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U2FP's Blog > Keeping you current on the movement to cure paralysis
Feed the Fire
Dec 31, 2024

Feed the Fire

Matthew Rodreick


As we close out 2024, I hope you’ll consider making a year-end gift to Unite 2 Fight Paralysis.
 

Me with U2FP monthly donor and 2024 symposium presenter, Kent C. New, MD, PhD, FAANS, who is the Director of Neurosurgery Research at Ascension St. Vincent’s Medical Center. Kent gave a phenomenal opening presentation at our symposium in Atlanta this past fall. You can watch his presentation here: Overcoming Obstacles.


We are making progress, and your financial support ensures that our innovative work continues into the New Year: 

  • U2FP's Annual Symposium in Atlanta was one of our best ever. You can now watch all the presentations and panel discussions for free.
     
  • U2FP’s Chronic Pig Study has begun at Emory University, with $400,000 of funding from SCI-led foundations, bringing together spinal stimulation and NervGen’s NVG-291 with a large animal model.
     
  • U2FP's Cure Advocacy Network’s cumulative funding impact is almost $40M. These funds have resulted in meaningful interventions to restore function in over 200 persons with a spinal cord injury, and helped quicken recovery measures in the spinal stimulation arena.
     
  • Move Me, Kelsey Peterson’s U2FP-sponsored documentary, continues to make inroads with the SCI and Scientific communities. Kelsey recently screened her film for University of Florida SCI researchers who are now in talks with us about collaboration opportunities.
     
  • My ISRT presentation of the SCI Translation Factory, which I shared with you all earlier this month. (ISRT was one of several high level gatherings U2FP was honored to be speaking at this year.)

I’m proud of the work we are doing, but we need to scale it. We can’t keep pretending that our smart, small programs are enough. Prodding the cure economy with alternative, collaborative opportunities is great, but as I laid out recently, we also need to build an SCI Translation Factory. 

 

U2FP’s Quinn Brett (left) and Jason Stoffer (center) with first-time symposium attendee and monthly donor Jared Potter (right).


We don’t have the luxury of incrementally building out our programs for 5-10 more years and then launching a novel addition to the system. We have to helpfully prod the system we have while also creating a complement to the system that will push it further faster. My son Gabriel - and all those suffering from this complex injury - deserve recovery from this relentless injury.

I’m happy with all we’ve been able to accomplish this year, but it’s not enough. There’s more work to do. And we can't do it without you.

Make a Year-End Gift

Your support is an investment in the SCI community’s future, allowing us to continue building innovative bridges between researchers, funders, government, industry and those who live with the injury.

I look forward to making more progress with you in 2025.

Join us,