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Having a spinal cord injury is terrible. I have one (C3/4), paralyzed up to my shoulders. I try to make the best of my life, but although my life has pleasant parts too, I often wonder if I'd be better of dead... Some good day a cure will be here. Until that day I will fight for my life, seven day's per week.
I'm so flipping angry and disappointed at how little priority the powerful people on this planet give to medical research and other health related issues. Forgive me my strong language here, but where the hell do you think we are going, following the course we are at?! To hell on earth is most likely because we don't steer towards a could-be-beautiful future, we just "blindly go where no one has gone before". I don't see any inspiring goal set by my government, do you? And a government that doesn't want to set some healthy collective goals, will most likely leave the country stuck in some modern kind of middle-ages, where all individuals fight for financial wealth, some get filthy rich, and many suffer.
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I got my spinal cord injury in December 1995. It's now May 2007. I have been suffering for about 11 years now, that is 4018 days, or 96424 hours of: pain, being extreme depended on others help, 1/8 lung power, and loads of other physical and mental misery. Instead of everybody mobilizing to find a way to repair my spinal cord and all other terrible health problems of millions of people, the general reaction is to take it for granted, as a part of life, and to spend as little as possible money on it. Instead, where does the money and effort go to? Check your bills, look at what is keeping you busy, and tell me if you think these destinations are worth it.
A SCI (Spinal Cord Injury) can be repaired! See: a SCI is just a piece of broken biological communication wires. Something that is broken can be fixed. The spinal cord is made from atoms, atoms that make molecules that make cells that make the spinal cord. The molecules are displaced, thus need to be re-placed correctly. This all is extremely small stuff, down to nanoscale. (A nanometer is a billionth of a meter, or a millionth of a millimeter). Yes: that ain't easy.
I wonder how many truly realize what all possibilities lay just a few steps ahead, waiting to be discovered.
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Can a spinal cord injury be repaired? Sure! Everything broken can be fixed -in theory. The question is how. The global level of science and technology is not yet at the desired level, not yet able to fix a broken spinal cord. It's not just a matter of money or time, it's more a matter of research and development. Stem cell research is very important but that alone won't do the trick. All kinds of developments together make new things possible.
A fix could be near IF people start working together more and on shared goals, but most of us seem to have individual financial profit on the short term as highest goal, causing many to suffer and the mass creation of useless products. Maybe we should fix society first!
It's easier to break something than to create something beautiful, easier to bring war than peace, easier to behave like a brain-dead consumer zombie than to help others with -for example- repairing this terrible SCI.
It's a matter of priorities. The United States of America rocketed themselves to the moon and back, in 1969! Fixing a broken spinal cord in 2005 should not be a problem. Even my little country (Holland) could do this job, if they really wanted. I'm not saying it is easy. Life is not easy, nor is fixing a SCI. I am telling you: it can be done, so let us do it! Human trials have already begun, but more effort is needed. And "hey, money man", developing this type of technologies will result in all kinds of profit, so; wake up!
One more angry point:
A government who is able to organize the path toward a repair for SCI (and of course other healthy solutions), but chooses not to do so, is guilty of a terrible crime. A government who is not able to organize its country in a healthy way, should grow up fast or else be removed from power (without violence!)
Many techniques need to be developed further before we can get to a real near 100% repair. Nano- & Micro Engineering*, more powerful computers**, Genetic Engineering & stem cell research*** to name a few.
The most powerful healing tool though, isn't some piece of technology we could make. The human body, that's the most powerful tool we have for today and the near future. Our body is continuously healing itself. It's amazing how long we live. I really don't like the getting older and dying parts of life, but I have a lot of respect for the body, even when it's losing a fight.
My body wants to repair my spinal cord injury, but it clearly needs help. We shouldn't try to build an external nervous system with the technology we have. The human body is far more advanced. We should find a way to support the body's own healing power.
Good luck!
Giesbert Nijhuis
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