Puppeteers manipulate puppets including 'Ameera' the new character who uses a purple wheelchair or crutches to get around due to a spinal cord injury, during the filming of a scene on the set of the children's TV show "Ahlan Simsim", in a studio in Amman, Jordan, March 28, 2022. Picture taken March 28, 2022. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni 

Puppeteer Leen Sorsok stands near 'Ameera' the new muppet character who uses a purple wheelchair or crutches to get around due to a spinal cord injury, on the set of the children's TV show "Ahlan Simsim", in a studio in Amman, Jordan, March 28, 2022. Picture taken March 28, 2022. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni 

Crew members of the children's TV show "Ahlan Simsim" prepare 'Ameera' a new muppet character who uses a purple wheelchair or crutches to get around due to a spinal cord injury, for filming a scene on the set of the show in a studio in Amman, Jordan, March 28, 2022. Picture taken March 28, 2022. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni 

Crew members of the children's TV show "Ahlan Simsim" prepare 'Ameera' a new muppet character who uses a purple wheelchair or crutches to get around due to a spinal cord injury, for filming a scene on the set of the show, in a studio in Amman, Jordan, March 28, 2022. Picture taken March 28, 2022. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni 

Puppeteers manipulate puppets including 'Ameera', the new muppet character who uses a purple wheelchair or crutches to get around due to a spinal cord injury, during the filming of a scene on the set of the children's TV show "Ahlan Simsim", in a studio in Amman, Jordan, March 28, 2022. Picture taken March 28, 2022. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni 

A crew member of the children's TV show "Ahlan Simsim" snaps the clapperboard as he stands near 'Ameera' a new muppet character who uses a purple wheelchair or crutches to get around due to a spinal cord injury, for filming a scene on the set of the show in a studio in Amman, Jordan, March 28, 2022. Picture taken March 28, 2022. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni 

U.S. President Joe Biden talks with Spinal Cord Injury Lead Therapist Joshua Geering and veteran John Caruso as he visits the Fort Worth VA (Veterans Affairs) Clinic to highlight efforts aimed at addressing health problems suffered by military veterans exposed to potentially toxic environmental situations, in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst 

Spinal Cord Injury Lead Therapist Joshua Geering assists veteran John Caruso as he uses an exoskeleton which allows spinal cord injury patients to experience walking and standing, as U.S. President Joe Biden visits the Fort Worth VA (Veterans Affairs) Clinic to highlight efforts aimed at addressing health problems suffered by military veterans exposed to potentially toxic environmental situations, in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst 

Spinal Cord Injury Lead Therapist Joshua Geering assists veteran John Caruso as he uses an exoskeleton which allows spinal cord injury patients to experience walking and standing, as U.S. President Joe Biden visits the Fort Worth VA (Veterans Affairs) Clinic to highlight efforts aimed at addressing health problems suffered by military veterans exposed to potentially toxic environmental situations, in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst 

Spinal Cord Injury Lead Therapist Joshua Geering demonstrates the iBOT Personal Mobility Device as U.S. President Joe Biden visits the Fort Worth VA (Veterans Affairs) Clinic to highlight efforts aimed at addressing health problems suffered by military veterans exposed to potentially toxic environmental situations, in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst 

Kaede Masaki, suffering from spinal cord injury, receives torch flame from Fumihiro Iwasakim during a torch kiss event, after the relay on public road was cancelled due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, during Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay celebration in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, June 30, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon 

Kaede Masaki, suffering from spinal cord injury, attends a torch kiss event after the relay on public road was cancelled due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, during Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay celebration in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, June 30, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon 

A combination picture shows a paralysed mouse (L) and a former-paralysed one in a lab at Ruhr University, where scientists discovered a way to restore the ability to walk in mice that had been paralysed after a complete spinal cord injury, in Bochum, Germany, January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler 

Professor Dr. Dietmar Fischer, director of a lab at Ruhr University, where scientists discovered a way to restore the ability to walk in mice that had been paralysed after a complete spinal cord injury, poses in Bochum, Germany, January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler 

A woman works with samples in a lab at Ruhr University, where scientists discovered a way to restore the ability to walk in mice that had been paralysed after a complete spinal cord injury, in Bochum, Germany, January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler 

A scientist holds a paralysed mouse in a lab at Ruhr University, where scientists discovered a way to restore the ability to walk in mice that had been paralysed after a complete spinal cord injury, in Bochum, Germany, January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler 

A paralysed mouse is removed from its enclosure in a lab at Ruhr University, where scientists discovered a way to restore the ability to walk in mice that had been paralysed after a complete spinal cord injury, in Bochum, Germany, January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler 

A paralysed mouse is seen in its enclosure in a lab at Ruhr University, where scientists discovered a way to restore the ability to walk in mice that had been paralysed after a complete spinal cord injury, in Bochum, Germany, January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler 

A woman works with samples in a lab at Ruhr University, where scientists discovered a way to restore the ability to walk in mice that had been paralysed after a complete spinal cord injury, in Bochum, Germany, January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler 

A mouse which recovered from paralysis is seen in a lab at Ruhr University, where scientists discovered a way to restore the ability to walk in mice that had been paralysed after a complete spinal cord injury, in Bochum, Germany, January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler 

A mouse which recovered from paralysis is seen in a lab at Ruhr University, where scientists discovered a way to restore the ability to walk in mice that had been paralysed after a complete spinal cord injury, in Bochum, Germany, January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler 

A mouse which recovered from paralysis is seen in a lab at Ruhr University, where scientists discovered a way to restore the ability to walk in mice that had been paralysed after a complete spinal cord injury, in Bochum, Germany, January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler 

