Life-changing injury leads to research career for Willmar graduate
West Central Tribune
by Anne Polta
A diving accident the summer after he graduated from Willmar High School changed the whole course of Peter Grahn's life. The spinal cord injury he suffered was life-altering but it's also what led him to his calling 
— as a researcher into the intricacies of neuromodulation at the Mayo Clinic. The work he's doing at Mayo could someday enable people like him to recover, even if only partially, from spinal cord injuries that limit their ability to walk, use their hands and move around freely.
Reach: The West Central Tribune is a daily newspaper written for the residents of Willmar, Minnesota. The newspaper has a daily circulation of more than 10,000 and more than 77,000 unique visitors each month to its website.
Context: Spinal cord stimulation and physical therapy have helped a man paralyzed since 2013 regain his ability to stand and walk with assistance. The results, achieved in a research collaboration between Mayo Clinic and UCLA, are reported in Nature Medicine. With an implanted stimulator turned on, the man, Jered Chinnock, was able to step with a front-wheeled walker while trainers provided occasional assistance. You can learn more about the research on Mayo Clinic News Network.
Contacts: Susan Barber Lindquist, Rhoda Fukushima Madson
Tags: Dr. Peter Grahn, neuromodulation, spinal chord injury, Uncategorized, West Central Tribune