Welcome to my page on Disabilities


I've decided to make a page that explains a little about Spinal Cord Injuries. Start with my accident and rehabilitation and in the future have more information about other injuries.


Hi, I'm Mark or Wolfven online.
XitReality Online well my little corner of the world wide web ; ))
On September 5, 1991 about 3am on my way home, a friend and I were in a motor vehicle accident,
where we ended up in the ditch and rolling beside highway 22 just east of Bragg Creek. (Where I grew up : )

I was the passanger and we rolled once the car landing on the roof and then back onto the wheels. The impact collapsed the roof on my side, literally stuffing me under the dash, breaking my neck at the C5 vertebrae or fifth vertebrae down in your neck . The impact crushed that vertebra damaging the spinal cord. Although an incomplete injury, leaving me stregnths and movement normally not there at this level of injury, I've been in and have required a wheelchair for mobility since.



I have the medical version if you care to read it Click Here ... or I can muster through and give you the just of it ; )
For a quick referace pic of the spine you can Click Here

Okay here we go, the way I understand, is when the spinal cord is subjected to trauma it begins to swell. The actual injury my not be the cause of the paralasis
this swelling causes the cord to "self destruct" where the trauma was created. In my case the fifth vertebrae in my neck, C5.
Now I was very fortunate in that and help arived at the scene very quickley and I was rushed to hospital in relatively quick time.
It had been discovered that if you inject a steroid into the colum, within relatively close time to the trauma, it stopped this swelling preventing the injury from becomeing complete at the injury level.
So basically I am very lucky for recieving the shot and in that I am an incomplete injury
and have alot of movement and stregnths I shouldn't for my level of injury.

After almost 10 months in hospital I left to live in a group home called the 4th Dimension. It was a fantastic place to transition from the hospital,
so with some hard work managed to move out on my own. Bought my van, and found I could still go and enjoy alot of the things that I enjoy camping/fishing, and traveling, even if its just getting out of the city for a while ; )



Learning to drive again and my van sure has given me freedom to go out and do those things. I drive right from my wheelchair, theres a tie down system that locks me into the floor
so I don't move. The thing on my steering wheel is there because I didn't get full return back in my hands and it insures I have a good hold of the wheel
at all times. To operate the pedals I use a hand control which is basically pull down for gas and push in for brake. It must work good since buying
it in 1992 I've put on 130 000km, including a road trip to Alaska : ))





Canadian Paapelegic Association


Chritopher Reeve Paralasis Foundation's Website
Mr. Reeve ... Christopher,
Your still Superman to me, your work and aiding the research of (SCI's) is inspiring ... Thank-You.

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Online since April 1, 1999.
Last Updated Feb 7, 2009.