Wheelchair relay raises money for spinal cord injuries

By Justin Prince

Able-bodied Windsorites hopped in wheelchairs Sept. 29 for a special relay to raise money for people with spinal cord injuries.

The seventh annual Spinal Cord Injury Ontario Wheelchair Relay Challenge was held in the Windsor Family Credit Union Centre’s Leisure Gym.

The relay had nine teams competing against each other through an obstacle course and a speed race. Both events were timed to help determine a winner.

The event raised over $12,000 through donations, sponsors and raffles throughout the day.

Appearances were made by the Windsor Spitfires, Windsor Express and SCI Ontario spokesperson Bernie Campbell, who has experienced a spinal cord injury. Campbell was in the wilderness in northern Ontario when his accident happened and put him in a wheelchair in 2008.

“Before SCI Ontario, I was a mess. I had nowhere else to go,” said Campbell. “Thanks to SCI, I can now get the support I need to help live my life.”

Campbell said the relay was a good way for participants to see what it is like to be in a wheelchair for the first time.

Sheila O’Neill, the community development officer for SCI Ontario and main organizer of the relay, said there was a slight drop in revenue, but there were still more participants than in the past.

“Any money we can raise to support people with spinal cord injuries and other physical disabilities, that’s a success,” said O’Neill. “The day went off without a hitch or any surprises.”

She said only two teams registered online, but the rest signed up by email or phone, some of them last minute. O’Neill also said her team of volunteers played a large role in the success of the event.

“We have a team of eight volunteers that all live in the community and they give a lot of help in getting all the donations for our raffle and recruiting the teams,” said O’Neill. “It does take a bit of effort but we have great support in the community so it’s a pleasure to do it.”

Dan Stewart, who cracked his fourth vertebrae in a trampoline accident, is the peer support coordinator at SCI Ontario. He said in each case every spinal cord injury is different. His job is to pair up people with existing spinal cord injuries and new patients.

“I like to describe a spinal cord injury as a snowflake because every injury is completely different,” he said. “It’s kind of tricky to pair up people but at the same time it’s also important for people to have a good understanding of what their new body is going to be like.”

Stewart said he works with a team of 30 volunteers to run the program.

“After a spinal cord injury it’s not the end of the world, your life goes on and everything can still be awesome,” he said.

Tim Steward, a member of the SCI Ontario board and a first time participant in the relay, said he has been in a wheelchair since birth.

“When I was born, I had a stroke at 24 hours old… and it made me paralyzed from the waist down,” said Steward. “I’ve been in a wheelchair all my life so I haven’t had anything else to be used to besides the chair, so it’s just a normal, everyday activity.”

Steward said he wanted to have fun and raise money and awareness for spinal cord injuries during the relay.

Beth Reidi, who works for Shoppers Home Health Care, said it was the first time her company put together a team for the event.

“We donated all the wheelchairs and a lump sum of money to the cause,” said Reidi. “We have a lot of clients that use wheelchairs so it’s a nice way to support them.”

Reidi also said the event is a good way to know what it’s like to be in a wheelchair.

“Even though you’re only doing it for a few minutes it gives you an idea of what they’re doing every day,” she said.

Reidi said she hopes to have a bigger team for next year’s relay.

The winners of the relay received free bags from SCI Ontario. Steward’s team took first place and the Windsor Express won the Most Determined Team award, finishing last in both the obstacle course and the speed race.