Columns

My lifelong desire: One young man talks about his decision to pay for sex

Nick Wallis is 22 and has a life-limiting condition. With no girlfriend on the horizon, he feared he would never enjoy a full relationship. Here, he tells why he decided that the only way to experience sex was to pay for it... Read More!

Limbaugh would sing different tune if he had Parkinson’s

VIRGINIA - The recent public bashing of Michael J. Fox by extremist Rush Limbaugh has stirred up the debate of stem cell research. In recent news, Rush Limbaugh has been quoted as saying that while filming a political ad in favor of stem cell research, Michael J. Fox,...Read More!

Agony and ecstasy: sex advice

Here's advice from U.K. Dr.Thomas Stuttaford

Q: I have been in a wheelchair for the past seven years but now I feel ready for a sexual relationship with a woman. Can you suggest anything?

A: For many years I was consulted by an amusing, witty and entertaining old journalist who had been famous (or infamous) for his womanizing. Old age and disability curbed his physical prowess, but his vitality remained undiminished. I also occasionally bumped into him lunching in fashionable restaurants. He was usually accompanied by a beautiful, intelligent and successful woman...Read More!

Inside Out | Grateful for an infection? In a way, yes
Dan Gottlieb provides a look at being grateful for what we have

I knew there was no cure for my paralysis. Nor was there any hope for my baldness. But this was an infectious-disease doctor on the other end of the line, and he was calling me about my urinary tract infection. We had always cured them in the past, and even though this one seemed much more difficult than the others, I assumed we would resolve this one too. So I was pretty shaken when he said: "I don't think we can cure this one, Dan." Read More!

Buffalo Springs Road Report

On Sept. 17, 2000, Trish Downing was hit by a car while riding her bicycle in Golden, Colo. She was paralyzed from the chest down on impact. Earlier this summer, Downing, an elite road and track cyclist, attempted to qualify for this November’s Ironman World Championships (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run) in Kona, Hawaii. Here is Trish Downing’s road report from the Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon in Lubbock, Texas, an inspirational tale of guts, determination and support from old friends and new friends along the way.

I am writing you from the car as we drive north and west out of Texas and away from one of the most mentally and emotionally draining race weekends of my life. It wouldn’t have been such a big deal, but I put all of my eggs in one big race basket ...Read More!

U.S. nurtures a life with dignity, says Russian immigrant

Natasha Buteniana, says things are different here...

Have you ever thought about how many things in life we take for granted: "You don't know what you have until it's gone ..." Fortunately for me, I came from a country that makes me look at many things differently, with gratitude. You know what surprised me when I moved to America? It was neither the huge malls nor the numerous restaurants on every corner. What struck me the most was the amount of parking spaces and entrances with special access for disabled people, equipped bathrooms in all public places, special seats at the movie theaters and frequent signs "for disabled people only." Back in Russia, I hadn't seen anything like that...Read More!

My wheelchair doesn't make me invisible

Rich Brooks is not invisible...just ask the lobsters, whose tank he almost took out...

There's no easy way to do this. I mean, we respect each other, which makes what I have to tell you all the more difficult. So freshen up your coffee. Normally, I would not complain. But I'm afraid that if I don't bring this to your attention this could become worse and develop into a real rift between us. It's about the way you treat me in public. Sometimes -- I don't know -- it's like I'm not there or don't exist. Read More!

Medical Insurance Explained...Get ready for a laugh!

This little missive was sent to POW editors and we thought it was hysterical...or not...we don't know who wrote it.

Q. What does HMO stand for?
A. This is actually a variation of the phrase, "HEY MOE." Its roots go back to a concept pioneered by Moe of the Three Stooges, who discovered that a patient could be made to forget the pain in his foot if he was poked hard enough in the eye.

Q. I just joined an HMO. How difficult will it be to choose the doctor I want?
A. Just slightly more difficult than choosing your parents. Your insurer will provide you with a book listing all the doctors in the plan. The doctors basically fall into two categories: those who are no longer accepting new patients, and those who will see you but are no longer participating in the plan. But don't worry, the remaining doctor who is still in the plan and accepting new patients has an office just a half-day's drive away and a diploma from a third world country. Read More!

A Brief Timeline of the Stem-Cell Debate

Here's a look at key moments in the controversy so far: November 1995: Researchers at the University of Wisconsin isolate the first embryonic stem cells in primates -- rhesus macaque monkeys. The research shows it's possible to derive embryonic stem cells from primates, including humans...Read More!

Disabled people need inclusion, not a cures

Nick Watson of the London Sunday Herald writes: We are in a period, yet again, of sweeping statements about how science and medical advancement can “cure” disability. This is not new – following the discovery of neurotransmitters in the 1950s and 1960s, promises were made about the possibility of finding a cure for spinal injury and, in 1986, the then director of the International Spinal Research Trust promised a cure for spinal cord injury within five years. In the 1980s, the defective gene that causes cystic fibrosis was discovered, heralding the notion the disease would soon be wiped out. Hyperbole surrounding the potential of stem cell research replicates this tendency.
But medical research has become associated with raised expectations, which is damaging and distressing to a huge number of disabled people. The simple fact is that cutting-edge discoveries which grab the headlines have not yet been translated into therapies in any meaningful way. Read More!

The 'National Association of Ambulary Centered People' Promotes Walking...or Just Standing Around

Michael Owen writes with tongue firmly implanted in his cheek about the new NAACP: Welcome to AmbulosUnite.org. We are the 22nd century website of the National Association of Ambulary Centered People.

The Association exists to:
• Combat the stigma associated with individual ambulation.
• Advocate for the needs of people who walk, trot, jog, or just stand around.
• Promote appropriate public access for ambulos.
• Influence legislation and government policies that discourage ambulation.
• Promote the tradition and values associated with walking and other forms of individual ambulation.

About Us
The National Association for Ambulary Centered People is a membership organization founded in 2101 to support people who rely on walking or other natural means of self mobility. We respect the rights of members of the dominant culture who use motorized wheeled vehicles...Read More!

The campaign to undo FDR: A look at the President and his wheelchair

Charles Krauthammer wites for Jewish World Review..."Pearl Harbor," the movie, is an engagingly ramshackle mess of comical improbabilities, '40s cliches and dialogue so corny it must have been (was it?) deliberate. It is entertaining enough but would hardly merit serious attention were it not for one scene too egregious to go unremarked.

It is the scene of FDR convening his military advisers after the attack. Finding them depressed and defeatist, FDR makes a melodramatic "when I had the use of my legs" speech and then, to illustrate the point, rises from his chair -- Read More!