REHAB Hospital of the Pacific (REHAB) will hold a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Fair on September 12 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at its Nuuanu facility located at 226 North Kuakini Street in the Watumull Lobby and Mobility Lanai. The SCI Fair will host a number of vendors who have products, information and other resources to assist those suffering from a spinal cord injury or their caregivers. The event is free and open to the public.
Spinal Cord Injuries can result in a number of issues from, numbness and/or pain to more severe challenges. Injuries are often caused by events like diving accidents, motorcycle and car collisions, falls and more. REHAB Hospital of the Pacific serves Hawaii’s community with specialized services to support patients that have suffered from such injuries.
Sometimes an individual with a spinal injury can expect full recovery with proper rehabilitation, REHAB’s team of professionals develop customized treatment plans in such cases to help patients recover and achieve their goals. In other cases, injuries may be more severe, but REHAB also has several programs to assist not only the physical side of injuries, but the mental well-being of patients.
One such patient was Dennis Okada from Maui, who was a double black belt in martial arts as well as a master diver. After a diving incident, he suffered a severe spinal cord injury that resulted in the inability to walk. While undergoing the physical training to learn to adjust to life in a wheelchair, his emotional recovery also took time. Thanks to REHAB’s Creative Arts Program Dennis is now an enthusiastic artist and helping others at REHAB to recover.
(Read his story, www.rehabhospital.org/programs/spinal-cord-injury).