Rewiring Recovery (Episode 145)

Guests: Justin Brown & Macy Lauren Ledet

 

Many of our discussions about SCI recovery deal with developing research strategies or interventions that are on the horizon. Today, we are discussing an intervention that can restore function right now: nerve transfer. Nerve transfers can be thought of as animating dead wires by redirecting current from live wires. To explain what's actually happening, we’ve brought on Dr. Justin Brown, who has pioneered the field and our friend, Macy Lauren Ledet, a recipient of nerve transfer surgery. 

Justin has performed hundreds of nerve transfer surgeries and is pushing the research to expand its recovery potential for SCI and other other neurological conditions. He currently serves as the director of Reconstructive Neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and is the founder and director of The Paralysis Center, which is in the midst of relocating to West Palm Beach Florida. Macy works full time as a lawyer in Louisiana and is a passionate advocate for the SCI community and Activity Base Therapy. 

This conversation is a masterclass in nerve transfer surgeries. We discuss how and why nerve transfers work, the operation, the recovery period, costs and healthcare coverage, the current research questions that are being explored and much more. 
 

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Soundcloud

Bumper music: Dig a Hole by Freaque

Guest Bios

Dr. Justin M. Brown, MD, is a board-certified neurosurgeon and pioneer in Reconstructive Neurosurgery – reversing paralysis in all conditions of neurological loss. Dr. Brown has received widespread international recognition for his work. He is an avid educator and a regular featured speaker at medical symposiums around the world. 

Dr. Brown earned his medical degree from the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia and completed a surgical internship and Neurosurgical residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Based on his desire to understand these problems from the perspective of another surgical specialty, Dr. Brown completed a peripheral nerve surgery fellowship in the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. Then, in collaboration with a notable pioneer in Restorative Neurology, Milan R. Dimitrijevic, MD, PhD, he helped establish the International Society for Restorative Neurology. 

Dr. Brown is president of the AANS/CNS Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerve, and is a member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the American Society for Peripheral Nerve, and the Pan-African Association of Christian Surgeons. Dr. Brown has pioneered the use of nerve transfers to restore arm and hand function following cervical spinal cord injury and bladder function following sacral nerve root injuries. He has the busiest practice in the United States performing these procedures for patients following SCI. 

Dr. Justin Brown currently serves as the Director of Reconstructive Neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and is the founder and director of The Paralysis Center. This center will now relocate to West Palm Beach Florida and will have an international outreach.

Connect with Justin Brown here:

Macy Lauren Ledet, JD, Attorney at Law is a paralyzed professional based in the Greater New Orleans area. She is a practicing attorney at M. Ledet Law, LLC, barred in Louisiana and Texas, specializing in Estates & Trusts, Contract Law, and Disability Advocacy. Additionally, she is a qualified mediator for the State of Louisiana with Fact Mediations, LLC. 

Macy was paralyzed in February of 2020, is a C5/C6 Asia A quadriplegic, and a patient of Dr. Justin Brown since September 2020, where she has received both nerve and tendon transfers. She is also a recipient of the Epidural Stimulator via Verita Neuro (2021), which allows her to control certain aspects of her body, independently. 

Macy is a board member with Split-Second Foundation for the past three (3) years, serving as the 2024 Show of Love Gala chair. She has most recently taken on the role of Secretary for the Split Second Board for 2025-2027.

Macy recently launched her own foundation, MACK Forge, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit, with the purpose of creating a movement: KNOWLEDGE SHOULD BE FREE! MACK stands for : Movement. Advocacy. Community. Knowledge. MACK Forge’s mission statement is to persevere in the face of a recovery process that’s meant to break you, and armed with the knowledge to get there faster, with minimal hurdles. 

Macy is a mother of two teenage children, Cullen and Fiona, whom she spends most of her spare time with. They are the joys of her life. When she is not working in her law practice and spending time with her children, Macy travels speaking on nerve transfer interventions, and advocates in local and state communities for those with SCI, paralysis, and disability issues.

Connect with Macy Lauren Ledet here:

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