Meet Mya,
Mya lives with an incomplete C1-2 incomplete spinal cord injury. Some individuals living with this level of injury can require assistance breathing and experience total loss of movement below the neck. Mya's injury is a little different, and she walks through the doors of Making Strides.
This is an example of the difference between a complete and an incomplete SCI. For Mya, all four limbs are affected by her SCI but to a lesser degree compared to that of someone living with a complete C-level SCI. The spinal cord is comprised of many different ascending and descending pathways, responsible for different functions. The remaining function depends on which neural pathways remain intact.
In Mya's case, her motor pathways have been partially retained, allowing her to walk over short distances. At Strides she works on her remaining weakness, increasing her endurance to reduce her reliance on her wheelchair over longer distances.
For her most recent trip, Mya flew solo from New Zealand for the first time since her injury 5 years ago. This trip was full of many firsts, which included surfing, and running in one of her Strides sessions. After a warm-up of hip flexor priming and hamstring lengthening, Mya started slow on the treadmill. Determined to run we gradually increased her speed as she felt comfortable, eventually reaching a speedy 6km/hr. Puffed, tired and smiling ear to ear, Mya said I am really proud of myself. A comment we don't take lightly.
Is there something you could be working on, something that you would be proud to achieve?
WATCH MYA RUN HERE. You won't regret the watch.
