Ajay Shenoy

I want to be able to run so hard that my lungs hurt.
Ajay Shenoy

Ajay’s story

When we think about Ajay, one word comes to mind. Inspiring. Maybe two. Determined. Prior to his injury, this avid athlete played water polo on his high school and college teams. But that’s not all. Add snowboarding, surfing, diving, rock climbing, hiking, and kick boxing to his repertoire of activities. “I preferred to participate in sports rather than watch them from the sidelines,” said this active guy and fan of the outdoors.

Ajay’s world was shattered when he dove into a shallow creek on July 4th of 2018, shortly after graduating from the University of Colorado Boulder. He and his buddies were tubing during a holiday creek fest when something went terribly wrong. Ajay dove into the water, hands first, but when he pulled his hands down, his head hit the sand. In an instant, he was paralyzed from the chest down with a C5 level spinal cord injury.

This was clearly devastating to such a passionate sports enthusiast. Initially, Ajay was only able to move his left shoulder and a bit of his right elbow. He underwent months of intense rehabilitation at Craig Hospital in the Denver suburbs. He slowly regained strength while his overall health began to stabilize. But one thing weighed heavy on Ajay’s mind. He was terrified that his injury would land him on the sidelines while watching others participate in the sports and activities that he loved.

But sitting on the sidelines was not an option for Ajay. He refused to let his injury limit his capabilities and hinder his determination to return to the active lifestyle he was used to living. Thanks to an organization called The High Fives Foundation, Ajay has been able to partake in adaptive sports like sit-skiing and surfing. He’s truly living life to the fullest despite his injury.

INJURY

July 4, 2018 – C5 burst fracture from diving into a shallow creek

STUDY PARTICIPATION

  • SpineX Upper Limb Clinical Trial
  • Gripping Recovery
  • Clinic participation from February 2022-to-June 2022
  • Gained

Treatment

Ajay participated in the SpineX SCONE upper limb clinical study from February-to-June of 2022. Fortunately, he was fairly independent when he enrolled in the program. But the use of the device complemented his determination to get out of his chair and back on his feet.

Ajay’s Progress

The initial assessment of Ajay’s level of injury was C5 with an ASIA score of B. However, prior to using the SCONE device, his assessment showed improvement and was changed to a C7 along with a new ASIA score of C. This is a measurement created by the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) that assesses the sensory and motor levels which were affected by the spinal cord injury. The neurological measurement divides spinal cord injuries into five categories from ASIA A to ASIA E, with A being a complete injury (no motor or sensory function) while E is normal motor and sensory function.

Ajay attributes the use of the SCONE device to improving his endurance and ability to walk farther and for longer. He’s more stable, his balance is better, and he experiences less swaying when in motion. Prior to the SCONE therapy, he wasn’t confident in his ability to get out of his chair so he could stand or attempt to walk and was only comfortable doing so when he was with his trainers. But now he’s much more confident in his abilities and is proud to say that he’s been able to stand on his own. For instance, he can get out of his car and chair and lean on his car door or even make his way to a fence where he’ll stand by himself. “Getting out of the chair more has been big for me,” commented Ajay who experiences pain if he’s sitting for too long. “The beauty of the device is that it’s very easy to use, it’s intuitive and not complicated. It’s like a plug and play set-up. Participating in this study was fantastic!”

When Ajay isn’t doing intense therapy sessions or partaking in adaptive sports, he’s focused on nutrition. He majored in ecology and evolutionary biology with the hope of going into marine science. He was planning to apply to the Commissioned Corps, which would have required 19 weeks in the Coast Guard Academy followed by one-to-three years of service on a ship. A job like this was appealing to Ajay because of its physical nature. But after his injury, he had to rethink his goals and determine how to evolve into a meaningful career and one that would not require being on his feet.

As a result of his injury along with the pandemic, which he found to be a time of internal evaluation and reflection, Ajay shifted his focus to nutrition. He became cognizant of how the food we intake affects our health and overall performance. And even more so, he’s developed a keen interest in working with individuals living with a spinal cord injury and focus on their nutrition and all the complexities involved with their nutrient needs and considerations. Nutrition is so important when dealing with issues like metabolic changes, skin integrity, and impaired wound healing that are specific to spinal cord injuries. He’s been accepted to the Master of Nutritional Science and Dietetics program at UC Berkeley so he can become a registered dietician.

In the meantime, we asked Ajay what he misses most and hopes to do again. He said that he hated running but hopes to be able to run so hard that his lungs hurt. “I want to run, dive, jump, do explosive, full-body movements. Play hacky sack and spike ball.” Ajay is clearly not someone who’s sitting around waiting for things to happen. “I believe we should take advantage of what we have and live life to its fullest.” And he certainly does! We can’t wait to see what’s next in Ajay’s journey to beat paralysis and advance his mission to help others living with a spinal cord injury.