Shot, Survived, and Still Rising: The Life of Damon Walker

What happens when everything changes in a single moment—not just from SCI but from an unexpected kind act of a stranger? Damon Walker was living fast, avoiding reflection, and giving little thought to tomorrow—until the gunshot. The sudden spinal cord injury that followed didn’t just take away physical mobility; it demanded emotional honesty, a different kind of strength, and a complete rethinking of self.

In this conversation, Damon opens up about the pressure to remain tough, the guilt he carried, what he wishes he had known before rehab, and the hardest parts no one warns you about—social isolation, identity loss, and the quiet mental battles that don’t show on the outside. We talk about faith, masculinity, fear, moments of grace, and his process of learning to slow down and listen to life instead of outrunning it.

Damon also shares his thoughts on today’s generation of newly injured spinal cord survivors, what inspires him about the future of SCI medicine and mobility research, and why hope shouldn’t be seen as naïve… but as fuel. At the end of our talk, he tells the full story of the night it all changed—the gunshot, the Good Samaritan who picked him out of the gutter, the rush to the hospital, and the moment he realized nothing would ever be the same.

Sending love

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding!

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel. Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Today, Louise shares a personal, heartfelt reflection on gratitude—what it really feels like and why it matters

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding!

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel. Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

#289 Can Strength Grow Through Adaptation? Mason Says Yes

Today, Louise sits down with 22-year-old adaptive athlete and social media standout Mason Branstrator. You may know him from Instagram — modeling brands like Spoonie Threads and showing off wheelchair attachments like Firefly and Freedomtrax — but today we get to know the person behind the posts.

Mason takes us back to the skiing accident at 17 that broke his T12 vertebra and changed everything. We talk about his time at Craig Hospital, what it felt like to hear he might never walk again, and how determination, family support, and mindset shaped his recovery.

He shares the mental and emotional work of healing after SCI: meditation, self-care, and finding balance while living publicly online. We discuss the turning point when his wheelchair and adaptive tools became symbols of freedom, not limitation, and what keeps him training even when progress feels slow.

Mason also opens up about life off-camera — his hobbies, his community, and how purpose and spirituality guide him every day. This is a candid look at resilience, adaptation, and the young man building his future with heart.

Sending love

Resources Mason Branstrator

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding!

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel. Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

#288 SCI in Sci-Fi for Young Adults with Kimber St. Lawrence

In this season 6 premiere of Blink of an Eye, Louise sits down with Emmy-winning producer and debut novelist Kimber St. Lawrence. Kimber’s novel, Thirsty Ground, is a young adult sci-fi story that begins with a life-altering accident—one that challenges her protagonist to find meaning, identity, and hope in a transformed world. Through this imagined setting, Kimber opens a window into the real-world experience of living with and adapting to spinal cord injury.

Drawing from her own life alongside her husband Ryan, a para-athlete and SCI survivor, Kimber shares how fiction can mirror reality in a hero’s journey through trauma to resilience in deeply human ways. She and Louise explore how storytelling and hope sustain creative and personal renewal, and how imagination itself is a way healing.

This Season, Louise focuses on SCI through various forms of expression inspiring conversation about the intersection of art and adaptation—and how a story, set on another planet can illuminate the societal views and courage it takes to rebuild one’s world right here on Earth.

Sending love

Resources https://www.kimberstlawrence.com/

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding!

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel. Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

#276 Understanding the chemistry of NVG-291’s efficacy for Rewiring SCI Recovery with Inventor Dr. Brad Lang

Brad Lang, PhD, is the neuroscientist and biotech inventor of the ISP drug, the basis of the NVG-291 trials which recently showed efficacy. His work has helped pave the way for one of the most promising new treatments for spinal cord injury in decades. Brad shares the story of how his early research led to the discovery of the intracellular sigma peptide (ISP), a molecule with the potential to unlock axon regeneration and repair damaged neural pathways. We explore the science behind ISP, the challenges of moving from lab discovery to human trials, and the role of persistence at big ideas (a mission imprinted on him by the late Dr. Jerry Silver) when the odds—and the nervous system—seem stacked against recovery. Along the way, Brad reflects on the emotional journey of being a scientist chasing a breakthrough, the worldwide attention on NervGen’s NVG-291, and the hope these advances bring not only to the SCI community but to the future of treatments for conditions once thought untreatable, and the potential reshaping of lives for those living years with SCI.

Resources https://nervgen.com/

Revisiting: Inside the NervGen NVG-291 Trial: Part I

Today we’re joined by Larry Williams, a participant in the NervGen Phase 1b/2a clinical trial for NVG‑291, an experimental therapy designed to promote nerve regeneration and restore function in people with spinal cord injuries. Larry takes us through his personal story—from the mountain biking accident that changed his life to the unexpected path that led him into one of the most closely watched clinical trials in the SCI community.

