BIG Give 2026
The countdown to the BIG GIVE 2026 has begun! From 1 to 8 December, donate to our cause and DOUBLE the impact of your donation.
Spinal cord injury can change lives in a moment. But its effects can last a lifetime. For SIA members Freya, 27, and Val, 76, spinal cord injury has been a part of their lives for three decades. Freya sustained her injury at birth; Val sustained hers in a 1996 skiing accident.
Despite their different ages and injury levels, there’s a recurring theme that connects their experience. Both women agree: it’s their bladder and bowel function that’s been one of the hardest things to manage.
And it’s not just been the challenge of finding a bowel and bladder regime that works for them. In some ways, that’s been the easy part. The hardest battle has been against ignorance and misinformation in wider society. Both women admit they felt hopeless and isolated at times.
This is something we hear all too often at SIA. But it’s something you can help change this Christmas.
Freya and Val are leading fulfilled lives with spinal cord injury. Going to university, resuming a career, being a mum. And thanks to people like you, we can offer them lifelong support, so whatever the future holds, they won’t face it alone. (Leana, SIA Support Network Coordinator)
Videos coming soon!
Please donate via the Big Give website so more people can get the specialist support they need, wherever they are in life. Thank you.
- £14 could fund the cost of a phone call to one of SIA’s support coordinators, providing practical advice as well as connecting them to SIA’s network of support services.
- £46 could cover the cost of a phone call to SIA’s support line from someone who urgently needs help and advice following a spinal cord injury.
- £106 would help cover the cost of a peer support session providing families with vital advice and support from the perspective of someone who has lived experience of spinal cord injury.
Rehabilitation after SCI – it’s more than physical
This Christmas, help bring hope to people with spinal cord injury. DOUBLE THE IMPACT OF YOUR DONATION through our match-funded Big Give Christmas Challenge from midday 1 December until midday 8 December 2026.
4,700 people in the UK sustain a spinal cord injury (SCI) every year through accident or illness. That’s twelve people a day finding themselves with nowhere to turn. Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) is the expert, guiding voice, helping people navigate the journey to a fulfilled life after injury.
Situation
SCI is irreversible, lives are instantly flipped upside down. SCI is a permanent disability, which can cause paralysis, bowel and bladder dysfunction, pain, fatigue, loss of sensation below the level of injury, and interruption to sexual function. Additionally, SCI often leads to complex mental health and wellbeing challenges, as people navigate the stresses of how to live every day, post-injury. The physical side is well acknowledged, less obvious is how far the impact extends beyond the body.
Solution
SIA’s holistic approach to support for people affected by SCI provides time, expertise, and connections, essential elements of a pathway to a fulfilled life. We will not stop until we live in a world where every person with a SCI gets a chance to live their fulfilled life. Our network of services, including clinical experts and those with lived experience, empowers the whole SCI community through information and advice, education, counselling, peer support, advocacy, and campaigning for change.
We’re especially grateful for anything you can spare in the run up to Christmas. Thank you.
What our members say …
- “I was made to feel very comfortable and Ian was very personable and patient. I would definitely look to reconnect with the services offered at a later date. Being able to speak with somebody who has lived experience and can relate to much of what is being discussed is priceless.” (Counselling)
- “I spoke with Joe this morning, I now see their is help for people like myself. I have been totally lost until this morning. I know I’ve only spoken once, Joe spoke and also understood what I was trying to say that in itself was amazing. Light at the end of the tunnel, thank you so much.” (Support Network)
- “Our phone call yesterday was like a beam of light into my struggles with incontinence and the isolation from it. Thank you so much for your time, guidance and support.” (Clinical)
- “Mandy has been an absolute rock and has supported us every week for months trying to get the right care for my father. Mandy has been amazing and has supported us in every way we are now just awaiting a meeting to challenge why my fathers nights have been taken away.” (Advocacy)