Stand Up Against Atrophy

Stand Up Sunday...

Everyday Dustin chooses to get out of this chair and work towards his goals of being able to walk again. Everyday he gets one day stronger. Everyday he gets one day closer to that goal.

You may wonder why standing up is such a big deal. To a paraplegic, that was told he would never have movement below his chest or have the ability to stand again, it means the world. Paralysis comes with it's challenges and one of them is muscle atrophy. Muscle atrophy is a decrease in muscle mass, basically a wasting away of the muscles. If Dustin does not get up and move this lower extremities, he will loose all use of the muscles. When you have a spinal cord injury and a goal to one day walk, the though of atrophy is not an option. You must keep moving- and in Dustin's case, standing up!

Other symptoms that are connected to Dustin's paralysis and muscle atrophy are lack of blood flow, poor circulation, decreased sexual function and bone density loss. By exercising, doing wheelchair workouts and standing up, Dustin is working on improving each of these symptoms as well as his cardiovascular health, overall health, and he is preparing his body for when there is a cure. Besides that, Dustin says "Standing up, just feels good!" 

A standing frame helps Dustin with his balance and support his weight. Dustin recently donated a standing frame to help others be able to to do the same. For Dustin it's about making a difference not only for himself, by Standing up for others as well. It's Stand Up Sunday- What are you gonna do now to make a difference for your own health and to reach your own goals?

...Dustin lives a lifestyle that uses his physical paralysis to create a new future and new perspective on something that was once painful. Dustin will be in Las Vegas, as part of the Unstuck Conference, sponsored by Finding Your Happiness July 30th, 2016, where he will share the stage with John Polish and other great speakers delivering a powerful message about how we each have an opportunity to  reveal the hope and light that will guide us to brighter times if we just decide to not allow "IT" to define us.

 
Take a look at Dustin's new clothing line and order your DSF Gear now to help support others with paralysis.

Check out my video and learn more about what The Dustin Shillcox Foundation is all about. It's about improving the moment.

I can Turn Myself on... Watch the  video to see how the stimulator implanted inside of me works.

 Dustin Shillcox’s life drastically changed when he was in a car accident August 2010 and sustained major spinal cord damage, a broken upper arm, collapsed lungs, broken ribs, cracked sternum & mild brain injury. Dustin’s complete T-5 spinal cord injury (SCI) left him with no feeling below his mid-chest, causing paralysis from the chest down.

Now paralyzed, and living his life in a wheel chair, Dustin was told he would never again be able to move below his waist again, but after participating in a cutting edge SCI research project, at the University of Kentucky in Louisville, he is now able to move his legs and stand once again. Dustin is living his life to the fullest, sharing his story, journey of overcoming obstacles, and faith while raising funds for spinal cord research. Through his motivational speaking and the Dustin Shillcox Foundation, he is helping to improve the lives of people in wheelchairs.

Dustin delivers an inspiring message about never giving up, and the power of a positive attitude in his speech "What Are You Gonna Do Now?" Inquire about Dustin's availability to speak at your next business meeting, conference, charity event, school, church or graduation event. If you are looking to inspire your crowd to overcome personal challenges, and motivate into action, Dustin needs to be your next call! 307.870.6764

written by Nickel Lowman

Working Out- No Days Off

14 weeks into the new year, and I'm not taking a day off...

Every day is a day for me to take the opportunity of working on myself and working the muscles in my body. I don't work out at the gym 7 days a week, but I do make sure I am using my epidural stimulator to work the muscles in my body and be sure I am using the cutting edge medical technology implanted inside of me that allows me to stand up. Keeping myself fit is part of what keeps me strong, keeping focused on the stimulation is what will help my body progress  and one day help me progress from standing to walk again. For me there are no such days as a day off when it comes to standing.- Stand Up Sunday (and the rest of the week.)

Take a look at the new clothing line and order your DSF Gear Now!

Check out my video and learn more about what The Dustin Shillcox Foundation is all about. It's about improving the moment.

I can Turn Myself on... Watch the  video to see how the stimulator implanted inside of me works.

 Dustin Shillcox’s life drastically changed when he was in a car accident August 2010 and sustained major spinal cord damage, a broken upper arm, collapsed lungs, broken ribs, cracked sternum & mild brain injury. Dustin’s complete T-5 spinal cord injury (SCI) left him with no feeling below his mid-chest, causing paralysis from the chest down.

Now paralyzed, and living his life in a wheel chair, Dustin was told he would never again be able to move below his waist again, but after participating in a cutting edge SCI research project, at the University of Kentucky in Louisville, he is now able to move his legs and stand once again. Dustin is living his life to the fullest, sharing his story, journey of overcoming obstacles, and faith while raising funds for spinal cord research. Through his motivational speaking and the Dustin Shillcox Foundation, he is helping to improve the lives of people in wheelchairs.

