What's Cooking (Episode 88)

Guests: Matthew Rodreick & Jason Stoffer

Today’s episode is a bit different. We’re turning the mic towards our own work here at U2FP to let you in on what’s cooking. Jason and Matthew begin by discussing some unique developments with our Team U2FP racers involving extreme heat, adaptive trikes, and a trek along the rim of the Grand Canyon(!). We also discuss U2FP’s upcoming symposium, including how we designed the spinal stim panel, our focus on approaches that combine more than one curative avenue (eg stimulation + regeneration drug, etc) along with a special CureCast live feature that’s happening. Finally, we talk about U2FP’s growth trajectory and a new position opening up at the organization.

As always, please share your thoughts with us via email at curecast@u2fp.org. Thanks for listening! 

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Soundcloud

Bumper music: Dig a Hole by Freaque

Guest Bios

Matthew Rodreick entered the SCI community after his son Gabe sustained a C5 injury while body surfing in Costa Rica. After leaving his position as Emergency Department Operations Supervisor for the Fairview Health System, he and Gabe traveled the world in search of the best therapeutic options, only to end up back in Minnesota advocating for cure research. Matthew led a coalition of Minnesota SCI community advocates and researchers to leverage the state legislature in pursuit of public funding for SCI research. In 2012 he made a short documentary film featuring then Minnesota Viking punter and Twitter celebrity Chris Kluwe, spending a day in a wheelchair. The screening of “Chris Kluwe Rolls A Mile In Someone Else’s Wheels” kicked off their 2013 legislative campaign. The bill was passed in 2015 as the MN SCI/TBI Research Grant Program, helping to inspire and launch U2FP's Cure Advocacy Network (CAN). U2FP's CAN has passed similar legislation in Washington, Pennsylvania, and Ohio and is now working with advocates and scientists in Wisconsin to pass a $3M SCI Research Grant Bill. Matthew credits U2FP and their Annual Symposium with providing the knowledge, focus and energy to see the real possibility of an end to the debilitating effects of paralysis.

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Jason Stoffer lives in the Rockies of Northwest Montana with his wife and three children. He has a B.S. degree in Natural Sciences/Biology from the University of Alaska, Anchorage. Jason's love of outdoor adventure led him to work and play there as a mountaineer, long distance hiker, wild-land firefighter, search and rescue technician, EMT, and Law Enforcement Officer. A single vehicle rollover on his commute to work one morning resulted in an L1 Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) and paraplegia. He has now turned his energies toward SCI cure advocacy and participates as a manager for the Cure Advocacy Network as well as continuing to host the CureCast podcast with Matthew.
 

More Info

Team U2FP

• Click here to learn more about Team U2FP
• Support our Freestyle Challenge, Chicago Marathon, and Twin Cities racers

Symposium

• View the Agenda
• Explore our Speakers
• Register here (in-person)
• Livestream registration here

Development Director

• View the job posting here

Acknowledgments