focused on my post SCI life) and also part "self help" strategies for
both able-bodied and not exactly able-bodied people. In the meantime,
feel free to explore my website, and
contact me with
any questions or comments.
No worries -- and thanks for reading about my story!
Sincerely,
Bill Miller :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 221 High Bowling Game
Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT
My blog:
http://powerwheelchairusers.blogspot.com
Business website:
http://www.ikanbowler.com
Personal website:
http://www.lookmomnohands.net
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