Approximately 12,500 Americans will suffer a spinal cord injury each year. Aside from recovery, one of the greatest obstacles facing a spinal cord injury patient is the medical cost. According to research, the initial cost of hospitalization averages $140,000 with an average of $198,000 in first year expenses. For quadriplegics that number is closer to $500,000 with an average lifetime cost of over $1.35 million. Only half of spinal cord injury patients are covered by health insurance. Spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs when the cells within the spinal cord are damaged or the nerve tracts that relay signals up and down the spinal cord become severed. [...]