A paralysed mouse is seen in a lab at Ruhr University, where scientists discovered a way to restore the ability to walk in mice that had been paralysed after a complete spinal cord injury, in Bochum, Germany, January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler 

A paralysed mouse is seen in a lab at Ruhr University, where scientists discovered a way to restore the ability to walk in mice that had been paralysed after a complete spinal cord injury, in Bochum, Germany, January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler 

A paralysed mouse is seen in a lab at Ruhr University, where scientists discovered a way to restore the ability to walk in mice that had been paralysed after a complete spinal cord injury, in Bochum, Germany, January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

A paralysed mouse is removed from its enclosure in a lab at Ruhr University, where scientists discovered a way to restore the ability to walk in mice that had been paralysed after a complete spinal cord injury, in Bochum, Germany, January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler 

Max Reid plays violin on a wheelchair for spinal cord injury charity donation at the underground train station at Canary Wharf, London, Britain May 21, 2017. Picture taken May 21, 2017. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye. 

Patients, who have spinal cord injuries, sits in wheelchairs at a rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 21, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Ayman, 24, who has a spinal cord injury, attends a lesson at a rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 21, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Fouad, 20, who has a spinal cord injury, works at an amusement park after completing a therapy cycle at a rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, March 2, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Scars are seen on the hands of Abu Zeid, a spinal cord injury patient, who attempted suicide shortly after sustaining his wounds, at a rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 23, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Ziad, a paralysed 14-year-old boy, often stays alone in his room as bombs fall on Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus. Limited in scope, number and size, there are no nearby shelters equipped to receive Ziad who cannot be moved quickly or easily during airstrikes because of his spinal injuries. "The shelters are not ready to accept people like me," he said. Until last year, treatment options were limited for spinal patients caught in a brutal civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced more than 11 million. Now, the Specialist Centre for the Rehabilitation and Care of Spinal Cord Injuries provides physical and psychological treatment. There are an estimated 500 people with spinal injuries in eastern Ghouta, almost all casualties of the six-year war. The centre, currently funded entirely by donations, can treat 12 patients at a time for a course of three to six months. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Ziad (R), 14, attends a physiotherapy session with Haitham, 35, who sustained a spinal cord injury during the conflict in Syria that left him paralysed, at a rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 14, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Fouad, 20, who has a spinal cord injury, works at an amusement park after completing a therapy cycle at a rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, March 2, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Ahmed, 20, who has a spinal cord injury, attends a lesson at a rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 21, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Ziad, 14, who has a spinal cord injury, prays at a mosque in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 23, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Paraplegic patients rest after a therapy session at a spinal cord injury rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 14, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Ziad, 14, who has a spinal cord injury, sits on a wheelchair as he prays with others at a mosque in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 23, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Ahmed, 20, who has a spinal cord injury, attends a therapy session at a rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 14, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Ayman, 24, attends a training session at a spinal cord injury rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 14, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Abdullah, 22, who has a spinal cord injury, works at a shoe factory after completing a six-month therapy at a rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 25, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Mohamed, who has a spinal cord injury, warms himself in the sun outside a rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 20, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Abu Yassin, 47, who has a spinal cord injury, arrives at a rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 21, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Ziad (R), 14, who has a spinal cord injury, is pushed on a wheelchair by his friend along a street in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 21, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Ziad (L), 14, who has a spinal cord injury, gets help to enter a rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 21, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Mohamed Barkhash, 25, who has a spinal cord injury, waits to attend a physiotherapy session at a rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 14, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Ahmed, 20, who has a spinal cord injury, is seen at a rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 14, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Dumbbells and a stuffed toy are seen inside a spinal cord injury rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 21, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Mohamed Barkhash, 25, who has a spinal cord injury, gets help to get on a bus that transports patients to a rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 13, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Haitham, 35, who sustained a spinal cord injury during the conflict in Syria, that left him paralysed, is seen at a rehabilitation centre where he works as a physiotherapist, in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 14, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Abu Yassin, 47, attends a physiotherapy session at a spinal cord injury rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 14, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Obeida, 18, a medic at a spinal cord injury rehabilitation centre, walks inside a patient's house to take him to the centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 13, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Paraplegic Hussein (R), 35, gets help to go to a spinal cord injury rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 13, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Abu Yassin, 47, attends a physiotherapy session at a spinal cord injury rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 14, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Training equipments are seen at a spinal cord injury rehabilitation centre in Douma, the main rebel-stronghold in eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, February 14, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "SPINE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

President of the non-profit Human Care Association Shoji Nakanishi, 72, who has been wheel-chair bound since a spinal cord injury at age 21, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Tokyo, Japan, February 18, 2016. Picture taken February 18, 2016. REUTERS/Yuya Shino 

President of the non-profit Human Care Association Shoji Nakanishi, 72, who has been wheel-chair bound since a spinal cord injury at age 21, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Tokyo, Japan, February 18, 2016. Picture taken February 18, 2016. REUTERS/Yuya Shino 

President of the non-profit Human Care Association Shoji Nakanishi, 72, who has been wheel-chair bound since a spinal cord injury at age 21, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Tokyo, Japan, February 18, 2016. Picture taken February 18, 2016. REUTERS/Yuya Shino 

President of the non-profit Human Care Association Shoji Nakanishi, 72, who has been wheel-chair bound since a spinal cord injury at age 21, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Tokyo, Japan, February 18, 2016. Picture taken February 18, 2016. REUTERS/Yuya Shino 

President of the non-profit Human Care Association Shoji Nakanishi, 72, who has been wheel-chair bound since a spinal cord injury at age 21, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Tokyo, Japan, February 18, 2016. Picture taken February 18, 2016. REUTERS/Yuya Shino