Paralyzed at 12, Transverse myelitis turned Cody Unser's world upside down

Transverse myelitis turned Cody Unser's world upside down. Paralyzed at 12, she found she had been diagnosed with an illness her doctors didn't know much about.

"The doctors had no idea what to do," said Cody, now 22.

As Cody learned more about her condition, she found that few people knew it existed. So she created the Cody Unser First Step Foundation to help spread the word about TM.

"It sprang from my wanting to create awareness and put a face out there for it," she said.

Cody and her mother, Shelley, run the Albuquerque, N. M.-based non-profit organization by themselves. Their mission still includes efforts to raise awareness TM, but it has expanded to include support for people and families dealing with the disease.

"It's devastating to people," Shelley said. "We try and show people how to stay positive and hopeful and how to get back into society."

Cody also launched a quality-of-life program to help people with all forms of spinal cord-related paralysis, using the foundation to share her love of scuba diving...[RedlandsDailyFacts]