Dustin delivers an inspiring message about never giving up, and the power of a positive attitude in his speech "What Are You Gonna Do Now?" Inquire about Dustin's availability to speak at your next business meeting, conference, charity event, school, church or graduation event. If you are looking to inspire your crowd to overcome personal challenges, and motivate into action, Dustin needs to be your next call! 307.870.6764

written by Nickel Lowman

Dustin Shillcox’s life drastically changed when he was in a car accident August 2010 and sustained major spinal cord damage, a broken upper arm, collapsed lungs, broken ribs, cracked sternum & mild brain injury. Dustin’s complete T-5 spinal cord injury (SCI) left him with no feeling below his mid-chest, causing paralysis from the chest down.

Now paralyzed, and living his life in a wheel chair, Dustin was told he would never again be able to move below his waist again, but after participating in a cutting edge SCI research project, at the University of Kentucky in Louisville, he is now able to move his legs and stand once again. Dustin is living his life to the fullest, sharing his story, journey of overcoming obstacles, and faith while raising funds for spinal cord research. Through his motivational speaking and the Dustin Shillcox Foundation, he is helping to improve the lives of people in wheelchairs.

Dustin delivers an inspiring message about never giving up, and the power of a positive attitude in his speech "What Are You Gonna Do Now?" Inquire about Dustin's availability to speak at your next business meeting, conference, charity event, school, church or graduation event. If you are looking to inspire your crowd to overcome personal challenges, and motivate into action, Dustin needs to be your next call! 307.870.6764

written by Nickel Lowman

You Are Strong Enough

You were given this life because you
are strong enough to live it.- Unknown

 

Dustin Shillcox’s life drastically changed when he was in a car accident August 2010 and sustained major spinal cord damage, a broken upper arm, collapsed lungs, broken ribs, cracked sternum & mild brain injury. Dustin’s complete T-5 spinal cord injury (SCI) left him with no feeling below his mid-chest, causing paralysis from the chest down.

Now paralyzed, and living his life in a wheel chair, Dustin was told he would never again be able to move below his waist again, but after participating in a cutting edge SCI research project, at the University of Kentucky in Louisville, he is now able to move his legs and stand once again. Dustin is living his life to the fullest, sharing his story, journey of overcoming obstacles, and faith while raising funds for spinal cord research. Through his motivational speaking and the Dustin Shillcox Foundation, he is helping to improve the lives of people in wheelchairs.

Dustin delivers an inspiring message about never giving up, and the power of a positive attitude in his speech "What Are You Gonna Do Now?" Inquire about Dustin's availability to speak at your next business meeting, conference, charity event, school, church or graduation event. If you are looking to inspire your crowd to overcome personal challenges, and motivate into action, Dustin needs to be your next call! 307.870.6764

written by Nickel Lowman

Why Stay Fit??

What does it matter if we stay fit?

Doing the things I love range from snowmobiling, camping, hanging out with friends, taking out the wild cat, boating, swimming and other such outdoor sports. A lot of the activities I do, aren't accessible from a wheelchair, so in addition to my upper body strength, I count on my friends and family to help out.

I find it's important for me to have a good diet and exercise regularly not only for my heath, but to keep in good shape. When I am with my friends, we often come across places that don't have ramps or an elevator (they are not wheelchair accessible), and sometimes friends have to pick me up and carry me to where we need to be. It's often up to me to help out and use the strength I do have, so that I'm not dead weight. An example of when I would need help is when we are out at the lake on our boats, I need help getting from the water back into the boat or onto the dock.( If you haven't ready my 4th of July boating experience, it's a must read and good for a laugh.)

If you want to enjoy life and do activities that take help from someone else (to get you from places to place) it makes things much easier if you keep yourself in good shape. I often encourage others to work out as well, after all, I may need their help. It helps when we all stay fit. Take a look at some of my wheelchair workouts, this one shows me doing pull ups...
-Dustin

Dustin Shillcox’s life drastically changed when he was in a car accident August 2010 and sustained major spinal cord damage, a broken upper arm, collapsed lungs, broken ribs, cracked sternum & mild brain injury. Dustin’s complete T-5 spinal cord injury (SCI) left him with no feeling below his mid-chest, causing paralysis from the chest down.

Now paralyzed, and living his life in a wheel chair, Dustin was told he would never again be able to move below his waist again, but after participating in a cutting edge SCI research project, at the University of Kentucky in Louisville, he is now able to move his legs and stand once again. Dustin is living his life to the fullest, sharing his story, journey of overcoming obstacles, and faith while raising funds for spinal cord research. Through his motivational speaking and the Dustin Shillcox Foundation, he is helping to improve the lives of people in wheelchairs.

Dustin delivers an inspiring message about never giving up, and the power of a positive attitude in his speech "What Are You Gonna Do Now?" Inquire about Dustin's availability to speak at your next business meeting, conference, charity event, school, church or graduation event. If you are looking to inspire your crowd to overcome personal challenges, and motivate into action, Dustin needs to be your next call! 307.870.6764

written by Nickel Lowman

The Way I Am

I've been thinking about my life and the way I do things now and how I use to do them. Starting this blog was a good thing for me because sometimes I want to talk about something but I might be embarrassed to say it, but its a lot easier to write about it.

