Word: cords
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What an extraordinary article on Christopher Reeve and his battle to walk again after spinal-cord injury [MEDICINE, Aug. 26]. His courage, resolution and wit in the face of enormous physical challenges are truly inspiring. Roger Rosenblatt managed both to humanize and to exalt this man of steel. Many people will be cheering on his progress, both physical and legislative, in the years to come. While he can no longer move freely in the beautiful landscape near his home, Reeve will surely have many exhilarating journeys across the landscape of his mind. LAURA KELLY Pleasantville, New York Via E-mail...
Reeve is a valiant person and a magnificent spokesman for spinal-cord-injury regeneration research. His accomplishments should certainly be applauded. But his bravery is far outshone by those thousands of "average" men and women with quadriplegia who, despite less-than-optimal health care, little or no family support and few opportunities for independence through employment or education and training, go on day after day, always trying their very best to live their life in a positive, loving and productive way. They are the real heroes. CATHERINE W. BRITELL, M.D. Mercer Island, Washington Via E-mail...
...Jane was working within 1/16 of an inch of the brain stem. He placed a wire under both lamina--the bony covering of the spinal cord. He took bone from Reeve's hip and squeezed it down to get a solid fit between the C1 and C2. Then he put in a titanium pin the shape of a tiny croquet wicket and fused the sublaminal wire with the first and second vertebrae. Finally, he drilled holes in Reeve's skull and passed the wires through to get a solid fusion...
...first Reeve was told that he was a "C1 incomplete," which means that the spinal cord was still intact and that there was room for improvement, perhaps to the level of a C4, which would allow movement in his arms. Then he was told that he was a "C2 complete," which indicated no potential for improvement. A "complete" means that the spinal cord has been transsected, severed or so badly damaged that it can never be repaired. Fortunately, the first diagnosis was correct...
Eventually these reactions became obstacles to overcome. He came under the care of Dr. Steven Kirshblum, director of the Spinal Cord Injury and Ventilator program at Kessler, in whom he developed trust. But he had good reason for those early states of panic. A week after arriving at Kessler, he was injected with a dose of Sygen, which is currently being studied for use in acute spinal-cord injuries. Immediately he started wheezing. Within minutes he developed a severe allergic reaction; his lungs could not accept air. His heart rate was going up as his blood pressure was going down...