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Cuban Doctor Receives Cervical Collar
By Tami Jayne Jackson  "The wheels go round," and they went round to help
a Cuban doctor receive a much-needed Seattle Systems Malibu
Cervical Collar.
In early November 2002, Seattle Systems received a phone call
from Sandy Setliff with the Joni and Friends area ministry in
Dallas, Texas. Joni and Friends, headquartered in Agoura Hills,
California, was established by Joni Eareckson Tada, who became a
paraplegic after a diving accident. The organization was gearing up
to send volunteers to Cuba on a project called "Wheels for the
World," in which they would distribute non-motorized
wheelchairs.
Setliff called Seattle Systems because she had just received an
e-mail request from Fidel Felipe Gonzales, MD, who specializes in
infant psychiatry, for "Wheels for the World" to bring a Seattle
Systems Malibu Cervical Collar when the group traveled to Cuba. He
had specified his desire to use this particular product and sent a
picture of it, explaining that it was difficult to obtain such
cervical collars in the region where he lives.
Three months ago, Gonzales began suffering from persistent
neurogenic neck pain that worsened with bodily movements. As
muscular loss and inflammation followed, he tried wearing an
available neck support system, a "Rustic Necklace," but it did not
sufficiently immobilize his head and neck. Soon working became
difficult for him.
 When Gonzales received the Seattle Systems' Malibu
Cervical Collar, he was elated. "After using this collar, I have
been able to start working again," Gonzales said. "Now I can read
and write the clinical histories of my patients, as well as to
prescribe for them. Thanks so much to my donor friends for their
altruism."
Where Do The Wheelchairs Come From?
According to Setliff, individuals, hospitals, and institutions
donate wheelchairs to Joni and Friends when a loved one or client
dies or outgrows them, or when someone exchanges a non-motorized
version for an electric wheelchair. Upon receiving a wheelchair
donation, Joni and Friends works with any one of five prison
restoration sites where inmates mend and polish the product to
"like-new" condition for worldwide distribution.
For more information about Joni and Friends, visit www.joniandfriends.org 
Table Of Contents - March 2003
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