Larry opens up about the emotional and physical journey of recovery, the realities of rehabilitation, and what it meant to participate in a groundbreaking study. We talk about the power of scientific hope, the early but promising results from the chronic cohort of the NVG‑291 trial, and the value of being part of something bigger than oneself. Larry’s reflections offer a rare and candid window into life on the frontier of spinal cord injury research—and the enduring strength of the human spirit.

Resources https://nervgen.com/

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding!

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel. Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Season 4 Episode 19 - Dear Louise: A Conversation with Gabriel Rodreick

In a world where life's unpredictable twists and turns can sometimes bring us to our knees, one man's journey stands as a testament to the indomitable human spirit. Gabriel Rodreick, known to many as Freaque, found himself at a crossroads in 2008 when a Spinal Cord Injury accident, C5 complete, altered the course of his life, taking away his ability to walk and play the piano, passions that had defined his existence for years. In the face of this adversity, Gabriel discovered an incredible reservoir of strength and resilience by embracing the darkness he felt. He channeled his creativity into a new form of expression, forging a path forward with music production, giving birth to a genre he named "dirt folk." Inspired by artists like Kendrick Lamar and countless others, he allows the losses and darkness to shape a raw unvarnished invitation he extends to all participants in his music and music productions. Join Louise in an intimate conversation with Gabe beginning with his close brush with death, the experience of abandonment of friends, his overcoming his parents' terror of his venturing out into the world, to the many new normals, grappling with existential anxiety and ways he resources to stay grounded and emotionally balanced. Hear how he initiated "A Cripple's Dance," a remarkable project that brought together individuals with spinal cord injuries and able-bodied artists in awe-inspiring live music and dance performances. Through his work, he sends a powerful message to the world: "Darkness isn't as scary as we think."

To learn more about Gabriel:

https://gabrielrodreick.com/

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding!

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel. Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com

Season 4 Episode 14 - Dear Louise: A Conversation with WAGS of SCI

Elena Pauly and Brooke Pagé, both caregivers to partners with recent Spinal Cord Injuries, felt the deep isolation that comes with their role. Their connection on Instagram, fueled by their close proximity in Vancouver, became a lifeline. In November of that year, they birthed WAGS of SCI on Instagram, a community that not only hosted local caregiver events but also united "inter-abled" women - wives, partners, and girlfriends of those living with SCI. Together, they provide unwavering support for the unique challenges that come with loving someone with a spinal cord injury. Elena and Brooke tirelessly advocate and reach out, with long-term dreams of establishing a non-profit to support inter-abled relationships, boosting mental, emotional, and physical well-being awareness, and funding special trips for deserving couples.

Join Louise in an eye opening conversation with two very special advocates for those who are injured, but specifically for their caretakers and loved ones.

To learn more about WAGS and their work:

https://wagsofsci.com/

Stay Connected: Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with anyone interested in advocacy for SCI funding!

BLINK of an Eye® Podcast is sponsored by BLINK of an Eye® Non-Profit:

A non-profit which is an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injury, originating the first SCI Navigator Program in the country for newly injured SCI Families by SCI Families as an essential national resource for Spinal Cord Injured families in the first days, weeks and months of SCI crisis when life turns upside down and few medical teams in the US have SCI expertise or lived experience. They bring essential support, connections, life expertise and resources. BLINK of an Eye non profit deploys a rapid response HEAL Team for ICU bedside support to create an Extraordinary Experience despite the devastation for SCI families and a personal SCI Navigator for 24/7 support in the first 90 days and throughout the Miracle Year. BLINK of an Eye non profit also provides a Multidisciplinary Wrap Around Team and SCI Expert Medical Panel. Stay tuned for their launch of a National Digital Resource Library, the SCI PLAYBOOK, chocked full of essential SCI information and trauma informed responses for the first hours, days and months after injury. To find out more, get involved, or make a donation, visit www.BLINKofaneye.org.

Blink of an Eye is sponsored by Baltimore Mediation:

To find out more about cutting edge conflict transformation skills courses to learn relational conflict theory and advocacy, mediation interventions and support for leaders and anyone navigating or facilitating difficult situations, conflict, or trauma, visit the website www.BaltimoreMediation.com and register for nationally certified 40 hour courses, including the Enneagram of personality for mediators to know themselves to stay neutral while offering opportunity for other’s empowerment.

To find out more about Louise visit: www.BlinkofanEye.org, www.BaltimoreMediation.com, www.BeingRelational.com