Erika Nilsson

I am 42 years old and I broke my neck in a horseback riding accident in 1994. My injury is at the C7 level, which means I am paralyzed from the axilla down. I have a BA in Media and Communication Studies and work as a project coordinator at the Spinalis Foundation.

I have two sons born in 2000 and 2003, and live in Ekerö outside Stockholm.

Anna Oredsson

I am 33 and live with my partner and two children. We live like any other family in a two-bedroom apartment in the center of Malmö. My partner and I are both employed and our daughter goes to day care. I completed my education in graphic design in 2009 (University College of Arts, Crafts & Design, Stockholm) and have worked as a freelancer since then.

In 2007 I was injured in a car accident. My injury is at the T12 -L1 level, which means I am paralyzed from the waist down.

Nora Sandholdt

I am 34 years old, married, with one daughter born in 2010. I was in a car accident when I was 11 and sustained a spinal cord injury in the thoracic spine (T7-8). Ever since then I have had incomplete paraplegia. I have some sensation left below the level of injury. I can stand on my legs and take a step or two, provided I have support on both sides, but from a practical standpoint a wheelchair works much better when I need to move about.

I have a degree in business administration with a focus on economics and have worked as an analyst and consultant. I’ve run my own company since early 2012. Occasionally I lecture about my experiences with spinal cord injury, the pathway from cautious girl to Paralympics medalist and how people react to my situation. While I was on maternity leave, my husband and I moved from Stockholm to Malmö.

MEDICAL PANEL

Claes Hultling

Claes Hultling is a doctor, lecturer and social commentator. Along with Richard Levi, he founded the Spinalis Foundation in 1990. Claes is also founder of the Spinalis Spinal Cord Injury Center, a clinic specializing in spinal cord injuries at Rehab Station Stockholm. Claes earned his PhD by studying fertility in men with spinal cord injuries. His son was the first child in the world to be born to a father with spinal cord injury thanks to use of in vitro fertilization.

Karin Pettersson

Karin is a senior consultant in obstetrics at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health at Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge. One of her areas of specialty is pregnancy in women with neurological injury. She also instructs other obstetricians in this subject. Karin is one of the most experienced doctors in Sweden concerning pregnancy in women with spinal cord injury.

Read more about Karin

ORGANIZATIONS

The Spinalis Foundation

The Spinalis Foundation is a charitable foundation whose mission is to promote research and develop treatments for spinal cord injuries. Spinalis both runs its own projects and supports projects conducted by others. The Spinalis Foundation story began one summer day in 1984 when physician Claes Hultling dove into the water, hit a stone and broke his neck, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. After the accident Claes, who until then had worked as an anesthesiologist, decided to dedicate his life to rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injuries. In the years following the accident Claes traveled with his colleague and friend Richard Levi to the United States and Australia to work and gather knowledge and inspiration from the world’s leading centers for spinal cord injury rehabilitation. When they returned home they launched the Spinalis Foundation, with financial support primarily from Kinnevik. Ever since then Spinalis has been the foremost driving force in Swedish spinal cord injury rehabilitation. The foundation gave rise to the Spinal Cord Injury Center, the third and perhaps most important link in the chain of care for spinal cord injuries in Stockholm County today.
Over the years the Foundation, through support from backers such as the Swedish Inheritance Fund, has initiated and financed a variety of projects that so far have resulted in eight doctoral dissertations and numerous scientific articles. Through such actions, the Foundation has significantly contributed to knowledge and research in this field within Sweden.
Read more at www.spinalis.se

RG – Active Rehabilitation

RG Active Rehabilitation (RG) is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1981. The organization inspires and supports people with spinal cord injuries, or with similar needs, to become more independent and integrated into society. The point of departure is the human right to a dignified and independent life, taking individual circumstances into account. The means include physical and social activity with a focus on mobilizing all opportunities life has to offer.
RG has a nationwide network of role models who visit recently injured patients at rehabilitation wards in Sweden. The organization is also involved in developing a network of role models for children with disabilities and their parents. RG offers an extensive selection of courses and camps for everyone from young children to adults. These courses combine physical activity with social elements to promote maximum development among participants.

RG also provides training for individuals who work in the fields of rehabilitation, health care and assistive equipment.
Read more at www.rekryteringsgruppen.se

The Swedish Inheritance Fund

The “Mamma Pappa Lam” project (“Mama Papa Paralyzed”) is financed by the Swedish Inheritance Fund.  The Inheritance Fund distributes aid to nonprofit organizations that work with children, youth and adults with disabilities. Two types of support are available: project support and local support.  Projects that receive support should be innovative and broaden services beyond the regular activities of the organization. Projects may receive financial support through the Inheritance Fund for a maximum of three years.
The Swedish Inheritance Fund Commission is charged with deciding what projects will receive support, monitoring projects that receive support, ensuring that the results from these activities are shared and providing information about the Inheritance Fund mission and how funds are used.

Read more at www.arvsfonden.se