This compact book uniquely examines individual lived experience with spinal cord injury (SCI). It provides education and a clearer understanding of the many facets of a SCI -- medical, physical, psychological, cognitive, personal, and social -- in a single compact volume, so that readers learn the effect a SCI can have on a person. The contents also include resources for more specific exploration of information. SCI is a direct public health concern due to not only the cause of the injury itself, most often of violent origin, but also how the individuals perceive themselves after the injury and their participation in society, as well as how society welcomes them back. This compact book has four distinct chapters, each one addressing a different component of SCI with a set of resources to guide the individual with SCI, their family and their friends in the process. It first explores the physical as a means to provide an understanding of what body changes occur.