Help To Cure Spinal Cord Paralysis & Brain Injuries
No one gets hurt being a couch potato! One just gets fat and suffers the illnesses from being overweight or morbidly obese.
However, mount-up on your horse, suit-up for your football game, lace-up your hockey match, dive-in to your friend's swimming pool, or perform a myriad of other physical activities, and one's physical activity ironically puts at risk his/her own future physical movement through spinal cord and/or traumatic brain injuries... both potentially causing paralysis.
Of course, there are also life events -- car accidents, falls from ladders or down the stairs, and a list of other situations, which sadly includes gun shot wounds both in war and in crime -- that cause degrees of paralysis as well.
Regardless how it happen, paralizing spinal cord and brain trauma injuries dramatically alter one's life in an instant... and the lives of family and friends.
It is IMPOSSIBLE to comprehend how we, as a society, can wire a space-craft and cameras to obtain photographs taken from the far reaches of our Solar System, yet we cannot find a way to re-wire a well known set of nerves that emanate from the spinal column. The fact is we are stymied, or making progress far too slowly compared to other discoveries of less importance. And so, it is IMPOSSIBLE to comprehend how a photo of the planet Pluto, which is meaningless in our daily lives, is more important than a cure for paralysis, which affects so many lives.
As a result of our incapability, there are thousands of of people whose physical lives are confined. As example, at any one time there are about 50 Thoroughbred race track jockeys who are paralyzed from falls; one of them Ron Turcotte, the jockey aboard Secretariat's Triple Crown triumph in Thoroughbred Racing in 1973. Turcotte's riding accident happened on July 13, 1978, 10th race / Belmont Park --literally 5 years and 1 week after his 31 length Belmont race -- the third stakes race --that capped his Triple Crown victory and entry into racing history.
Then there is the tragedy of Christopher Reeves falling from his mount.
But for the Grace of God, if you believe, or just dumb luck, if you prefer, most of us have escaped hits, falls, accidents, wounds, or whatever without becoming paralyzed where other people have not.
For myself, I have been thrown from horses, have smashed my head on the bottom of a pool, and have fallen in weirdest wipe-out of all; landed on top of a heavy suitcased with my back arched backwards over it after pulling it from a car seat while I was standing on ice, the momentum of which swung the suitcase away from the car, then me into the air to crash on it. In each incident, I was so scared that I refused to attempt a move in fear of discovering that I could not. I was blessed... or lucky, if you prefer.
Normally, after three strikes, one is "Out." Fortunately, I am not, and it is time to help wipe-out spinal cord paralysis:
Consider the billions of dollars that are spent and therefore generated by the "horse industry" -- all breeds / all sports / in the U.S. alone. Now look at the combined donations made to the non-profits whose missions are dedicated to curing spinal cord paraylsis and/or brain injury, or to alleviating the burden of the same. It is miniscule by comparison. It is also an embarrassing indictment on priorities.
Article - People Magazine - November 6, 1978 Article - People Magazine / July 11, 1983
IMAGINE IF A PERCENT OF THE INDUSTRY'S GROSS REVENUE -- NOT PROFITS
WERE DONATED TO THE WORTHIEST OF THESE CHARTIES!
IMAGINE THE BENEFITS OF A CURE TO THE AFFLICTED AND THE FAMILIES
AFTER THEIR INCOMPREHENSIBLE STRUGGLE.
Below are charities which are ranked two stars or better by Charity Navigator, a watchdog over public charities regarding their actual contributions to the benefit that they profess to provide.
Take some time to review their efforts... Give some thanks for any narrow misses to yourself or family... Consider some steps to help find a cure. Then give some money directly to your charity of choice. If you know of another trusted effort, be it a doctor/clinic/research center support it.
If you have gotten this far on the webpage, thank you for reading my message.
There is more information to follow.
Regards,
"Johnny"
John David Sottile
General Manager
Christopher & Diane Reeves Foundaton (Horses) *** Three Stars
http://www.christopherreeve.org
Miami/Bouniconti Project To Cure Paralysis (Football) *** Three Stars
http://www.themiamiproject.org/
Travis Roy Foundation (Hockey)
National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA)
United Spinal Association ** Two Stars
Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA)
