ASPIRE GIVING
Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation
The Christopher & Dana Reeve is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by funding innovative research and improving the quality of life for people living with paralysis. The Reeve Foundation mission is best summed up by its dual purpose: Today's Care. Tomorrow's Cure.
When Christopher Reeve was injured in 1995, spinal cord research was in its infancy. Today, through the Reeve Foundation's persistence and promise, neuroscientists around the world agree that it is not a matter of if cures for spinal cord injury will be found, but rather when they will be found.
This newfound momentum is fueled in large part by the Reeve Foundation's latest discovery around epidural stimulation.
In 2014, the Reeve Foundation made an unprecedented announcement. Four young men who were completely paralyzed were able to stand, voluntarily move their legs, and recover autonomic functions like bowel, bladder, sexual, and temperature regulation.
These recoveries were made possible by repurposing an off-the-shelf device called an epidural stimulator. Once implanted, this small device reminds the spinal cord of its potential, even years after injury.
The Reeve Foundation launched a campaign called The Big Idea to fast track the next phase of epidural stimulation research with the mission of making the therapy available broadly in a matter of years, not decades.
The Big Idea will evaluate the efficacy of epidural stimulation and track the healthcare costs that are expected to be reduced as a result of this intervention. This breakthrough signals a return to independence and improved quality of life for the six million Americans living with paralysis.
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