Kessler Foundation and Kessler Institute to Participate in Walk to Victory over Paralysis for Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation’s NeuroRecovery Network, Joined by Eric LeGrand
2014-07-16 16:15:42 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Eric LeGrand to Join Team Kessler
WEST ORANGE, N.J.—Kessler Foundation and Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, part of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation’s NeuroRecovery Network (NRN), will participate in a 24-hour fundraising and awareness event, "Walk to Victory over Paralysis,” from 9 a.m. Saturday, July 19, through 9 a.m. Sunday, July 20, 2014.
Walk to Victory over Paralysis events will be held simultaneously at eight rehabilitation centers and fitness and wellness facilities nationwide. Kessler will host the local event at its facilities at 1199 Pleasant Valley Way in West Orange. In addition to the 24-hour walk, other sites in the NRN are also supporting with fundraising efforts. The NRN goal is $30,000 at each center and fitness facility nationwide for a grand total of $330,000.
Today, approximately 6 million people are living with paralysis.
Eric LeGrand, the former Rutgers football player who is paralyzed as the result of a spinal cord injury (SCI) he sustained during a game against Army in October 2010, will be joining Team Kessler. LeGrand, who began his rehabilitation at Kessler Institute, continues his rigorous therapy program three days a week. He also participates in the NRN’s locomotor training program at Kessler, where he is harnessed over a treadmill while therapists move his legs in a walking motion in an effort to retrain his nervous system. In therapy, he is regaining balance and strength. Since his injury, LeGrand graduated from Rutgers University and has become an author, motivational speaker, sports radio broadcaster and retired player of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“We are very excited to be a part of the Walk to Victory over Paralysis,” said Sandra “Buffy” Wojciehowski, Team Kessler Captain, clinical specialist in the Outpatient SCI department and clinical supervisor for the NRN at Kessler Institute and a therapist for SCI Research at Kessler Foundation. “Every day, we meet amazing individuals whose lives were changed by a sudden paralyzing injury or illness. We work to help them regain mobility and make research discoveries that enable them to lead to better, healthier lives. The Walk to Victory will help to showcase the great strides our participants are making in their journey to recovery and raise funds to help more people take their first steps.”
“Activity-based therapy and exercise is essential for someone who has experienced a spinal cord injury,” said Susan J. Harkema, PhD, NeuroRecovery Network Director for the Reeve Foundation, Director of Research at Frazier Rehab Institute, Professor and Rehabilitation Research Director at the University of Louisville Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center and Owsley B. Frazier Chair in Clinical Rehabilitation Research. “We have so much more information today about recovery that is helping people lead healthier and more functional lives, and improving their overall quality of life.”
Kessler Foundation conducts SCI rehabilitation research to regain mobility and prevent secondary complications in individuals with paralysis. That research is translated to patient care at Kessler Institute, the nation’s largest single rehabilitation hospital. Through its partnership, Kessler studies the effects of robotic devices, wheelchair use and propulsion, electrical stimulation, locomotor training and other rehabilitation techniques after SCI. Kessler is also one of only14 centers in the U.S. to be designated as a Spinal Cord Injury Model System, which provides significant federally-funded grants to identify and investigate issues to improve the care, treatment and quality of life of persons with SCI.
The community is encouraged to participate and make a donation to support the work of the Reeve Foundation’s NRN. Originated by the late Christopher Reeve, the NRN develops and expands access to activity-based therapies for people living with spinal cord injuries in order to improve their mobility, regain function, and increase their independence in living. All of these capabilities represent victories over paralysis.
Funds raised will bring greater access to new, activity-based therapies for more patients with spinal cord injury.
Funds raised by Team Kessler will be divided between Kessler and the Reeve Foundation. Each center will use the funds for their greatest need, from scholarships for people unable to afford therapy to more or better equipment in the facilities. Visit Team Kessler’s page and make a donation at www.KesslerFoundation.org/TeamKessler.
About Kessler Foundation
Kessler Foundation, a major nonprofit organization in the field of disability, is a global leader in rehabilitation research that seeks to improve cognition, mobility and long-term outcomes, including employment, for people with neurological disabilities caused by diseases and injuries of the brain and spinal cord. Kessler Foundation leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand opportunities for employment for people with disabilities. For more information, visit KesslerFoundation.org.
About Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation
Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation is nationally recognized for the treatment and research of both spinal cord and brain injuries and also leads the field in the care and treatment for stroke, neurological diseases, amputation, orthopedic and musculoskeletal conditions and cardiac recovery. Ranked as one of the top two rehabilitation hospitals in the nation and best in the greater New York/New Jersey metropolitan area by U.S. News & World Report, Kessler has three hospital campuses in West Orange, Saddle Brook and Chester, N.J., and more than 85 outpatient centers throughout the state. For more information, visit www.kessler-rehab.com/.
About the Reeve Foundation
The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by funding innovative research, and improving the quality of life for people living with paralysis through grants, information and advocacy. We meet all 20 of the Better Business Bureau’s standards for charity accountability and hold the BBB’s Charity Seal. For more information please visit our website at ChristopherReeve.org or call 800-225-0292.
###
National media interested in covering the Walk to Victory Over Paralysis should contact Angela Billings at [email protected], 502.407.3030.
Local press should contact Lauren Scrivo at [email protected], 973.768.6583
