Letter From the Director
With the crisp fall air upon us (for those of us in the Northeast, that is), I find myself having a renewed perspective and reflecting on the impact that our patients, families and supporters have on our work. As you will read in this issue of the newsletter, your support greatly impacts our work and our ability to reach new and lofty goals for the future. This includes expanded clinical therapies and equipment, expansion into new locations, fun and adventurous community events, and advocacy for those with spinal cord injuries.
I want to express my gratitude to each and every one of you for your support and continued participation in our activities and events. We are looking forward to a great 2025, when we will be celebrating our 20th anniversary!
Enjoy the fall, and we look forward to catching up with you soon!
Cristina Sadowsky, MD
Clinical Director
International Center for Spinal Cord Injury
Equipment Update
At the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury, we believe innovation and technology are key components of our advanced treatment and rehabilitation programs. Our state-of-the-art therapy center, medical clinic and aquatic therapy center are equipped with a variety of rehabilitative and diagnostic equipment that we use together with our expert hands-on treatment. We continue to add new equipment to improve function for our patients.
New this year is the Xcite2, coming to our inpatient rehabilitation hospital. This new piece of therapeutic equipment uses functional electrical stimulation (FES) therapy for fine and gross motor training. The new device is designed to help patients work on a number of physical movements and activities to improve motor skills affected by spinal cord injuries and disorders.
The Xcite2 assists patients in making a variety of coordinated movement patterns, including:
- Grasp and release
- Feeding
- Transfers
- Side-stepping
- Sit-to-stand
- And many more functional skills
Additionally, the Therastride body weight supported system located in our outpatient center at 801 North Broadway, Baltimore, is receiving an overhaul to bring it up to date.
Maple Lawn Pool Installation Update
It won’t be long before patients can make a splash at our Maple Lawn location! The pool is nearing completion, and we anticipate being able to offer the full range of aquatic therapy interventions to patients at this location starting in mid-November. Thanks to all of the Maple Lawn donors who helped make this pool a reality!
Support System Survey
We need your input! Please take a few minutes of your time to complete our new survey regarding the support system needs and opportunities for individuals with paralysis related to spinal cord injury. All entries are anonymous and your participation will help us pilot ideas and programs to address gaps in service and our community’s needs. The survey will close on December 31, 2024. Your input is important and the survey will only take five minutes of your time. Click to access the survey.
Publications
Recio, A. C., Stiens, S. A., Morgan, M., Selvarajah, S., Mazeh, A. C., Habgood, M. D., & Saunders, N. R. (September 2024). Realtime physical simulator for virtual reality sailing by patients with spinal cord injury: An innovative voyage. Health Open Research, 6(6). PMID: 39371590. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39371590/
Neighbors, E., Brunn, L., Casamento-Moran, A., & Martin, R. (September 2024). Transcutaneous spinal stimulation enables recovery of walking in children with acute flaccid myelitis. Children, 11(9), 1116. PMID: 39334648. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39334648/
Ferrara, I. R., & Sadowsky, C. L. (July 2024). Muscle mass as a biomarker for health status and function in pediatric individuals with neuromuscular disabilities: A systematic review. Children, 11(7), 825. PMID: 39062264. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39062264/
Hillaker, E., Chen, J., Dean, J., Yeh, N., Sadowsky, C., & Elfar, J. (November 2024). 4-Aminopyridine in pediatric traumatic spinal cord injury: A case report. Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 47(6), 1033–1035. PMID: 38884567. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38884567/
Recio Named Top Doc
We are thrilled to announce that our own Dr. Albert Recio is one of six Kennedy Krieger physicians who have been recognized by Baltimore Magazine as Top Doctors for 2024! Dr. Recio is a board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation physician in the paralysis restoration program at the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury (ICSCI), and the medical director for the aquatics medicine program at Kennedy Krieger Institute. He is also an assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Congratulations to Dr. Recio!
Adaptive Sports Update
We ended the summer season with an adaptive fishing trip on the Chesapeake Bay. In addition to some of our usual crew, some participants had never joined us before, which made for a great event. Even better, the fish were biting! We caught enough fish for everyone to take some home for dinner.
Save the date for our next bowling adventure on November 20, 2024, from 3 to 5 p.m.
Have you always wanted to hit the slopes? We are gauging interest from people who might be interested in traveling to the Adaptive Sports Center in Crested Butte, Colorado. If you want to participate, please fill out our interest survey.
20th Anniversary: Save the Date
Be sure to hold the week of June 9–14, 2025, on your calendars as we celebrate our 20th anniversary of the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury! We are planning a number of fun and exciting activities to celebrate. More details will be coming in early 2025.
Baltimore Running Festival
Some people say the number 13 is an unlucky one—but not for Team Kennedy Krieger! This year, Team Kennedy Krieger participated in its 13th Baltimore Running Festival, an annual event in which participants race through the streets of Baltimore. More than 100 supporters, patients, families and staff members participated, including our dedicated team of handcyclists. These enthusiastic participants raised funds to help purchase innovative therapy equipment and provide Wellness Center scholarships and opportunities for our patients to participate in adaptive sports and recreational activities around the country.
A huge thank-you to all of our adaptive participants! Congratulations to all!
5K:
- Michael Sandusky
- Eileen Langan
- Cheryl Barbour
- Colin Freet
- Madeline Koenig
- Ron Sanders
Half Marathon:
- Annettia “Netta” Huff
Marathon:
- Jim Morrison
- Paul Libby
- Ryan Wills
- Shane Horn
- Anneleise Williams
- Jordan Christman
- Mike Henley
Virtual:
- Madeleine-Camille Preuninger (marathon)
- Johnny Sawyer (5K)
- Pat Kasuda (5K)
Be on the lookout for future newsletter issues for more information about a possible new adaptive sports fundraising event in 2025.
Support the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury
There are many ways to get involved with the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury. From participating with Team Kennedy Krieger in the Baltimore Running Festival, to hosting a special event fundraiser for the center, to making a gift to support our programs—your support is vital to our success. For more information about how you can make a difference, please contact Melissa Breslin at BreslinM@KennedyKrieger.org.