Community Voices from the Community May 2024 Awareness Highlights

May 2024 Awareness Highlights

As we welcome May, we're excited to spotlight the causes, celebrations, and initiatives that hold significance during this time. May offers opportunities to raise awareness, foster understanding, and celebrate diversity. Preview our social media spotlights and upcoming events below and be sure to follow us on social media @ReeveFoundation to stay up to date on awareness days impacting the paralysis community.

hello may

ALS Awareness Month

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurological disease that primarily affects the nerves of the brainstem, spinal cord and cerebral cortex of the brain. It is a subset of a larger group of diseases called Motor Neuron Disease (MND). As ALS progresses, breathing can be affected. Because ALS affects only motor activity, the disease does not impair a person's mind, personality, intelligence, or memory.

Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month

AAPI Heritage Month is a time to celebrate and recognize the culture and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. As of 2020, there are 20.6 million people living in the U.S. who identify as AAPI. Census data also shows that 1 in 10 Asian American and 1 in 6 Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander is living with a disability.

Check out the following videos featuring AAPI community members on our social media:

 

Mental Health Awareness Month

People with physical disabilities report higher rates of mental health struggles than their able-bodied peers due to lack of resources and support systems which are readily available.

The Reeve Foundation offers multiple mental health resources for people impacted by paralysis:

  • Separate virtual support groups for both individuals living with paralysis and family members. Hosted by trained mental health professionals and peers with lived experience, these groups provide an opportunity for members to connect with others who understand what they are going through and to gain support, insight and guidance. Each meeting begins with a discussion of a topic related to living with paralysis or caregiving, followed by an open forum conversation among group members.
  • A “Women’s Mental Health After Paralysis” educational booklet.
  • “Living Well with Dr. John: Adjustment Through the Lifespan” is a webinar series addressing various mental health topics relevant to the paralysis community. All webinars can be found on our YouTube channel.
  • Informative blog posts on mental health while living with paralysis, including Mental Health Resources for Veterans and Service Members.


Although not a replacement for mental healthcare, having a community of others you can relate to is important in maintaining your mental health. Our Peer and Family Support Program offers a free peer mentoring program in which you’ll be matched with someone of similar lived experience to you. This program is available for people living with paralysis and caregivers.

Military Appreciation Month

For Military Appreciation Month, we are spotlighting the Reeve Foundation's Military & Veterans Program (MVP). MVP extends expertise in spinal cord injury and paralysis to include resources and community connections for service members and veterans living with paralysis, whether through combat-related, service-related, or non-service-related events.

Be sure to check out the following blog posts as well:

 

Women's Health Week: May 12-18, 2024

Join us on May 22nd at 3pm ET for a Women’s Health Series webinar, “Preventative Cancer Screenings While Living with Paralysis .” This webinar will feature a panel discussion among two women living with paralysis who are cancer survivors, along with an oncologist. The panelists will explore the importance of preventative cancer screenings, the physical and attitudinal barriers to accessing them, strategies for overcoming these barriers, including self-advocacy, how to find a provider who offers accessible screenings, and what questions to ask when making an appointment.

The Reeve Foundation also offers the following resources related to women’s health:

   Join Our Movement

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Stroke Awareness Month

Stroke is the leading cause of paralysis, with spinal cord injury a close second. Paralysis is a common feature of stroke, often on one side of the body (hemiplegia). The paralysis or weakness may affect only the face, an arm, or a leg or may affect one entire side of the body and face. However, the bleeding of the brain during an ischemic stroke can lead to full paraplegic or quadriplegic paralysis.

Global Accessibility Awareness Month

In honor of Global Accessibility Awareness Month, we’ll be spotlighting Chandra Smith on our social media channels @ReeveFoundation. Crowned Ms. Wheelchair America 2024, Chandra advocates for the rights of people with disabilities through her platform on digital accessibility. Alongside Ariana Aboulafia and Henry Claypool, Chandra presented at Reeve Summit 2024 over the future of tech and disability.

World Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Awareness Day

May 30 is World Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Awareness Day. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms may be episodic and mild, such as numbness in a limb or a visual disturbance that resolves over time. Others can have more severe and lasting symptoms, including paralysis, incontinence, cognitive loss, or loss of vision. Each case of MS is unique depending on the nerves affected. An individual can have one, all, or any combination of symptoms. Symptoms can resolve totally, some or all symptoms can remain.

Memorial Day

On Memorial Day, May 31, we honor those who have served this country. Memorial Day, first called "Decoration Day," was conceived by a group of Union Army veterans after the Civil War ended as a day to lay flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers. Bouquets and evergreens from public gardens and the President's Conservatory and Treasury gardens were placed throughout Arlington National Cemetery on May 30, 1868, during a ceremony attended by thousands. In 1971, Memorial Day was expanded by Congress to honor all soldiers who have died in service to the country.

Learn more about the Reeve Foundation's Military & Veterans Program (MVP).

Visit our National Paralysis Resource Center for the following free resources:

About the Author - Reeve Staff

This blog was written by the Reeve Foundation for educational purposes. For more information please reach out to information@christopherreeve.org

Reeve Staff

The opinions expressed in these blogs are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

The National Paralysis Resource Center website is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $10,000,000 with 100 percent funding by ACL/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

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