List of people with paraplegia
Paraplegia is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neural (brain) elements of the spinal canal. The area of the spinal canal that is affected in paraplegia is either the thoracic, lumbar, or sacral regions. If four limbs are affected by paralysis, tetraplegia or quadriplegia is the correct term. If only one limb is affected, the correct term is monoplegia. Spastic paraplegia is a form of paraplegia defined by spasticity of the affected muscles, rather than flaccid paralysis. Notable people with paraplegia Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas; former Texas Attorney General (paraplegic due to a 1984 freak accident when a falling oak tree hit him in the back) Peter Berry, American wheelchair basketball player for Alabama Crimson Tide Paul Darke, British academic and disability rights activist born with spina bifida. Deng Pufang, Chinese politician, son of Deng Xiaoping Daniel Dias, a Brazilian Paralympic swimmer. John Porter East (1931–1986), US politician who was partially paralyzed by polio in 1955 Frank Gardner (journalist) (born 1961), prominent BBC journalist who became paralysed after being shot six