HATTIESBURG, Miss.—Charlie McEwan was on cloud 9 as he climbed aboard his motorcycle one morning in 1992.
The night before, the 19-year-old South African had scored the winning goal in a professional soccer championship and was named most valuable player. So he was looking forward to rejoining his teammates for a light day of practice.
JACKSON, Miss.—On April 29, Methodist Rehabilitation Center’s Downhill Derby will showcase daring drivers, devoted fans and a fight to the finish between flashy, corporate-sponsored cars.
But this rumble won’t start with the grumble of monster engines. Racers will rely on plain old momentum to power their cars down a sloping stretch of Riverside Drive in Jackson.
“Think of it as NASCAR without the noise,” jokes Mark Adams of Madison, president and chief executive officer at Methodist. “In gravity car racing, drivers depend on ingenuity—not engines—to win.”
JACKSON, Miss.—Jim Chaney of Vicksburg first heard about quad rugby when he was still wrestling with the news he would never walk again. So learning the wheelchair sport was hardly tops on his to-do list.
But the second time he was invited to participate, Chaney tried his hand at the hard-knocks game and was hooked. He’s now a traveling member of the Jackson Jags, the only team in Mississippi that competes in the fast-paced sport known as “murderball.”
JACKSON, Miss.—For the second year in a row, the employees and management at Ameristar Casino Vicksburg and the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation have donated more than $100,000 to support spinal cord injury research and care in Mississippi.
HATTIESBURG, Miss.—Visitors to Wofford Park might notice a few architectural oddities as they check out the new apartment complex on St. Claire Parkway in Hattiesburg.
Doorways are extra wide. Doorbells and peepholes are low. And there are no steps or steep ramps.
That’s because the 15-unit complex is only the second in the state to be custom designed for the physically disabled. Among the amenities: lowered light switches, raised electrical outlets and fully accessible kitchens and bathrooms.
CANTON, Miss.—Marjorie Taylor of Canton awoke from surgery, saw her bandaged head in a mirror and thought: “My word. What happened to you?”
The 78-year-old couldn’t believe that a simple fall had left her with a life-threatening brain injury. But statistics show it’s a common fate for the elderly.
JACKSON, Miss.—Brad Kennedy of Mendenhall will receive one of the highest military honors given to a civilian March 18, 2006 when he is awarded the Mississippi Magnolia Medal.
The 30-year-old corporal for the all-volunteer Mississippi State Guard is being recognized for rescuing a Gulf Coast man who suffered a severe asthma attack in the midst of Hurricane Katrina.
“His instinct was to save that guy’s life and he put himself in jeopardy to do it,” said Mississippi State Guard First Lieutenant John Kisner.
JACKSON, Miss.—Dr. Samuel P. Grissom has joined the staff of Methodist Rehabilitation Center in Jackson as medical director of the hospital’s spinal cord injury program.
Dr. Grissom has served as associate medical director at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in Chester, N.J.
RANKIN COUNTY, Miss.—When John White and Danny Beard became so weak they were virtually paralyzed, they truly didn’t know what hit them.
The Rankin County men had never heard of Guillain-Barre’ Syndrome (GBS), and they can’t say they’ve been pleased to make its acquaintance.
“I wouldn’t wish this on anybody,” said Beard of Brandon, a diesel mechanic for United Parcel Service. “Before I went to the hospital, I couldn’t get out of bed. My sister-in-law had to bring an office chair to wheel me to the car.”
Jackson, Miss.—LaKeysha Greer easily could have ignored the tingling in her toes and fingers.
But the Jackson lawyer decided to visit the emergency room before leaving on a business trip to Austin, Texas. And she’s ever so glad she did. Otherwise, she might have been aboard a plane when the “weird feeling” escalated into a paralyzing case of Guillain-Barre’ Syndrome (GBS).