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His wheels are turning to fund
SCI, neurological disorder research

Jacksonville, FL - Auto accidents, falls, swimming pool mishaps, every paraplegic or quadriplegic wound up in that condition the hard way. Gregory C. Doyle was poisoned!
Doyle, now 41 and a one-time contestant to be the centerfold in Cosmopolitan magazine, was an international fashion model. In fact, you may - as I do - recall some ads for which he posed while working for top modeling agencies and designers such as Gianni Versace[CQ] and Valentino.
On March 6, 1985, "a jealous rival model poisoned me" - although Doyle couldn't prove it to police - while on a three-month photo shoot in Tokyo . Friends found him unconscious, and he remembers having dinner, then waking from a coma - three weeks later in his hometown of Jacksonville .
Doyle contends he wouldn't have lived "without my loving mom, Patricia J. Eltouni,[CQ] who flew to Japan to assure my safety, and the rest of my family. Then, there was retired Congressman Charles E. Bennett and the many doctors associated with my case. There was the military medivac team, which transported me from Tokyo to Hawaii , California 's Travis Air Force Base, Jacksonville 's Naval Air Station, and onto Baptist Hospital in Jacksonville ."
He was in the hospital for a month, then spent six months in therapy. The Wolfson High School graduate found himself paralyzed, and "sheer will power and therapy helped me regain upper body strength." He began competing as a bodybuilder and now has some feeling in his legs but can't walk.
Doyle claims "endless prayers, determination, and bittersweet tears returned me home safely. I've been blessed with this second chance of life!" Doyle admits his first reaction was, " 'Why me?' [But] my family and my girlfriend, Aris[CQ] Baker, gave me strength and the insight to go on. I used to feel sorry for myself and have a pity party."
Today, he doesn't have time for that because he considers the number of U.S. citizens with SCI, estimated at 721 to 906 per million population, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (University of Alabama, 619 19th St. South, SRC 544, Birmingham, AL 35249-7330; 205-934-3320; TDD 205-934-4642; fax 205-934-2709, or NSCISC@uab.edu).
The NSCISC figure corresponds to 183,000 and 230,000 persons, and the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation claims 52% of SCI cases are considered paraplegic and 47% quadriplegic. Approximately 11,000 new injuries occur each year: 82% are male and 56% of injuries occur between ages 16 and 30. The "most rapidly increasing cause of injuries is violence; vehicular accident injuries are decreasing," the foundation notes.
Doyle has visited the NotAccessible.com web site and seen its report on "traumatic brain injury (TBI) [tied to SCI]. The brain serves as the control center for conscious activities, such as talking, walking, and unconscious body activities, like breathing and heart rate. Depending on the severity of the injury, the effects can be devastating."
The web site adds, "With any kind of SCI there will be some changes to the brain, [which] is trying to send messages to certain portions of the body. If there is a disruption like SCI, the brain will not function to its capacity."
NotAccessible.com observes there haven't been studies of overall U.S. SCI incidence in the past decade; however, the recent advent of state-based SCI registries is providing an estimate of SCI incidence. States with registries include Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Doyle claims "someone incurs SCI every 50 minutes. The majority (90%) survive and lead near-normal lives. Rehabilitations costs alone are almost $250,000 for each injury. There also are [many] Americans affected by diseases or disorders of the brain and spinal cord" and will have to deal with the possibility of learning disability, depression, dementia, [violent tendencies], and [consideration of] suicide."
So, using a custom-made three-wheeled bike with 27 gears, Doyle looks at life and winds it out. If something takes "full throttle" to get done, he puts the rubber to the asphalt and wheels ahead. In December, he lead the Wheels of Hope Tour to "raise funds and awareness for SCI and neurological disorders."
Event organizers said 50 cyclists followed Doyle in the five-hour, 60-mile tour, which began in Jacksonville 's upscale Mandarin area. Then, the tour traveled through downtown Jacksonville , past the Jacksonville zoo in Northside, to Jacksonville Beach , and back to the starting line.
Funds from the December tour went to the Gregory C. Doyle
Neurological Foundation Inc., a non-profit 501(c)3[have IRS letter] foundation to support research of SCI and neurological disorders. He is executive director. More than $10,000 was raised, which after expenses, "put us in the black the very first year," Doyle notes with pride.
Doyle, who is a representative of Evergreen Sales & Marketing in Jacksonville, says dreams of racing provided a wake-up call a couple of years ago. "I realized my dream when I raced my bike 100 miles around New Smyrna Speedway near Daytona Beach on July 4, 2001, to raise money for SCI research," he notes.
A fashion show is in the planning stage and Doyle is holding talks with a north Florida hospital chain to build a research center. His immediate goal is to raise money for research on SCI and neurological disorders, with a long-term goal on that score is "to be on The Oprah [Winfrey] Show and do a cross-country tour."