United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hello, my name is Joel Craig, my guest name is Lucas, I am a 27 year old man and have had BPI my entire life. I have gone my entire life thinking that I was alone with BPI, in fact I did'nt even know "it" (BPI) was called anything other than a paralyzed arm. I literally stumbled across this website about two weeks ago. I was trying to research the topic before my nuerologist appointment on July 27, obviously my first check-up in quite some time. I have to say, now that I've found you all, I'M REALLY FIRED UP. This is great, I can't wait until this D.C. Convention in 2005, and in the mean time, I love to spend as much free time as I can spare, reading the message board and hopefully helping some people out. Well, now that I have formally introduced myself to you all, I look forward to whatever future topics we can tackle together. My attitude in a statement "The only thing that can stop me, is me.", feel free to adopt that one.

Hello again JOEL,
Boy!!! Do I find that saying to be true...I was my own enemy....I found the UBPN site about 5 months ago and only had a name for our injury we have since I became PC literate in 2002. I say we are NEVER too old to learn new things! I used to be afaid of a computer, & never thought I could master it.

Carolyn
age 66 LOBPI
PS I'm now a compulsive Boards reader every day & can't wait until my coffee gets brewed in the AM to come visit everyone. I too can't wait for CAMP 2005. Everyone is going to have great fun!

Welcome to the boards I am glad you found us. It is amazing when we find out we are not alone. It took me 60 years and I always lived and worked in/near a big city. Never once did any doctor suggest I do something about it nor did they ever mentions it at all. Unlike you I always knew it was called Erb's Palsy and how it happened. It amazes me when someone as young as you did not have intervention or at least a name for our injury.

Sorry Joel
my motto " Nothing can stop me, but me" ... lol...
I took that motto years ago...LOL... in fact it was published in Outreach. What I lost, what I gained... in the delivery room. I have lived by it.

It just proves what I have always know OBPI's are very strong willed and stubborn.

Kath

I can sooo remember that feeling, only a few months ago (6) when I found this site and discovered that I am not alone.....It is like the world, as you have always known it has changed, opened up a whole new horizon:)

And the things the right Dr can do to help!!!! I can almost swim, and yesterday, for the first time in my 36 years, I held my guitar correctly...I didn't have to do a thing to adjust it so I could play.

Miricles are happening every day:)

I wish I could swim, hold a guitar, ride a bike or drive a car. These are the things that I can only dream...

to hopeless, I don't know the extent of your limitations, or anything about your individual struggle, but if you would like to e-mail me, it sounds like you could use a freind just as much as I could. So feel free to reach me at jbc762000@yahoo.com, maybe we can help each other.

Hopeless...those things were dreams to me too, up until a few months ago.

Hey Joel!

I found this site little over a year ago. I am now 32 & this has been a miracle for me. I have had 2 surgeries in Texas & do not regret a thing. Welcome to the boards!!