Reeve Foundation Paralysis Community

This is a wonderful story from the Wall Street Journal about a good friend and official Ambassador to the Foundation and a Champions Committee member who give incredible time and energy to us. Francesco Clark (pictured here with Alexandra Reeve) is a nice guy who took hold of horrible circumstances and created something amazing out of them.

And Francesco Clark is not your typical business owner. In 2002, he suffered a severe spinal-cord injury from a pool diving accident that left him without the ability to feel or move 98% of his body. As a result, Mr. Clark's skin became unresponsive to temperature. He stopped sweating, and the condition of his skin deteriorated.

After trying dozens of skincare products, both over-the-counter and prescription, Mr. Clark took matters into his own hands. He enlisted the help of his father, a doctor and homeopathy expert, and together they developed a unique botanically-based moisturizing cream. After sharing the product with friends and family and receiving great feedback, the ball got rolling that would develop into Clark's Botanicals.

Mr. Clark's injury never hindered him in building his company. "I think the biggest challenge for me was not the physical challenge, but it was showing people that I could do just as much as they could," he says.

Read the rest of the story.

Read more about Francesco and our Ambassador's program.

Rob

One in 50 Americans is now living with some form of paralysis. Each of us is only a degree or two separated from somebody who is affected by paralysis. They are people, like you and me, trying to earn a living, raise kids, and pursue happiness in all its forms.

We created this tool to help put a face on some of those people.

Rob

This was posted on ABC News last week:

Now, in an unprecedented new study from the University of California, San Diego, published Wednesday in the journal Neuron, researchers say they were able to regenerate nerve cells up to 15 months after a spinal cord injury.

"All studies in the past have been right after the injury, but with a quarter million [people with chronic spinal injury], we needed a study that looked at re-growth one year after," said Dr. Mark H. Tuszynski, director of the Center for Neural Repair at UCSD and one of the authors of the study. "We found one can achieve this at impressive delays."

Read the whole story.

More information on he research into spinal cord injuries.

Here is a related story about an enzyme that eats scare tissue that blocks rat spine repair.

New York City - It was shopping and champagne for a great cause on October 27 as the very fashionable Facconable boutique on Fifth Avenue in conjunction with Vanity Fair hosted a "Shopping Night" with a hefty percentage of sales earmarked for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

Matthew Reeve and Alexandra Reeve Givens (pictured) attended, along with some of the members of the Reeve Champions Comittee.

Read more about the night.

What a day. I'm exhausted. My back hurts, my feet hurt, and I have two big blisters. I can't imagine what it was like for our 69 Team Reeve athletes who actually ran the 26.2 miles!

My favorite part of the day was talking to the runners after they finished. Some were bouncy, others dragging a little, but they all had the biggest smiles. From a guy named Christopher Reeves (who was tall enough and handsome enough to have been related despite the extra "S") to Nancy from Maine running in honor of her father-in-law to Dan, a video editor who after edited a piece about Team Reeve last year was so moved he signed up right then and there. So many wonderful stories, pictures, and video we have to bring to you over the next few weeks!

And, are you wondering how Matthew (Christopher Reeve's oldest son who was running his first marathon) did? Here is a few quotes from People.com and the AP:

Physically, the first half was absolutely fine. The 6 months of training certainly paid off, and I really enjoyed running through many parts of Brooklyn I'd never seen before. The Pulaski bridge and the entrance into Queens certainly took its toll as it was a steep uphill, but I rallied through Long Island City and was feeling good. Then came the Queensborough bridge.. a long steady incline.. followed by First Avenue, another long steady incline. Those two sections, plus crossing into the Bronx, and all the way down to about mile 24, were absolutely brutal.

My legs felt like they were made of lead, every muscle hurt, and my feet were throbbing. But that's where the crowd really helps. During my time training people had told me that it would be like that, that the crowd carries you through, but to be honest I was skeptical, but now I've experienced it I completely appreciate what it is like; simply amazing.

Mile 24 to 26 were certainly tough physically, but the mental aspect really came into play here. The furthest I'd ever run during training was 20 miles, so every inch after that was new territory.

But by 24 to 26 I was really in physical pain, and you just have to plough through. So much of you wants to just give up. But I kept thinking of the money I'd raised and how I owed it to all the people who have been kind and generous enough to sponsor me, and of course, I kept thinking of all the people living with a spinal cord injury, and the fact that there are 1.275 million of them, and pretty quickly, those thoughts of quitting evaporate, and you just focus on putting one foot in front of the other, and the next thing you know, the finish line is in sight, the crowd is roaring, you see your family members watching, and you run those last two hundred yards as if they were the first.

Nice work Matthew and all the athletes. Join us next year!

The money is still coming in. So far, we are over $250,000. You can still make a contribution to any of the athletes.

Rob

Utah Chapter Benefits From Compassionate Business Professionals
The Utah Chapter of the Reeve Foundation was the recent beneficiary of a group of committed, compassionate business professionals, who simply want to “give back to the community.”

The Advocacy Group, as they call themselves, is made up of real estate, financial, sales and legal professionals. They organized a Saturday morning rummage sale, which was held in the parking lot of Harmon’s, a local community minded grocery chain, designating that all proceeds from the sale would go to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

Additionally, one of the group’s members, Nate Woodbury, financial manager of the Ameriprise Financial office in Salt Lake City, said that his company would match all proceeds. The sum of the wintry morning’s proceedings totaled over $500. “Their generosity brought a lot of warmth to the chilly morning air,” said Katie Johnson-Hill, Utah Chapter Co-chair. She and chapter member Bob Wassom (both pictured above)helped man the parking lot sale.

Reeve Foundation Gets Important Exposure at Macy’s Event
The Utah Chapter raised money and gained important exposure for the mission of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation at the October 17th Macy’s Shop for a Cause sale held in Salt Lake City. The national event, held at Macy’s stores across the country, raised more than $6 million for national and local charities.

Chapter Co-Chair Katie Johnson-Hill and her daughter Cara Weigand sold coupons, disseminated information and answered questions at a Reeve Foundation table strategically located at the top of the escalator of the Holladay area Macy’s. Utah Chapter members also sold discount coupons prior to the one-day sale. “I think this event was great exposure for the Reeve Foundation,” said Katie. “I look forward to expanding the event next year.”

Find out more about the Utah Chapter of the Reeve Foundation.

Find out more about starting a chapter in your area.

Thanks to Bob Wassom for reporting on both of these events!

I have dragged my feet, kicking and screaming into this whole Twitter thing. And now, on Sunday, I will be your Tweeting king from the course at the ING New York City Marathon.

The fact is, it has helped get the word out in a big way about our programs. I'm a believer, as Davy Jones used to say.

I'll send a lot of photos. I'll be at the finish line and at our post race reunion spot -- 75th and Central Park West. I'll spare you what I'm eating for breakfast, promise.

Follow us please:
http://twitter.com/teamreeve

http://twitter.com/ReeveFoundation

Rob

PS: Here is another great piece on Matthew running for Team Reeve. His doing this, has been wonderful for our visibility. I wonder if he has figured out it is now a yearly event for him! I'll be sure is wait a week to bring it up.