Word: cushmac
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...Robert Cushmac, 16, of Alexandria, Va., was paralyzed from the neck down in a car accident six years ago. Now Bob gets around in a power wheelchair activated by a chin-controlled joystick. He is mobile enough to attend T.C. Williams public high school, where he is an honor student and a member of the French and Latin clubs. Unable to breathe without assistance, Bob has been fitted with an Avery Diaphragm Pacer, which uses a battery-powered transmitter to send electric impulses to his phrenic nerve. This causes his diaphragm to contract, simulating normal breathing. "Without this technology, Bobby...
...complex equipment can also be fragile and costly to maintain. Bob Cushmac's Diaphragm Pacer once shut down when he was caught in the rain. Another time it stopped when someone spilled coffee on it. He might have suffocated, but a nurse is with him at all times to provide help. Says George Cushmac, Bob's father: "It's lovely stuff, but it comes with the price of having to repair it when it breaks down. This isn't like owning a Maytag washer with a serviceman waiting to be called...
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