In this episode of Spinal Cast, we shine the spotlight on the 44th Annual National Veterans Wheelchair Games, coming to Minneapolis from July 17-22, 2025. Hosted by the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs, this event is the largest adaptive sports and rehabilitation competition for U.S. military veterans with disabilities.

Our guest is Seth Thomas, President of the Minnesota Chapter of the PVA and a U.S. Navy veteran. Seth shares his powerful story – from his service and injury to his leadership role – and gives us an inside look at what makes these games so special.

Over 700 athletes will compete across 20+ events, supported by thousands of volunteers. Participants include veterans with spinal cord injuries, amputations, multiple sclerosis, and other neurological conditions requiring the use of a wheelchair.

The Minnesota PVA plays a vital role in veteran advocacy, employment connections, legislation, and community engagement and, of course, providing a network of support and opportunity through sport.

If you’re in the Minneapolis area, don’t miss this inspiring six-day celebration of resilience, camaraderie, and athletic excellence. It’s like a mini-Paralympics, complete with Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals – a true showcase of American heroes from every military branch and era.

For more information, check out the links below:

National Veterans Wheelchair Games - https://wheelchairgames.org/

2025 Game Schedule - https://wheelchairgames.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/44th-NVWG-Sch-Wkbk-V2.xlsx03.10.pdf

2025 Venues - https://wheelchairgames.org/about/event-venues/

Paralyzed Veterans of American – Minnesota Chapter - https://mnpva.org/

Special thanks to Seth for being our guest! This production is a collaborative effort of volunteers working to create a quality audio and visual experience around the subject of spinal cord injury. A special shout out of appreciation to Clientek for providing studio space and top-notch recording equipment. Most importantly, thank YOU for being part of the Spinal Cast audience!

Interested in watching these episodes?! Check out our YouTube playlist! - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL40rLlxGS4VzgAjW8P6Pz1mVWiN0Jou3v

If you'd like to learn more about the Morton Cure Paralysis Fund you can visit our website at - https://mcpf.org/

Donations are always appreciated - https://mcpf.org/you-can-help/

In this episode of Spinal Cast, we’re chatting with Dr. Isaura Martins about some seriously cool science. Her lab is digging into the world of pericytes - not the spooky creature, but a real type of cell that plays a big role in protecting the vascular barrier in the spinal cord during injury and repair.

We discuss why pericytes are critical in spinal cord recovery and how winning the Wings of Life Foundation Research Award helped kickstart her lab. We also learn about her passion for mentoring women in science through the World Women in Neuroscience.

She’s not just a rockstar researcher - she’s helping shape the future of neuroscience and making the case for why supporting science benefits everyone. Turns out pericytes aren’t spooky at all.

Special thanks to Dr. Martins for being our guest! This production is a collaborative effort of volunteers working to create a quality audio and visual experience around the subject of spinal cord injury. A special shout out of appreciation to Clientek for providing studio space and top-notch recording equipment. Most importantly, thank YOU for being part of the Spinal Cast audience!

Interested in watching these episodes?! Check out our YouTube playlist! - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL40rLlxGS4VzgAjW8P6Pz1mVWiN0Jou3v

If you'd like to learn more about the Morton Cure Paralysis Fund you can visit our website at - https://mcpf.org/

Donations are always appreciated - https://mcpf.org/you-can-help/

Links of interest associated with this episode:

Neurotrauma Lab (Isaura Martins, PhD): http://www.imartinslab.com/

World Women in Neuroscience - https://worldwomenneuro.org/

Bio for Isaura Martins, PhD follows:

Dr. Isaura Martins has a degree in Biochemistry from University of Coimbra, Portugal, where she also did her Masters. It was during this time that she fell in love with Neuroscience. This led to a Bachelor and Master Thesis at the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology - CNC, where she worked with cell culture of hippocampal neurons and leptin and ghrelin as neuroprotector agents against neurotoxicity of Abeta Oligomers. She then pursued a PhD in Neuroscience at University of Manchester, UK, exploring the role of high-fat diets in the triple transgenic model of Alzheimer´s as well as its impact on blood brain barrier and memory. She returned to Portugal in 2015 as a postdoctoral fellow at Leonor Saúde’s Lab at Institute of Molecular Medicine (iMM) and started to work on spinal cord injury, where she implemented the contusion mouse model. In 2024 Dr. Martins started her own laboratory at Católica Medical School - Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Health, where she focuses on neurovascular components of the blood spinal cord barrier and their role in spinal cord repair.

Some people are natural athletes. They take risks and love that adrenaline high. Scott Hogsett is one of those people. After a life-changing accident left him quadriplegic in his first year of college, Scott refused to let it define his future. Instead, he pushed the limits – physically and mentally – becoming a powerhouse in the world of adaptive sports. A three-time Team USA Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby medalist, Scott clinched GOLD at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China (Bronze in 2004 - Greece and 2012 - England.) Yet Scott’s ultimate reward was being inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame. Now retired from competition his impact hasn’t dwindled. He dedicates his time mentoring hundreds of patients recovering from spinal cord injuries through the Barrow Connector Mentorship Program. In this episode Scott shares his incredible story, proving that life’s challenges are just opportunities in disguise.

Scott’s Biography: https://mcpf.org/scott-hogsett/

Special thanks to Scott for being our guest! This production is a collaborative effort of volunteers working to create a quality audio and visual experience around the subject of spinal cord injury. A special shout out of appreciation to Clientek for providing studio space and top-notch recording equipment. Most importantly, thank YOU for being part of the Spinal Cast audience!

Interested in watching these episodes?! Check out our YouTube playlist! - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL40rLlxGS4VzgAjW8P6Pz1mVWiN0Jou3v

If you'd like to learn more about the Morton Cure Paralysis Fund you can visit our website at - https://mcpf.org/

Donations are always appreciated - https://mcpf.org/you-can-help/