Cindy was injured in a motor vehicle accident in 1992, resulting in C2/C3 quadriplegia. Due to the extent of her injury, she requires 24/7 mechanical ventilation. She was first cervically implanted with a diaphragm pacemaker in 1994 in Columbus, Ohio. Unfortunately, after months of attempting to ween from the vent and breathe solely with the stimulator, she could only breathe comfortably while laying down.
In 2002, she travelled to New York where Dr. Mark Ginsberg surgically implanted the Avery Diaphragm Pacemaker in the thoracic region. Within a few months, she was breathing 24/7 vent-free. This gave her the ability to move in with her boyfriend, who had just moved to Ohio from Delaware. In 2007, her tracheostomy was reversed (decannulated).
