New Jersey Declares September as Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month

After 18 months of hard effort from Cynthia Templeton, as president of a non-profit specialized exercise gym for people with spinal cord injuries (SCI), the New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie, finally gave his word officially proclaiming September as the Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month.

Last year, the federal government in fact proclaimed September as the National Spinal Cord (SCI) Awareness Month. Apparently, New Jersey is the only state to share the same awareness month.

Templeton was able to gain significant success after her idea was backed by other giant organizations such as the Kessler Institute of Rehabilitation, The Kristopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, W.M. Keck Center/Spinal Cord Injury Project at Rutgers, Disability Rights New Jersey and United Spinal Association, and The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation.

Apparently, the said organizations likewise share the same belief as Templeton’s that having a designated awareness month for SCI will be a great help to educate the public, prevent further injuries, aim for comprehensive services and research, and eventually improve the lives of those SCI victims.

Basically, about 15 years ago, New Jersey previously passed a bill forming a Commission for Spinal Cord Research. According to the W.M. Keck Center of Collaborative Neuroscience Founding Director Dr. Wise Young, the SCI awareness month exhibits how far the community has come to make New Jersey the leading state for SCI care and cure. Also, the same reminds the organization how much work effort it still must do to prevent and reverse this condition that has been considered unchangeable for all of human history.

Meanwhile, a personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles who has witnessed how spinal cord injury victims suffered from the devastating event in their life said that through such public awareness campaigns, other people in the community would be able to learn how to understand, care, and deal with the SCI victims.