Spinal cord injury (SCI) is usually the result of trauma, most commonly related to motor vehicle accidents, sports injuries, falls, acts of violence, or medical wrongdoing where conditions such as infections are not timely diagnosed or treated. SCI is sudden and dramatic, and happens to about 12,000 people a year, and roughly 1,000 in Southern California. The consequences are life-changing and affect not just the injured, but also his or her family and loved ones.

An injured person with SCI, however, can live a long and healthy life, fully active in work, family and community if: (1) connected to good resources; (2) able to obtain medical care; and (3) imbedded in a community of people who understand living with SCI.