Spinal Cord Injury

RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder ordere yesterday the execution of a disabled prisoner who has said he will need to use a wheelchair to get to the electric chair.dTC Lawyers for Charles S. Stamper of Richmond, who was convicted of shooting three co-workers to death in 1978, have said that he is "extremely disabled" by a spinal cord injury received in prison and that his sentence should be reduced to life in prison because he is no threat to society.Almost three months ago, Mr. Wilder stayed the execution six days before its scheduled date of Oct. 28 so that Stamper's medical condition could be investigated by independent doctors.

In May, Chris Mason-Hale posted a photo on his Facebook page of himself standing during a break from therapy at the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury at Kennedy Krieger Institute. Looking all of his 6 feet 4 with arms crossed and head slightly back, his body language and proud grin seemed to exude a so-you-thought-I'd-never-walk-again dare. After the former Western Tech linebacker suffered a paralyzing spinal cord injury in a scrimmage nearly three years ago, walking under even a little of his own power was never a certainty.

In May, Chris Mason-Hale posted a photo on his Facebook page of himself standing during a break from therapy at the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury at Kennedy Krieger Institute. Looking all of his 6 feet 4 with arms crossed and head slightly back, his body language and proud grin seemed to exude a so-you-thought-I'd-never-walk-again dare. After the former Western Tech linebacker suffered a paralyzing spinal cord injury in a scrimmage nearly three years ago, walking under even a little of his own power was never a certainty.

Louise B. McKnew, a lawyer who was a champion of spinal cord injury patients and founder of the National Research Institute for Neural Injury, died Tuesday from complications of pneumonia at Baltimore Washington Medical Center. The Pasadena resident was 71. Louise Bouscaren was born in Greenwich, Conn., and raised in Baltimore and Ruxton. She was a 1956 graduate of Garrison Forest School and attended Wheaton College in Norton, Mass., until she left to get married. After raising her family, Mrs. McKnew returned to college and earned a bachelor's degree in 1975 from American University.

From 1972 to 1981, if there was a leg whip to be administered, an eye gouge to be doled out or a bite mark to be given in the NFL's trenches, Conrad Dobler was more than happy to do it. Roundly called the "dirtiest player in the NFL," Dobler left no stone unturned in protecting his turf and his quarterback as a guard for the St. Louis Cardinals, New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills in a 10-year career. Imagine, then, given Dobler's nasty football nature, how surprised defensive linemen he faced would be to hear the words of hope that Dobler has for young victims of spinal cord injuries.

Luther Bridges had it made. Just out of prison, where he had served time for stealing, he was earning $1,000 a week delivering heroin to an East Baltimore stash house. Bridges, nicknamed "Buddy Ice," had stylish clothes and pretty women. The work couldn't have been easier. Then, in an alley where addicts were lined up 20 deep, Bridges got into a fight with a customer who pushed to the front. The man fired first. Bridges crumpled to the ground and watched a streetlight fade. "I wake up in the hospital, and everyone's crying - my mother, stepfather, friends," he said.

Spinal cord injury is clearly a national health issue. Its toll is heavy, both in human and economic terms. Approximately 10,000 people with spinal cord injuries are admitted to U.S. hospitals every year, and an estimated 9,000 of them survive with severe disabliities. Further, this injury most frequently occurs in early adult life - the mid-20s - and therefore imposes a high cost, not only financially (funding for long-term care and expenses due to loss of productivity), but also in physical and emotional hardship endured by those injured and their families.

Louise B. McKnew, a lawyer who was a champion of spinal cord injury patients and founder of the National Research Institute for Neural Injury, died Tuesday from complications of pneumonia at Baltimore Washington Medical Center. The Pasadena resident was 71. Louise Bouscaren was born in Greenwich, Conn., and raised in Baltimore and Ruxton. She was a 1956 graduate of Garrison Forest School and attended Wheaton College in Norton, Mass., until she left to get married. After raising her family, Mrs. McKnew returned to college and earned a bachelor's degree in 1975 from American University.

On May 23, 2007 DAVID R. MCATEE, JR., beloved husband of Brenda McAtee (nee Crouse); loving father of David McAtee, III and Breanna McAtee. He is also survived by sister Lisa Ey and brother Mike McAtee. Family and friends may call at Evans Funeral Chapel in Forest Hill, 3 Newport Drive, on Tuesday, May 29 from 3-5 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral Service on Wednesday, May 30 at 11:00 a.m. at funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury, 707 N. Broadway, Suite 518, Baltimore, MD 21205.

