Bert, Joy, Will and Emma acted as LASCI’s reporters in London during the 2012 Paralympics.

More than 12,000 friends in the LASCI Facebook community received a surprise last week, as we posted daily updates on the Paralympic action taking place in London.

According to USA Today, as recently as the mid-1980s, the Paralympics were considered so second-string that they were held in a different city than the Olympics. This year’s Paralympics promise to be unprecedented in their size, popularity and performance levels — and they have inched closer than ever to achieving the prestige and visibility of the Olympics, which London mayor Boris Johnson on Friday jokingly called the “overture” to the Paralympics.

A record-setting 4,200 athletes from 165 countries will take part in the 2012 Paralympics. The global TV audience was forecasted to reach a historic high of some 4 billion people.

LASCI founder [and 1992 Gold Medal Winning-Paralympian] Bert Burns attended the Paralympics along with his wife, Joy, and kids, Will and Emma!! While there, LASCI cheered on the competitors at Paralympic events like rugby, goal ball, and track and field. And, in typical British fashion, our LASCI reporters sampled local fare like meat pies, mushy peas and fish and chips.

Bert and Joy wrote on their first day in London, “The tag line of the Paralympics is ‘Inspire a Generation’. Couldn’t be more true. The performances of these athletes were amazing!! Tomorrow we will see the USA wheelchair basketball play for the bronze medal.  Should be a great day.”

Day 2 – LASCI IN LONDON:
Below is a shot from a morning tennis match as David Wagner [USA] takes on Noam Gershony – Israel in wheelchair tennis!

As the afternoon progressed at Paralympics, LASCI stopped by to cheer on the USA vs Great Britain for the bronze medal in basketball. Joy wrote, “Half time score was USA 29-Great Britain 20. Go USA!!! Help us join LASCI founder Bert Burns & his son Will in cheering on the team!”

Soon after, Bert wrote, “USA defeats Great Britian in wheelchair baskeball!! After GB tied it up, USA pulled ahead and beat the Brits!!  The crowd was wild and the media went wild around the athletes after the game.”

The media went wild as the USA Men’s Wheelchair Basketball team beat Great Britain for the bronze medal.

Day 3 – LASCI IN LONDON:
Here’s a shot of Bert and his daughter Emma as they admire the Paralympic facilities. Joy Burns said: “The velodrome is such a cool building! The outside is completely covered in wood. All the buildings at Olympic Park are fantastic!!!”

Bert and Emma Burns admire the London Velodrome.

LASCI’s Connection to the Paralympics
A lot of you may be wondering why we’re posting pictures of Bert Burns at the Paralympics?
Did you know Bert won a gold medal at the Paralympics himself? See how that experience and others led him to create LASCI: http://www.uromed.com/Company/LifeAfterSpinalCordInjury

One of the most ground-breaking athletes of the 2012 Paralympic Games is Oscar Pistorius, aka The Bladerunner.  Joy Burns said, “Pistorius finally got his deserved gold in the men’s 400m. Few people have done more for the Paralympics than he has. Congratulations to him!!!!!”  See the full story on Oscar’s gold medal win at: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/48955592/ns/sports-olympic_sports/

Day 4 -LASCI IN LONDON:
As the Paralympics wrapped up last night, Joy & Bert sent in the following report – “Closing ceremonies was amazing!! Rihanna, Jay Z, Colplay and hundreds of dancers, flame throwers and of cast members made it a night to never forget! London 2012 – you hosted the best Olympics and Paralympics ever!!!”

Closing ceremonies for the 2012 London Paralympics

How You Can Take Part
Hope you all enjoyed our Paralympics coverage. We tried to share daily updates since it wasn’t airing on US TV.  If you’d like to petition US TV networks to air Paralympic sports coverage, please see the following website: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/10000-to-cover-the-usa-paralympics/

About Life After Spinal Cord Injury
Bert Burns became quadriplegic as a result of an automobile accident during his youth. His desire to make a positive difference in the lives of people with disabilities led him to create a free motivational program for peer support and rehabilitation groups called Life After Spinal Cord Injury. LASCI is sponsored by UroMed, [http://www.uromed.com] one of the largest urological supply companies in the country.  Join more than 12,000 friends in our Facebook support community at: http://www.facebook.com/LASCIonline

About UroMed
Headquartered in Suwanee, GA [a suburb of Atlanta], UroMed is one of the nation’s leading providers of single-use catheters, urological and disposable medical supplies, including intermittent catheters, closed system catheters, condom catheters, pediatric catheters and continence care products. UroMed is nationally accredited for Medicare reimbursement and most state Medicaid plans, and partners with private health insurance providers and health plans to provide patients with single-use catheters, catheter kits and incontinence products.  UroMed also has six staffed regional offices located in and around the following metro areas: Greenville, SC; Jacksonville, FL; Dallas, TX; Knoxville, TN; Richmond, VA; and Baton Rouge, LA; enabling next-day delivery after a customer’s initial medical supply order. For more information, please visit http://www.uromed.com or call 1-800-841-1233.