DOWNEY – Life after a traumatic spinal cord injury is anything but simple. There are countless obstacles to overcome, questions that need answered, and a completely new way of learning to physically navigating life.

For many, the support they receive after their injury ends when they leave the hospital and sadly, they are left on their own to deal with the challenges of what comes next.

Luckily, Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center offers a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Support Group in both English and Spanish to help patients meet these new challenges head on and with the support of those who have had similar experiences. Funded by the Rancho Los Amigos Foundation, the SCI support group is led by Robert Rohan, supervisor of the KnowBarriers peer-mentoring and life-coaching program at Rancho, and an individual living with a SCI himself. For the last ten years, Robert has fostered a safe space where participants can let down their guard and speak openly about living with a spinal cord injury.

Dr. Charlotte Sykora, a Clinical Psychologist at Rancho who oversees the program, is grateful that “(Robert) is a leader who provides support, knows about a million resources, and has made the SCI support group a safe place for people to meet, socialize, vent, problem-solve, and adjust.

Thanks to his work and the support of the Rancho Foundation, the group has continued to grow over the years.”

During the pandemic, the traditional in-person meetings have transitioned seamlessly into at-home virtual sessions, and with that, the support group has been able to expand to help and engage those who may no longer live in Southern California. Current support group attendees come from all over California, Colorado, Arizona, and even Mexico. Considering that many of the group’s members rely on public transportation, current plans for the support group are to maintain virtual meetings even once in-person meetings are permissible again.

As beneficial as the support group is for SCI survivors, often their family members find just as much help and support in the meetings through being encouraged to attend and participate as well.

Here they can better learn about what their loved one is experiencing and how they can be a source of support. In addition to the support groups being open to family members, special guests such as therapists, physicians, and wheelchair experts are invited to attend in order to provide resources, offer assistance, and answer questions.

Most recently, Rancho’s own Dr. Dennis Wong facilitated a Q&A session with the support group to answer questions regarding the COVID-19 vaccine and the benefit of being vaccinated.

Ray Pizzaro, patient advocate, KnowBarriers peer-mentor, and former Rancho patient, currently leads the Spanish-speaking support group with his 15+ years of mentorship experience.

When summarizing the benefits of these support group meetings, Ray shared, “I have 28 years of personal experience living with a spinal-cord injury, but through my time with everyone I now have more than 300 individual’s life experiences and to this day I’m still learning from them as much as they are from me. This is why the spinal-cord injury support group is so invaluable.”

To learn more or attend the Spinal-Cord Injury Support Group at Rancho, call (562) 385-8175.

For more information about the programs and services funded by the Rancho Los Amigos Foundation or to make a donation, call (562) 385-7053 or go to www.RanchoFoundation.org