WELCOME TO "WEDU QUEST."
I'M DR. SHANNON McQUAIG.
PEOPLE WHO HAVE SEVERE SPINAL
INJURIES HAVE MANY CHALLENGES.
WE MET UP WITH ONE
ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA, WOMAN
WHO SURVIVED A SERIOUS
ACCIDENT THAT LEFT HER A
QUADRIPLEGIC, BUT HER INJURIES
DID NOT KEEP HER DOWN.
THIS IS HER QUEST TO GAIN
MOBILITY THROUGH
NEUROTECHNOLOGY.
I GREW UP IN NORTHEASTERN
OHIO, JUST AN AVERAGE SUBURBAN
KID, IF YOU WILL.
MY DAD ALWAYS HAD A LOVE FOR
THE PARK SYSTEMS, SO WE WERE
INVOLVED WITH A LOT OF OUTDOOR
ACTIVITIES, THINGS LIKE
CANOEING AND KAYAKING AND
CAMPING.
JENNIFER FRENCH LOVES THE
OUTDOORS AND RELATED SPORTS,
INCLUDING SNOWBOARDING.
IN HER EARLY 20s, SHE WENT ON
A WEEKEND SKI TRIP IN THE
MOUNTAINS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
THERE WERE ABOUT TWO DOZEN
OF US THAT HAD RENTED A HOUSE
THAT WAS SLOPE SIDE AND
PLANNED ON SNOWBOARDING ALL
DAY AND ALL WEEKEND.
ON FRIDAY THE 13th, UNDER A
FULL MOON, WE WANTED TO DO THE
MIDNIGHT RUN.
IF YOU'VE EVER SKIED AT NIGHT
UNDER A FULL MOON, THE TRAILS
JUST GLOW.
SO IT'S ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL.
ABOUT A DOZEN OF US SLAPPED ON
OUR SNOWBOARDS AND OUR SKIS
AND WE WENT DOWN THE MOUNTAIN.
11 MADE IT TO THE BOTTOM.
I DID NOT.
ALONG THE WAY, I HIT A PATCH
OF ICE, WENT DOWN A 40-FOOT
EMBANKMENT, HIT A BUNCH OF
TREES, AND CAME OUT AS A
QUADRIPLEGIC.
JEN'S LIFE WAS CHANGED
FOREVER.
UNDERSTANDING AND DEALING
WITH A TRAUMATIC INJURY, SUCH
AS A SPINAL CORD INJURY, THE
LIFE THAT YOU KNEW BEFORE IS
OVER.
IT BASICALLY STOPS.
AND ONCE YOU GET OUT OF THE
HOSPITAL, YOU HAVE TO TRY TO
PICK UP YOUR PIECES AGAIN,
WHICH IS REALLY DIFFICULT TO
DO.
SHE TURNED TO
NEUROTECHNOLOGY TO FIND WAYS
TO REGAIN SOME MOBILITY.
I WAS DOING SOME BACKGROUND
RESEARCH THAT HAS BEEN GOING
ON FOR ELECTRICAL STIMULATION,
AND THAT'S WHERE I FELL UPON
THE CLEVELAND FES CENTER.
THE FES, OR FUNCTIONAL
ELECTRICAL STIMULATION CENTER,
IN CLEVELAND, OHIO, WAS IN THE
PROCESS OF DOING CLINICAL
TRIALS ON THE STAND AND
TRANSFER SYSTEM.
THE FUNCTIONAL ELECTRICAL
STIMULATION IS USED TO TREAT
PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD AN INJURY,
SUCH AS A SPINAL CORD INJURY,
A STROKE, PARKINSON'S DISEASE,
EPILEPSY.
DR. KIRSCH WORKED WITH JEN
FROM THE VERY BEGINNING WHEN
SHE FIRST CAME TO THE FES
CENTER IN 1999.
AFTER A THOROUGH
EVALUATION, JEN WAS
CONSIDERED A GOOD CANDIDATE TO
HAVE THE ELECTRODES IMPLANTED.
MY FIRST SURGERY WAS 7½
HOURS TO HAVE THE FULL SYSTEM
IMPLANTED.
DURING THE SURGERY, THE
MUSCLES ARE FIRST PROBED WITH
AN ELECTRICAL STIMULATOR, A
SURGICAL STIMULATOR TO MAKE
SURE THAT THEY WILL CONTRACT.
THEN THE ELECTRODES ARE
PLACED, AND THEN THOSE ARE,
AGAIN, STIMULATED THROUGH TO
MAKE SURE THAT THE MUSCLES
WILL CONTRACT WHEN STIMULATED.
AFTER A FEW WEEKS OF
HEALING, JEN BEGAN TO TRAIN TO
STAND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN
TWO YEARS.
ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS YOU
NEVER FORGET, THAT'S FOR SURE,
FOR MY FIRST STAND.
IT WAS A GREAT MOMENT, AND
BEING ABLE TO DO IT
INDEPENDENTLY WAS EVEN MORE
IMPORTANT.
THE SYSTEM.
YOU CAN'T JUST TURN ON THE
SYSTEM AND SUDDENLY GET THIS
MUSCLES.
YOU NEED TO USE THE SYSTEM TO
BUILD UP THAT MUSCLE TISSUE TO
BE ABLE TO GET THAT
PERFORMANCE.
IT'S THE CLASSIC "IF YOU DON'T
USE IT, YOU'LL LOSE IT."
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF
SECONDARY BENEFITS THAT HAVE
TO DO WITH INCREASED
MUSCLE STRENGTH,
IMPROVED CIRCULATION,
INCREASED MUSCLE MASS.
