Peer Mentor Program
Life after a spinal cord injury is challenging and confusing. There are a lot of questions that surface and not many people have the answers. Who better to answer those questions than someone who lives successfully, day to day, with a spinal cord injury. That’s where the SCSCIA’s Peer Mentor program comes in. Our program pairs you with a trained mentor who will meet with you 3-4 times over the course of a month or so. The association will do our best to match you with someone who is as close to your injury level as possible.
These meetings will take place by phone, or on a virtual platform that works best for you. All of your discussions are completely confidential, and mentors will only share information about resources you need with association staff, when necessary. This program is a great opportunity to gain some knowledge, and heck, you may even get a new friend out of it! Also, the association is currently recruiting mentors from around the state.
If you’re interested contact Brian at brian@scspinalcord.org or (803) 252-2198 ext 1001.
The South Carolina Spinal Cord Injury Association had the pleasure of working with the PHOENIX project at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). The project created a series of videos to accompany Peer Navigators in opening communication, common secondary conditions, and helping the peer to learn how to advocate for themselves. To see the videos click on PHOENIX PROJECT VIDEOS. Hint: you might see some people you know.
Meet Our Mentors
Alex
Alex sustained a C6 SCI from a car accident at nine months old and is a native of Charleston, South Carolina. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Studies Communication and a Master of Arts degree in Corporate and Organizational Communication, both from the College of Charleston. Alex is the Chief of Media in the Public Affairs Office at the Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic. He also serves on the Disabilities Board of Charleston County and the City of Charleston Mayor’s Commission for Disability Issues. He has a disability blog called “Tuesday Talk With Alex,” in which he shares his experiences living with a spinal cord injury. Alex has also contributed articles to the national spinal cord injury magazine, New Mobility.
Mark
Mark has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Marshall University and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of South Carolina. Before joining Able SC, he worked in human resources and disability services for two state agencies for 20 years. He has been active in disability advocacy, peer support, and expanding recreational opportunities for folks who have disabilities. As an avid gardener, Mark can be counted on to provide fresh flowers to staff and visitors. With an appreciation for almost any outdoor activity, Mark’s new favorite pastime is adaptive surfing.
Michele
Michele's injury was not sudden. For months prior, he was feeling extreme pain in his back and increasing loss of sensation, starting in the pads of his feet and progressing through the insides of his legs and ribcage. His condition culminated on the morning of September 1st, 2019, when he found himself unable to move from the chest down. He suffered from a massive blood infection which ultimately caused multiple epidural abscesses at T7-T9. The road to recovery can be difficult. However, he held fast to one truth: any unfortunate or uncomfortable situation can be an opportunity for growth. He believes that those with SCI injuries are literal survivors, which alone can provide motivation to succeed. September 2021 marked two years into his journey, and he can say with a full heart that he is truly happy.
Joe
Joe lives in the Upstate of South Carolina. In 2013 he suffered a spinal cord injury at the T7 - T8 level due to an engine failure while road racing a motorcycle. The first few years after his injury were extremely difficult, but he is here to tell you that life does get better. He was introduced to adaptive sports around 2015, and in 2017 he bought his first handcycle. Handcycling has become his number one passion, providing him with a feeling of freedom, excellent exercise, and wonderful therapy for his soul. In 2020 he handcycled 6,405 miles and keeps piling on more miles every month.
Dot
Dot sustained a T-12 SCI from a boating accident in 2003. On sunny days you can find her floating in the pool. She also has a passion for extreme couponing. It’s not uncommon for Dot to have $25 to $30 in coupons per shopping trip. She loves the thrill of the deal! She also can be found cheering on the USC football team or involved in DIY projects like making tufted headboards or staining cabinets. Locally she leads the Spartanburg SCI Support Group. She enjoys an empty nest, as her two adult children have flown the coop!
