My name is Devin Joiner. I am a 2015 graduate of St. Clair County High School. I am from a small town in Alabama. I live with my parents and my younger brother, which is 13 years younger than me. I know I am a role model to him, and he keeps me grounded. He definitely keeps me smiling daily. I am proud of my parents; they are wonderful, hard working, and very supportive. They have supported and stood up for me throughout my educational career, and this wasn't always the easiest, as I am dyslexic.

I am a musician at heart, and I know how to play nine instruments. However, on November 21, 2015, my life changed forever. On November 20, 2015, I was a student at Jeffstate Community College; I was the owner of my own firewood delivery business, and in training to be a night manager at Subway. All that changed in a blink of an eye.

After delivering firewood, I was involved in a single car accident. Speed and Texting was not an issue. I was going 45, and my telephone was in my glove box. My uniform fell to the floorboard of the truck, and I looked down. That was all it took, a second, a blink of the eye. I ran off the side of the road, my tires hit something sharp and caused them to blow. This caused me to be thrown to the other side of the road, down an embankment, hitting a tree and slinging me partially out of my vehicle. I did not have a seat belt on at the time. I was going to put it on when I got going down the road. ALWAYS WEAR A SEAT BELT! I broke my neck, shattering the C3, and breaking the C4 on the spinal cord. As the C3 shattered, it dissected the vertebral artery, causing me to have a stroke. I was left a quadriplegic.

I was told that I would possibly regain my shoulders, but would be in a "sip-n-puff" chair the rest of my life. After months of therapy at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, I am now walking. I am attempting to begin my new life as a "walking" quadriplegic. I still have a way to go, but without the prayers, and the therapy I received in Atlanta, I would not be able to accomplish my goal of walking again. I am now pursing my goal of again becoming a musician, and my career goals. I want to help others see past their circumstances, and see their future goals. I am interested in becoming a counselor, business owner, and an inspirational speaker.

Essay: Locomotor Training

As I stated in my biography, I was told that I would be in a "sip-n-puff" chair the rest of my life. After weeks of ICU in a Brain and Trauma unit in Alabama. I spent several months in Georgia at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta. I participated in therapy daily. While medically fragile, I spent 2-3 hours a day in therapy. Finally, I was able to participate in 8 hours of therapy 5 days a week. During this therapy, I participated in physical therapy techniques, occupational therapy, music therapy, message therapy, mental therapy, and recreational therapy. During my physical therapy, I participated in a technique called Body-weight-supported locomotor training. This is a specialized body-weight-supported treadmill system. I was suspended in a harness over the treadmill while a specially trained team of therapist and assistant therapist moved my legs to simulate walking. As I regained function of my extremities, I progressed from the treadmill to walking over ground. Over ground walking is assisted with a harness, and Neuroprostheses. Neuroprotheses are devices that deliver functional stimulation to help move the legs. Locomotor training stems from the scientific advances of understanding more about neural plasticity, and the role that the spinal cord plays in controlling stepping and standing. Locomotor training seems to "wake up" dormant neural pathways by repetitively stimulating the muscles and nerves in the lower body. According to research, this type of locomotor training improves over-ground walking in people who have movement in their legs. Specialized equipment that was utilized during my Body-weight locomotor training played an important role. Equipment, such as, the Bioness, a device used to stimulate the lower leg. The Lokomat was also used in locomotor training. The Lokomat is a robotics assisted treadmill training with body-wight support. The TheraStride, and Zero G were also part of the locomotor training. The Thera Stride is a manual treadmill with body-weight support, and the Zero G is a static system with body-weight support used while walking over ground.I had minimal movement in my legs when I began locomotor training. I was walking with a cane when I left Georgia, and I am walking independently today. I have more self confidence, and am pursuing life goals. I believe this therapy technique made a huge impact on my life, and I believe with future advances locomotor training will make more of impact on those with spinal cord injuries.