THE NICE THING ABOUT THIS
TYPE OF NEUROPROSTHETIC IS
THAT THE RESEARCHERS WORK WITH
YOU TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT
MUSCLES TO IMPLANT AND WHAT
YOUR OPTIONS ARE IN TERMS OF
WHAT FUNCTIONAL USE YOU'LL BE
ABLE TO GET OUT OF IT.
TODAY, JEN HAS THE FREEDOM
TO BE ABLE TO DO SOME KEY
TASKS WITHOUT NEEDING BULKY
BRACES AND EXTERNAL DEVICES.
I'M ABLE TO USE IT FOR THE
MUNDANE TASKS OF FOLDING
LAUNDRY AND REACHING THINGS
OUT OF HIGHER PLACES THAT YOU
NORMALLY WOULDN'T, BUT YOU
ALSO GET TO USE IT OUTSIDE THE
HOME.
YOU CAN PLAY FOOSBALL WITH
YOUR FRIENDS.
I CAN STAND UP AT A 7th INNING
STRETCH AT A BASEBALL GAME
WITH EVERYONE ELSE.
I CAN PARTAKE ON A STANDING
OVATION JUST AS WE DO
SOCIALLY.
ONE OF MY MOST BELOVED MOMENTS
OF USING THIS SYSTEM WAS BEING
ABLE TO WALK DOWN THE AISLE AT
MY WEDDING AND STAND FOR THE
ENTIRE CEREMONY, SO I LEFT THE
WHEELCHAIR BEHIND.
SHE RESUMED HER OUTDOOR
ACTIVITIES AND PURSUED HER
PASSION FOR SAILING.
SHE BUILT UP HER STRENGTH AND
DECIDED TO CAMPAIGN FOR THE
PARALYMPICS.
ONCE YOU MAKE A CAMPAIGN
FOR THE PARALYMPICS JUST AS
OLYMPIANS DO, IT TAKES OVER
YOUR LIFE, AND YOU REALLY HAVE
TO DO A LOT OF TRAINING TO
BUILD UP TO BE AT THAT HIGH
LEVEL.
WE GOT THE GOLDEN TICKET TO
LONDON TO REPRESENT TEAM USA
IN 2012, AND WE WENT THERE AND
WERE ABLE TO BRING HOME A
SILVER MEDAL FOR THE U.S.
JEN'S PASSION FOR LIFE
INCLUDES HELPING OTHERS WHO
CAN BENEFIT FROM
NEUROTECHNOLOGY.
SHE HELPED ESTABLISH THE
NEUROTECH NETWORK.
WE'RE A NONPROFIT THAT
FOCUSES ON EDUCATION AND
ADVOCACY TO ACCESS
NEUROTECHNOLOGY DEVICES FOR
PEOPLE WITH VARIOUS TYPES OF
NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS.
JEN SPEAKS REGULARLY ON
BEHALF OF NEUROTECHNOLOGY AND
ITS DEVELOPMENT.
AT THIS SPECIAL EVENT AT THE
DALI MUSEUM IN ST. PETERSBURG,
SHE TEAMED UP WITH SCIENTISTS
TO SHARE HER STORY.
SO I PRESS A BUTTON.
THREE SECONDS LATER, THE
SYSTEM ACTIVATES.
IT WILL TURN THE ELECTRODES
ON, AND YOU GO AHEAD, AND I'M
STANDING UP.
SO NOW I'M STANDING ON THE
POWER OF MY OWN MUSCLES.
SO I'LL BE ABLE TO MOVE IN
SHORT DISTANCES, TO BE ABLE TO
DO TRANSFERS THAT ARE TOO
DIFFICULT, TO GO THROUGH
DOORWAYS THAT ARE WAY TOO
NARROW FOR THE WHEELCHAIR,
AND, YES, THEY DO EXIST.
SO TO BE ABLE TO SIT, YOU DO
THE SAME THING.
YOU JUST TURN OFF THE SYSTEM.
AGAIN, THE ELECTRODES WILL
TURN OFF, AND I'M BACK IN MY
WHEELCHAIR AND MY MUSCLES ARE
PARALYZED AGAIN.
HER ORGANIZATION SUPPORTS
RESEARCH AND ACCESS AND
ADVOCATES FOR DEVICE APPROVALS
BY THE FDA.
AND THE FDA HAS A WHOLE
AREA CALLED THE ORPHAN
POPULATION IN TERMS OF
APPROVING DEVICES.
AND THOSE ARE FOR CONDITIONS
THAT HAVE SMALL POPULATIONS,
NOT THE LARGE POPULATIONS LIKE
DEPRESSION OR AGING OR GRAYING
OF HAIR.
WHAT WE TRY TO LOOK FOR IS
THESE TYPES OF DEVICES THAT
HAVE BEEN APPROVED AND HOW WE
CAN BLEED THEM OVER INTO
DIFFERENT CONDITIONS.
FROM ACCIDENT VICTIM TO
LEADING ADVOCATE, JENNIFER
FRENCH HAS ALWAYS BEEN SOMEONE
WITH AN UNTAMED SPIRIT.
SO JEN FRENCH IS A SPECIAL
WOMAN.
SHE HAS BEEN ONE OF THE
PIONEERS IN OUR LOWER
EXTREMITY FES SYSTEM FOR THE
STANDING AND TRANSFER.
SHE'S KIND OF IRREPRESSIBLE IN
HER ENTHUSIASM AND OPTIMISM.
FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE FACING
NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS OR A
NEW STEP IN THEIR LIFE OF
HAVING TO DEAL WITH A
DEGENERATIVE DISEASE, IF YOU
WILL, THEY NEED TO BECOME
THEIR OWN ADVOCATES AND BE
ABLE TO LOOK FOR THOSE TYPES
OF OPTIONS.
♪
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE
CLEVELAND FES CENTER, VISIT
fescenter.org.