For Charles Lamoreaux and his wife, Maureen, wanting to have a child is a natural outgrowth of their loving relationship.Both were raised in families that had five children each, so they're accustomed to sharing, affection and working things out. And they really like kids. They work with youths at the Reisterstown Baptist Church.But male infertility -- triggered by a shattering highway tragedy that left Charles paralyzed -- has kept the Baltimore County couple from realizing the dream of having their own child.

For Chris Mason-Hale, healing comes in very small stages, sometimes so small he can't even see them. Since suffering a paralyzing spinal cord injury in a Western Tech football game 14 months ago, he has come a long way. But progress is excruciatingly slow for a former star linebacker who cannot walk. The 17-year-old steadily improved in the months just after the accident - a routine tackle that snapped his neck back, breaking the C-5 vertebra and bruising his spinal cord.

Chris Mason-Hale vividly remembers the football play that changed his life. The scene rolls through his mind with the same detail as the action movies he watches on his portable DVD player at Kernan Hospital. A senior linebacker for Western Tech in Catonsville, Mason-Hale went for a routine tackle in the final scrimmage of the preseason, Aug. 29 at Northeast. "It was a dive," Mason-Hale said of the common short-yardage play. "They gave the running back the ball, and he came through the one hole.

Chris Mason-Hale vividly remembers the football play that changed his life. The scene rolls through his mind with the same detail as the action movies he watches on his portable DVD player at Kernan Hospital. A senior linebacker for Western Tech in Catonsville, Mason-Hale went for a routine tackle in the final scrimmage of the preseason, Aug. 29 at Northeast. "It was a dive," Mason-Hale said of the common short-yardage play. "They gave the running back the ball, and he came through the one hole.

Strong safety Dawan Landry was released from Maryland Shock Trauma Center and is expected to return to the field this season after suffering a spinal cord concussion in the second quarter of Sunday's 28-10 win against the Cleveland Browns. "His stability tests are all normal," coach John Harbaugh said. "He will be in a cervical collar for at least a week, and then they'll evaluate him further and then we'll just take it from there. He'll be playing in some number of weeks, and it won't be too many weeks."

A national drag-racing league announced yesterday that it has donated $60,000 worth of tickets to the Kennedy Krieger Institute's spinal cord injury center to help the Baltimore facility raise money. The American Drag Racing League gave 2,000 tickets to the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury for the league's July 25-26 event at Maryland International Raceway in Mechanicsville. The tickets typically sell for $30, but the spinal cord center is selling them for $10. Dr. John W. McDonald, director of the center, said in a statement that such private donations are "critically important" to help the center develop therapies to help people recover from paralysis.

On May 23, 2007 DAVID R. MCATEE, JR., beloved husband of Brenda McAtee (nee Crouse); loving father of David McAtee, III and Breanna McAtee. He is also survived by sister Lisa Ey and brother Mike McAtee. Family and friends may call at Evans Funeral Chapel in Forest Hill, 3 Newport Drive, on Tuesday, May 29 from 3-5 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral Service on Wednesday, May 30 at 11:00 a.m. at funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury, 707 N. Broadway, Suite 518, Baltimore, MD 21205.

NEW YORK -- Mike Utley of the Detroit Lions will be paralyzed from the chest down, his doctors said yesterday, but should retain the major use of his hands and arms."

Palermo throws out ball, but wants to get back to it as 0) umpireSteve Palermo, an American League umpire who was partially paralyzed in a shooting incident almost two years ago, threw out the first ball before last night's game between the Orioles and the Minnesota Twins.It was the first visit to Oriole Park for Palermo, who was injured July 6, 1991, while attempting to catch a robbery suspect in Arlington, Texas.Although originally told that his spinal cord injury would prevent him from walking again, Palermo moved well last night, aided by a pair of walking canes.

Van Brooks Jr. remembers just about everything about the toughest day of his life. For some, purging the memory of something as traumatic as being paralyzed making a tackle might be first on a to-do list, but every detail of that warm fall day is burnished on Brooks' mind. "I remember everything," Brooks said the other day. "I remember making the tackle. I remember laying there and not being able to feel anything. I remember talking to the trainer, who was asking me different questions.