West Livaudais, OSCI founder and executive director says, I have reaped so much joy and satisfaction from watching Oregon Spinal Cord Injury Connection grow over the last decade. This month – November 25, 2024 – will be 10 years!  

November 3, 2013

Eleven years ago, on November 3, 2013, I was hit by a truck while walking in Guatemala. When I came to, I was staring at the sky, gasping for air, blood in my mouth. My first thought: “Is this how it ends?” I heard onlookers shriek. I looked down and saw my right leg twisted badly out of shape. My second thought: “Oh damn, that’s not good.” I collapsed. My third thought: “Just keep breathing.”

This was the start of my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad November 2013. Thankfully, my friends at Medical Teams International got me safely out of Guatemala and back to the States. But my troubles weren’t over. I had emergency hip surgery, then slipped into a dark mess of high fevers, delusion, body aches, and weakness. The curtains on The West Livaudais Show were coming down. The intermission was dark and silent. Thankfully, the medical system finally pulled its head out of its ass and righted my ship. When the curtains opened again, I woke up in a U.S. ICU. This time, I was paralyzed. I had nearly died from an epidural abscess caused by a hospital-acquired infection.

And this, my friends, is how my adventure with spinal cord injury began.

My Journey

I often say I’ve been both very unlucky and very lucky. Many people feel the same. What matters most isn’t how the chips fall—but how we bounce back.

No one wants a spinal cord injury. No one plans for it. There’s no cure, and the climb out is steep—step by step. Adversity can crush. But it can also transform, helping someone become their fullest self, no matter the circumstances.

After ten years as an executive director, I’ve learned this: the difference-maker in facing a spinal cord injury is finding the spark of life—and a strong, supportive community. No one gets through this alone. Everyone needs help from those who believe in them. 

Oregon Spinal Cord Injury Connection

Oregon Spinal Cord Injury Connection believes in everyone living with a spinal cord injury, and it exists for those who come up short, who may need to jumpstart their spark of life or just don’t have a strong, supportive community.

Adversity, when faced in community, is the soil where hidden talents grow. Over 10 years, I’ve found my vision and a knack for strategy—especially when it comes to getting my community’s needs on the table. The chip on my shoulder has softened into a grounded note of grit and resilience.

In the last 10 years, I have made my share of wrong decisions, but to this day, I am proud of an extraordinarily good decision that has contributed to the strength of the organization and our ability to grow programs and community amidst the storms. That decision was to invest the entire life-force of this organization into the work of pursuing health equity for people living with spinal cord injury. 

You can join me in celebrating Oregon Spinal Cord Injury Connection by sharing this post and to help make our transformative work known. Help us celebrate 10 years by starting a $10/monthly donation to support newly injured folks and their families who are grappling with the life-changing implications of their injury.