Leading by Example
By McCosh, John; Special Living Magazine, pp. 16-21Publication Date: Summer 2008
Article profiles Kristen McCosh, the 2008 Ms. Wheelchair America. Ms. McCosh travels across the United States to promote the platform that helped her win the crown, Proactive physical fitness for people with disabilities. After being sedentary for 20 years following a spinal-cord injury (SCI), Ms. McCosh enrolled in a YMCA exercise program in 2006 and also volunteered as a participant in a six-month research project studying the effects of activity-based therapy on people with chronic cervical SCI. Her exercise routine consisted of Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES), Nautilus weight training, mat work for balance, and getting up in a standing frame. A few months into training, she had lost 30 pounds, had increased energy, and was less encumbered by spasms that had impaired her prior to the regimen. Ms. McCosh, who is the editor of an e-magazine which helps facilitate employment for people with disabilities (http://www.hireds.com), also works part-time at a Boston hospital as an early-intervention peer mentor, helping newly injured SCI patients adjust to life using a wheelchair as well as leading a weekly wheelchair aerobics class.
Published by: Special Living (Website:http://www.specialiving.com)
Link to text: http://www.specialiving.com/PDF/KristinaForWeb.pdf
