Fifty-six-year-old Henry Scott of Gautier, Mississippi, was on his way home from his work as a general contractor one afternoon. He’d had a busy day and decided to smoke a cigarette. Unfortunately, Henry didn’t realize that one lit cigarette had the ability to completely change his life forever. Here’s how he dealt with a back injury and urinary retention.
“I was 46 years old at the time of my automobile accident. I dropped a burning cigarette on the floor board of my car and leaned over to pick it up, as it was rolling around on the floor,” he explains.
“I learned later that I ran off the road, ran into a ditch and hit a culvert, which caused a burst vertebra and injured my spinal cord.”
Saved By Friends, Henry Fights Paralysis
Immediately after his accident, Henry thought he was okay and unharmed – that was until he tried to get out of his truck and couldn’t. One leg was totally paralyzed, and he could barely move the other leg. He used his upper body strength to pull himself outside of the car. Fortunately, a friend of Henry’s, John, was about three car lengths behind him and saw the crash occur.
“John and another friend got me out of the truck and drug me up to and into my house,” Henry explains. “The only part of the truck that was damaged was the broken back window the collision had caused.
However, when I realized I couldn’t move my legs, I called 911 and told them to come and get me.”
The first responders took Henry to Singing River Hospital in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Henry was diagnosed as having a burst vertebra and an injured spinal cord at L4 and L5. The officials at the hospital explained that they didn’t have the equipment or the manpower to give Henry the medical care he needed, so they sent him to the University of South Alabama (USA) Hospital in Mobile.
Because of his injury, Henry’s spine needed to be stabilized. He explains, “I don’t know the name of the surgery the doctors did, but they cut me from just above my hip all the way up to just under my arm and laid me open. When the doctors got to my spinal cord, they put in rods and pins to stabilize my spine.”
After Henry’s operation and his recovery, he was sent to the Methodist Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi, for rehabilitation. He rehabbed at the hospital for 30 days and continued his rehab as an outpatient.
Finally, Henry reached the point where he could move fairly well with a walker. Through rehab, he became able to get out of his wheelchair and eventually leave his walker behind. Then he only used a cane.
“I don’t use my cane now, except when I have to walk long distances,” Henry says. “I can get around good, but I still haven’t been able to return to work.”
Henry Addresses Urinary Retention with Cure
After spending time in rehab centers, Henry was finally considered “permanently disabled.” Due to the accident, Henry also experienced bladder problems – many of which still persist today because he has a condition called Urinary Retention.
To deal with the issues caused by Urinary Retention, Henry began using catheters – and lucky for him, he was introduced to Cure Medical early on with his condition.
“The first catheters I ever used were Cure Medical’s catheters, and I have wonderful results using those catheters,” Henry explains.
“One of the things I always appreciated about Cure Medical was that the company gives 10% of its profits for spinal cord injury research,” he continues.
Find out more about the Cure Commitment and the SCI research that Cure Medical supports here!
Henry goes on to say, “When I started using Cure catheters, I liked the ones that came with gloves in the package. Using those gloves dramatically cut down on the number of UTIs (urinary tract infections) I had. The Cure catheters had everything I needed in each package to prevent infection and be easy and comfortable to use.”
HENRY Scott APPRECIATES THE CURE CLOSED SYSTEM
CURE MEDICAL® CLOSED SYSTEM FEATURES
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.
The Cure Catheter® Closed System is not made with DEHP, BPA or Natural Rubber Latex.
To request free samples of the new Cure Medical® Closed System or any Cure Medical® catheter, contact your local distributor of quality healthcare products, or click here.
No Longer Smoking, Henry Found a Silver Lining
One of the things that Henry said he learned from his accident was that crashing his truck, having a spinal cord injury, being paralyzed and having to depend on disability was a terrible way to stop his smoking habit. He says it’s a valuable lesson for others to learn not to smoke!
Thank you, Henry, for Choosing a Cure!
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