Sherwood
Forty years ago, at age 11, Sherwood had a C1/C2 incomplete spinal cord injury in a freak bicycle accident. He refused to allow his high-level spinal cord injury to get in the way of anything he wanted to accomplish. He started in the workforce as a receptionist at a local rehabilitation hospital, preparing him for his 30-plus-year career as a 911 Dispatcher. He's also worked as a Spinal Cord Injury Peer Navigator for the Medical University of South Carolina while contributing to several research grants. Career opportunities have supported his love of travel, which has taken him as far as Paris and London. Sherwood has volunteered with the South Carolina Spinal Cord Injury Association since 2011 and has served on the Board of Directors. Since medical retirement, Sherwood has continued to serve the SCI community and those who have given so much of themselves to support his recovery. He prides himself in saying, "my condition is not my conclusion."
Shane
Shane is 34 years old and was injured when he was 18 in a car accident. He is a C4/5/6 incomplete. He graduated from UofSC. Shane has a passion for college football and is an avid outdoorsman. He also enjoys cutting grass and maintains roughly 5 acres, using a zero-turn mower. He is engaged to the love of his life and plans to get married next year and begin building their forever home. Shane and his fiance have a beagle/rough collie mix named Opie, and Shane has taught him to open and close doors and pick things up. He is amazing!
Shane's favorite saying is, "If there is a will, there is a way, no matter the circumstances." He has been water skiing, snow skiing in Snowmass, Colorado, and skydiving twice since his injury.
Pat
In 2014, Pat experienced a rare event in which a blood vessel in her back became kinked, like a garden hose, leaving her legs paralyzed. She was initially a T10 incomplete, now an L1. Pat graduated from USC with a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood and an M.Ed. in Counseling. For 34 years, she worked as a school counselor. Following her retirement from the school system in 2011, Pat maintained a private practice. Now, she focuses on physical therapy, making strides in recovery, writing historical fiction novels, making rosaries and necklaces, being active in her church, playing guitar and learning mountain dulcimer, and spending time with her friends and adult daughters.
Tim
Tim grew up in New Jersey and moved to SC in 2007. After graduating, he joined the Air Force and spent six years as a weapons specialist. After the Air Force, he went on to work on a natural gas line, where he encountered his first back injury leading to his first surgery. That was the first of two injuries and subsequent surgeries, and he eventually developed “flat back syndrome.” In 2015, during a surgery to correct his syndrome, Tim suffered a spinal stroke and became a paraplegic. His SCI is T7 incomplete.
Since Tim’s spinal stroke, he has had a different lifestyle, but he believes it’s ultimately made him a better person. Tim has been married to his wife, Lisa, for 18 years and has a daughter and two stepchildren. He volunteers at Palmetto Lifeline animal shelter and loves being around animals. He says staying active has helped him in dealing with his injury. He’s learned much about his injury and enjoys sharing his knowledge with others.
Marka
After a C4-6 SCI in 1994 that should have left Marka paralyzed from the shoulders down, she used her dance Fitness program, Universal Physicality, a ballet-based exercise program she created in Argentina, as her physical therapy. Then a second C3-7 SCI in 2012 that left her a full-time wheelchair user, led Marka to study wheelchair dance in New York City. Marka is a certified Yoga Instructor and Accessible Yoga Instructor. She also is very passionate about SCI Peer Mentorship and volunteers her time at local hospitals and with the SC Spinal Cord Injury Association. She shares the message that SCI and other physical challenges don’t mean life as you knew it has ended; they just mean the journey has changed directions.
Jarae
In 1997, at the age of 7, Jarae was involved in a car accident resulting in a T6/7 spinal cord injury. After her accident and becoming a wheelchair user, Jarae realized that standing up for herself and having a voice was crucial. She is an activist for herself and others. Jarae is currently in school studying early childhood education. Some of her hobbies include painting, building things, creating content for social media, and traveling. She was Miss Wheelchair South Carolina in 2014 and continued doing pageants for a few more years. She loves to say: “I know I can do what I put my mind to, and I believe others should feel the same.”