CURE NATION: Have you heard the good news? Ms. Wheelchair America, Inc., and Cure Medical have partnered together in serving individuals with disabilities!

“This partnership will help Ms. Wheelchair America continue to empower women of achievement though leadership, advocacy and education.” says Shelly Loose, President of Ms. Wheelchair America when asked about Cure Medical’s support of the organization.

As an exclusive sponsor, Cure Medical will financially support the mission of the Ms. Wheelchair America organization so state titleholders can continue to advocate for the more than 56 million Americans living with disabilities.

Thanks to our new relationship, we are spotlighting Ms. Wheelchair America title holders to help you learn more about their advocacy efforts nationwide, as well as sharing the impeccable character and amazing backgrounds of MWA participants. 

We invite you to learn more about our first profiled participant, former Ms. Wheelchair Louisiana Jamie Duplechine, below! And, if you’d like to get involved with Ms. Wheelchair America too, visit their website for details.

Jamie Duplechine is 39 years old and lives in Lafayette, Louisiana, which makes her a Cajun girl! In 1995, she was injured in a car accident when, as a self-proclaimed rebellious teenager, she took an opportunity to drive unlicensed without her parents knowing. The resulting wreck left her a C4-5 quad.

Jamie Duplechine graduates college after SCI

A year and a half later, Jamie graduated high school and moved to Shreveport to attend college. There, she received her Associates Degree in Computer Systems before moving back to south Louisiana in 2004.

Ten years later, Jamie returned to school at In Christ International Bible College working on two more degrees in Theology and Christian ministry. She had always known that she wanted to be educated on the Word of God. She wasn’t quite sure what she was going to do with her theological training, but she wants to apply it for a Master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling.

“I’d really like to move to New Orleans to work at a Children’s Hospital in order to give back,” Jamie says. “I desire to be the person I needed after my traumatizing injury.”

Jamie Duplechine Discovers Ms. Wheelchair America

As her educational pursuits continued, Jamie met a previous Ms. Wheelchair Louisiana, Leah Hoffpauir, through a mutual friend. Later, they ran into each other a few times at the same SCI support group they attended and became friends. When Leah called one day to ask if she’d be interested in participating in Ms. Wheelchair, Jamie quickly said yes.

“Of course, I said yes without knowing that I had to give a two-minute speech,” Jamie confesses, “and I once promised myself there were two things in life I would NEVER do – get involved in politics and speak in front of a group of people,” both of which she learned she would have to do as part of the Ms. Wheelchair pageant.  (Public speaking is just one part of the professional development skills that Ms. Wheelchair America offers to their participants.)

“I tried to get out of it but I couldn’t,” Jamie continues, “so I decided my platform would be ‘Self-Acceptance’ and I wrote a short speech.”

She practiced her speech for three months before participating in the Ms. Wheelchair Louisiana Competition which took place in Baton Rouge in 2015. While Jamie didn’t win the title, but she was first runner-up, and stepped into duty when the woman who won the title couldn’t fulfill her reign.

That same year, the Ms. Wheelchair America competition was held in Des Moines, Iowa, so from April, when Jamie assumed the title, to June when it was time to leave for Des Moines, she practiced her first speech.

Jamie even took the extra step and joined a public speaking group called Toastmasters to further enhance her capabilities. “I didn’t when the national title,’ Jamie says, “but I did my best and enjoyed every minute of the week-long competition.”

How Jamie Duplechine Views Her MWA Experience

“Ms. Wheelchair has changed my life in SO many ways,” Jamie attests. “Being introduced to Ms. Wheelchair taught me about a world I knew absolutely nothing about – the world of advocacy. What I thought was a simple contest has taught me so many things, introduced me to some really amazing people and put me in a position where some of my dreams have definitely been turned into reality.”

“I would encourage other women to enter the contest because I feel as though only good things can come of it – I learned some lessons and gained some amazing new friends along the way.”

“My platform was titled ‘A Direct Invitation to a Life without Limits.’ I promoted it then and still do today because it’s something we as humans struggle with all the time,” Jamie affirms.

“Regardless of our ability, we limit ourselves sometimes by our circumstances and the negative things we think about ourselves. One of the lessons I learned was that when you can fully accept who you are, you’re more open to do things you’ve never done.”

Jamie’s Passion Propelled Her Advocacy Success

Today, Jamie’s life has become super busy. She sits on several boards and committees throughout the state of Louisiana and has a steady job.

Jamie is a team leader of Louisiana Council’s Advocacy Network (LaCAN) while also serving as the secretary of Louisiana’s Statewide Independent Living Council.

She’s an honorary board member of The Brain Injury Association of Louisiana and the United Spinal Association Louisiana Chapter, a board member of the Consumer Advisory Committee for the Louisiana State University Human Development Center and a board member of People First of Louisiana.

Whenever she does have some time off, Jamie loves to travel. She recently spent three months in London once where she took a side trip to Amsterdam, visited Stonehenge, rode the London eye and trekked to Bath, England, to see the nearby Rolls-Royce Museum.

There are several other countries on her places-to-explore list, as well as different things she wants to do here in the States including skydiving, zip lining, hunting, parasailing and paragliding.

Why Jamie Duplechine Chooses a Cure Medical Closed System

“Upon hearing about Cure catheters, I decided to change the brand I use because I believe in supporting other individuals with disabilities, especially those that are similar to mine. Not only were these products designed by a quad for a quad, but they are made by someone who believes in giving back in an attempt to make things better for individuals such as himself,” Jamie says.

Cure Medical founder Bob Yant is a C5 quadriplegic. Meet Bob here.
Jamie uses the Cure Catheter® Closed System that is not made with DEHP/DINP*, BPA or Natural Rubber Latex.

“They’ve made my life better because the Cure products cause less trauma to my urinary tract, and they have no harsh chemicals in them. And, I like that Cure contributes to research toward finding a cure for myself and so many others like me,” Jamie explains.

The sterile, single-use, unisex Cure Catheter® Closed System features polished eyelets on a pre-lubricated straight or Coude catheter tip with integrated 1500 ml collection bag. It is offered in a single and a kit configuration.Kits include the Cure Catheter, a nonstaining BZK wipe, three (3) povidone-iodine swabsticks, one pair of ambidextrous gloves, a sterile wipe, and an underpad.

To request free samples of the Cure Medical® Closed System or any Cure Medical® catheter, contact your local distributor of quality healthcare products, or click here.

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