I get up everyday and I workout, practice with my stimulator throughout the day, work on my speeches and try and ride my hand cycle. Just that keeps me pretty busy I also have a lot more that I try and get done sometimes I find myself making up excuses on why not to do them.

Here's what I want to write about and its not that I'm complaining or looking for sympathy I just want to talk about it. I see some of my friends with there wives and kids or my buddies that work out at the mines and they are all just living their life in a way that I thought it should have been for me. My brother works with my dad in our family company doing all the things that I use to do and I know my dad and brother would love to have me back working with them...I just don't see it in my future anymore...as bad as I wish that it was.

An everyday issue for me is going places like to a friends house, concerts, camping, traveling, really anything and having to make sure I can get in there with my wheelchair is a pain. There are all kinds of things that I think about that make me wonder, why did this have to happen to me?

It's ok though because I like to use these feelings for fuel to keep me pushing on and trying to reach my goals. I know it's not going to be easy. I've also had an amazing opportunity to be part of a research program that is improving the lives of people living with spinal cord injuries. I know I have to keep working hard and doing the best I can, not only to benefit myself but to provide the best information to the research ultimately helping everyone with an SCI to reach their goal to walk again.

  
 

Working Out

I've only been blogging for a little while but hopefully my passion for staying in shape has come through? I was a fit guy before my accident but it was more of a result of my active lifestyle rather than a real dedication to fitness.

After the accident I think it is one of the most important things in my life.

I've been so fortunate to receive the epidural stimulation and know there are great things on the horizon for people living with paralysis but even with so much hope there is a constant nagging in the back of my mind about being physically fit for when these developments come about.

This is a constant battle for me...my muscle spasms are so bad I haven't slept through the night in years. My legs have a crazy mind of their own and will kick or shake uncontrollably every single day. I've been on baclofen (treats muscle spasms) and enjoyed the peace it brings. There are so many benefits to living a spasm free life! For me though, as much as I HATE the spasms, when my legs spasm I see the muscles tense. It's a small bit of comfort in an otherwise almost unbearable situation.

Not being able to voluntarily activate muscles below the chest anytime I want I love to see they're still alive.

I also love the feeling I get after a great workout. I know exercise releases endorphins but I think working out in a wheelchair increases the amount released...I've got no science here but when I'm at the gym I think about how hard it was for me to even get there, I think about all the machines I can't even use, the people staring at me thinking and the additional effort it takes me to get around a typical gym. The number of people in wheelchairs in your average gym is very little and those kind of odds make the workout that much more meaningful. If I can do it so can you. It isn't easy, it's beyond frustrating and sometimes you'll wonder why you even bother--everyone paralyzed or not does! But I can tell you one thing--when the cure comes you'll be ready! You'll be a better candidate, you'll recover faster, your heart will be stronger, your immune system will be stronger and you'll already have some muscle mass.

Those first workouts are the hardest (I'll get into my first workouts in a later post) but don't give up! The benefits from working out are unreal! I've never been so grateful I can workout - even if everyday is an arm day ;)

Here is a video of me trying to prove my brother wrong...he said I couldn't pull myself up a rope and do 10 pull-ups...

 

Dating...

My sister is trying to set me up on a blind date.

The dating world is a whole different story when you're in a wheelchair. I'm sure most people, in a wheelchair or not, get the pre-date nerves...is she as cute as her picture (or in this case as everyone says she is)? Will she think I'm good looking? Will we have enough to talk about? And of course the dreaded awkward silence that is bound to occur. Beyond that though I've got a lot more to think about--will the place we meet be handicap accessible? Will she be thinking the whole time about me being in wheelchair? Will she treat me differently?

For the most part, once you get enough confidence to actually set up the date, the first encounter can be awesome. I can plan enough ahead to make sure the odds are in my favor for handicap accessibility and I'm happy to share my story and answer the questions she's probably wondering. It's the thoughts of the potential next time that make dating stressful. What if she wants me to go to a party or meet her friends? Or maybe eventually her parents?

I've been to enough of my friends' houses to know most homes aren't easy to get in or around. At a friends house I am usually comfortable enough to do what I have to do to make it work--whether that is having someone carry me up the stairs, setting up makeshift ramps or using the bathroom in a closet or bedroom if the doors are too narrow to get in the actual bathroom. But how do you explain that situation to someone you're just starting to date, her friends or family?

These are just some of the thoughts running through my mind when I think about dating. The list goes on and on although it isn't enough to keep me from trying. I'm building my confidence by going to the gym and staying in shape. It's amazing how a great work out can make you feel like you can take on the world...or a blind date!

This isn't me--just some random image from Google but someday maybe it will be...