By Emily Williams
The Women’s Committee of UAB’s Spain Rehabilitation Center is planning its annual Firefly dinner to raise money to fund projects for the center and the patients who seek treatment there.
This year’s dinner will be held Feb. 13 at The Florentine in downtown Birmingham.
University of Alabama at Birmingham officials estimate they treat more than 1,100 stroke victims each year in their recently certified Comprehensive Stroke Center. Strokes, the fifth-leading cause of death for adults in the U.S., can leave patients with paralysis, unable sometimes to even swallow or talk. But many patients have the opportunity to regain most of the mobility they have lost through rehabilitation, and some of those patients pursue their recovery at Spain Rehabilitation Center.
“I would say that patients most often arrive after an accident or a stroke,” Women’s Committee President Glenna Brown said. “Strokes are terrifying and it can be very frightening to look at the recovery process.”
The committee for 30 years has raised funds to support the faculty and staff at the Spain center as well as the patients.
“We have one major fundraising event each year and we try to pick one area to focus on,” Brown said. “This year we have three projects.”
With money raised through Firefly and donations accepted throughout the year, the committee hopes to buy a bladder scanner that would non-invasively assess bladder function at a patient’s bedside.
The second project is to buy a touch-screen tool called a bioness integrated therapy system, which can help patients improve hand-eye coordination, balance and endurance.
Finally, the committee hopes to supply the center with a PCR system, which would aid researchers in developing genetically personalized treatments for patients.
“Knowing that we have been able to provide a little bit extra for the patients and faculty and that we can contribute to this exciting research makes it all worthwhile,” Brown said.
In previous years, the committee has bought a van with hand controls to not only transport patients, but also teach paraplegic patients to drive again.
Brown said the committee’s largest project over the years was to fund an endowed chair position in rehabilitation research on spinal cord injuries. The recipient of the endowment, Dr. Candace Floyd, continues to receive support from the committee in her position as director of research for UAB’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
This year’s Firefly dinner will honor two former patients, Kelly Garner and Ryan Robinett. Garner, of Vestavia Hills, received rehabilitation treatment at Spain after suffering injuries from a 40-foot fall and hypoglycemia during the January 2014 snowstorm. Garner was told he may never walk again, but he beat the odds and went on to author “The Night That Changed Our Lives.”
Robinett, of Mountain Brook, received treatment at Spain after suffering a sudden onset of neurologic issues in 2014 that significantly affected his ability to walk. Through treatment, he has since made a full recovery and is an advocate for innovative rehabilitation methods.
The Firefly event begins with cocktails at 6 p.m. followed by dinner, speeches by Robinett and Garner, and then music and dancing.
For more information on the Women’s Committee of Spain Rehabilitation Center or inquiries about donations, visit the group’s Facebook page or call 523-2993.
