As a certain event approaches the term ‘win’ conjures up images of perfectly toned athletes crossing over the finishing line in a display of physical dexterity. Yet for me a true winner is someone who has the heart, conviction and determination to triumph against the odds; someone who smiles in the face of adversity, inspiring hope in others, someone like my beautiful friend Lorraine Mack….

After a freak incident in a nightclub, eight years ago, Lorraine was tragically left paralysed from the neck down. She is now classified as a c4-5 tetraplegic which not only means she is unable to walk,  she also has no movement in the upper limbs or feels anything from below the neck, only has only 50% of her lung capacity,  suffers from severe neuropathic pain along with a whole host of other complications.

She also needs the aid of various exercise equipment to prevent her organs from failing and her muscles from wasting away:

See here the F.E.S Bike:  the only piece of equipment to provide aerobic exercise for spinal cord injury. Stimulates up to 10 muscles to prevent muscle wastage.

The Standing frame: Helps strengthen legs, keeps spine straight, aids digestion and blood pressure.

In light of all of this Lorraine has become a true beacon of hope for other suffers. She passionately believes that a cure is possible She tells me how scientist are making leaps and bounds in their research and that many scientific studies have shown that it is possible to regenerate the spinal cord, with trails being in phrase 1 and 2 at present. As a committee board member for spinal research  she commits her life to raising awareness and promoting a cure for spinal cord injury. To help raise more money for the research Lorraine herself is taking part in a  skydive this September to raise funds for spinal research. Click here to donate

800 people suffer from spinal cord injury every year in UK. It mostly affects young adults. Most of which cannot afford to pay for equipment or care. It’s estimated to cost the nation £1 billion every year. Lorraine will eventually be starting her own charity that provides equipment like the F.E.S Bike and Standing frame to those who can’t afford them.  For more information on spinal research and how you can help Lorraine win her fight please add her  facebook page

Here’s to winning the fight against spinal cord injury!!!

Since writing this blog, Lorraine has completed a skydive for spinal research and raised over £3000. read about it in the Cure Girls blog