Contact:
Roger Darnell
828.264.8898 voice

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ORLANDO, FL – Apr. 9, 2003 – While taking a break from feeding her 28-year-old son during the early days of his spinal cord injury, Lila Ridings Darnell asked one of the attending doctors if other mothers sometimes had to spend time away.  She was told she’d be surprised how many came once... then never returned.

Lila’s home was 1,000 miles away from the hospitals where her son Scott endured the first stages of his rehabilitation, but while she did take brief respites – to attend support groups and keep her life on track in full accord with Scott’s wishes – she returned to her son’s side whenever possible to provide vital support... and she also chronicled her full experiences to serve as illumination in an otherwise dark world for others facing a similar injury to one they love.

"Sudden paralysis is a circumstance no one wishes to get intimately familiar with, but such tragedies do unfortunately occur," Lila explained.  "In my own experience, I've learned that a mother will search desperately for the tools of education whenever they're required, but when my son was involved in a life-changing accident, I could find no shared experiences written of by another parent.

"After living through the experience of the accident's aftermath and the many months of rehabilitation," she continued, "I was eventually able to sit down and put words onto paper in the hope that another mother or father would one day find my experience helpful during their own times of learning and searching."

The result of that inspired undertaking, THE GHOST BEHIND THE WHEELCHAIR is believed to be the first book written by a parent of an adult child suffering from a spinal cord injury (adult males make up the vast majority of the 11,000 SCI accidents which happen each year).  An open and passionate record of a mother’s journey in coming to terms with this life-altering twist of fate, the book has been endorsed by Marca Sipski, MD, whose credentials include being Associate Professor and Interim Chair for the University of Miami School of Medicine’s Department of Rehabilitation Medicine.

"Lila Darnell provides a heart wrenching account of her experiences as the parent of a son affected by a spinal cord injury," Dr. Sipski said.  "In a first person account she describes the frustrations, fears and triumphs associated with her journey into the world of the spinal cord injured.  Like a support group in a package, this book will provide insight for familes of the spinal injured and the health professionals that work with them.  It should definitely be considered 'must' reading."

Scott Darnell also provided these thoughts on his mother and the book.  "My mother dealt with my situation as a tower of strength, and then wrote with courage and conviction what perhaps only a mother is willing to relive solely for the sake of others.  For anyone facing such a tragedy for a loved one, I expect that THE GHOST BEHIND THE WHEELCHAIR may produce both comfort and hope from the perspective of a loving mother."

Facts regarding spinal cord injuries (Source:  Spinal Cord Injury Information Network):

• Between 183,000 and 230,000 people in the United States, and approximately 2 million people worldwide, live with a SCI.
• Each year 11,000 new injuries are reported.
• Every 49 minutes a new injury occurs.
• Average age of injury - 32 years.
• Close to 82% of people with SCI are male.

About Lila Ridings Darnell and Scott Darnell
Lila Ridings Darnell was born and raised in Greenville, IL, and eventually relocated to St. Cloud, FL, before settling in Orlando.  Her son Scott divided his time between St. Cloud and Greenville while growing up, and was living in Greenville when he suffered a diving accident at the age of 28 on June 29, 1991.  After undergoing rehabilitation in St. Louis and Orlando, Scott returned to Lake Placid, FL, for a time, before returning to Greenville, where he currently resides.  For more information, please call 828.264.8898 or visit  www.darnellworks.com/lrd.