about

Dana L. Guest

On June 17, 2000, at the age of 17, my life changed forever when I sustained a traumatic spinal cord injury in a motor vehicle accident that rendered me a quadriplegic. In the blink of an eye, my family and I were catapulted into a world of uncertainty and fear about our future as we all began to realize the ramifications of what life is after a catastrophic injury.

In the early days and weeks after a catastrophic injury there are so many questions and, as we soon found out, not enough answers. Serious questions concerning my general health, rehabilitation and recovery potential, psychological and emotional well-being, legal and financial options, etc. swirled as each day post injury confronted us with new concerns and challenges. Medical providers were justifiably afraid to offer us “false hope” regarding my recovery and were often difficult to track down due to large patient loads. Case workers were stretched thin and unable to spend the hours it would take to address all of the questions a newly injured patient and their family has. Government resources were extremely scarce and often entirely tapped out. My family and I were forced to navigate this crisis alone clamoring for bits of information where and when we could get it.

And, we weren’t the only family going through this. As I began my journey through rehabilitation, we came across so many other victims of various types of catastrophic injuries who had the same questions and shared the same concerns. One day, after hearing story after story that sounded so much like my own, my mother casually said, “There should really be a handbook to get people through something like this.”

Thus, ten years later, the Injury Co-op is in place to act as a comprehensive resource to guide catastrophic injury survivors and their families through the complexities of life post-injury.

The Injury Co-op will be updated regularly to offer the most up-to-date, relevant information concerning traumatic spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, amputations, severe burns and wrongful deaths. Information provided will include a blog written by fellow survivors/mentors, educational videos, links to various resources, news about research, recovery and the latest product developments. Also, information concerning government assistance programs, private foundation aid and legal options will be available.

My sincere wish in creating the Injury Co-op is to keep other survivors of catastrophic injuries and their families from going through the feelings my family and I had of being alone, uncertain and afraid in the early days of my injury.