DerbyCity Area Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
The Derby City Area Chapter of the N.S.C.I.A. is a membership organization for individuals with spinal cord injuries, their families, and health professionals. Founded in 1984 as a Charter Member of the N.S.C.I.A., it was incorporated under IRS Section 501 (c) 3 as a not for profit organization. The Board of Directors consists of the Officers, Past President and the Board Members At Large.
*** OFFICERS
PRESIDENT David Allgood - (502) 589-6620
VICE PRESIDENT Adam Ford - (502) 425-2206
TREASURER Tom Stokes- (502) 957-5865
LIAISON TO FRAZIER INSTITUTE Jill Farmer
FUNDRAISING CHAIR Betty Perry—(502) 647-0368
CORRESPONDING SECRETARY/WEB MASTER Michael Feger- (502) 647-0368
PAST PRESIDENT Adam Ford- (502) 425-2206
BOARD MEMBERS AT LARGE-
Mike Perry Kelly Young
NSCIA DERBY CITY CHAPTER NEWSLETTER
Editor- Barbara Davis Contributor- David Allgood
Visit Our Website at www.DerbyCitySpinalCord.org
The Derby City Area Chapter newsletter is brought to you through the generous support of Frazier Rehab Institute.
POLO FUNDRAISER, CONT'D
Dawn Jones, the wife of Tommy Lee Jones, said the field was so slippery that she had to slow her turns down considerably.
Perhaps no one brought attention to the cause of spinal cord injury than the late Christopher Reeve, who was paralyzed in an equestrienne accident in 1995 and died in 2004, but the Miami Project has attracted its share of headliners.
Gloria Estefan, who was temporarily paralyzed 16 years ago after a tour bus accident, recently donated a million dollars to the cause on behalf of herself and her husband, Emilio.
Tim Gannon, founder of Outback Steakhouse and one of the organizers of the event, said that every person he called responded.
The realities of life in a wheelchair and of scientific efforts to restore mobility seemed far removed from the rarefied atmosphere of the fundraiser, with its fire jugglers and stilted harlequins moving through the throng of rich and glamorous benefactors. But, in fact, the two worlds are symbiotic, in a way, for it is the money that will enable the search for a cure. The world has seen several potential cures already that didn't pan out. Right now, scientists and patients are pinning their hopes on stem cell Regeneration, specifically on Schwann Cells. Schwann cells are a particular type of cell that grows to form the Myelin sheath that protects nerves.
“Cellular implants are the future, said Barth Green, president and founder of the Miami Project. “We expect to start clinical trials in three to five years. It's been proved in rats and now in primates.”
In 2004 Miami Project investigators announced improvements in Motor in animals (rats and primates) with spinal cord injuries who had been treated with Schwann cell grafts. The center is hoping to start clinical trials within three years.
That's good news to Mark Buonticonti, who sustained a spinal cord injury during a college football game in 1985, and who was one of the event's hosts. His father, NFL Hall of Fame linebacker, Nick Buonticonti, founded the Miami Project with Green after his son's injury.
When asked if he was optimistic about the prospect of stem cell research, he responded, “Of course it'll work in humans, and I'll still be young.”
