July 15, 2014
COLUMBUS, Ohio – During the “Walk to Victory Over Paralysis” at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 19 current and former patients with spinal cord injuries will take their turn on a special treadmill during a 24-hour fundraising and awareness event for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation’s NeuroRecovery Network (NRN).
The Ohio State University NeuroRecovery Network Center is part of a network of leading rehabilitation centers that develops and delivers therapies to promote functional recovery and improve quality for life for people living with paralysis.
Patients, staff, family and friends will be walking non-stop on treadmills from 9 a.m. Saturday, July 19, through 9 a.m. Sunday, July 20, during the local event at the second floor of Martha Morehouse Pavilion, 2050 Kenny Road in Columbus.
Walk to Victory Over Paralysis events will be held simultaneously at eight rehabilitation centers and fitness and wellness facilities nationwide, featuring a total of more than 400 people taking turns walking on treadmills.
Those who have spinal cord injuries will participate by using locomotor training, a method of physical therapy in which the patient is suspended in a harness over a treadmill while specially-trained therapists move the patient’s legs to simulate walking. This evidence-based innovative training helps awaken nerve pathways by repetitively stimulating the muscles and nerves in the lower body.
At the Ohio State event, an additional 24 “buddy walkers” will walk alongside these participants on a normal treadmill during the entire 24-hour period. (Patients will not walk between 1 and 5 a.m. Sunday.)
In addition to the 24-hour walkathon, other sites in the NeuroRecoveryNetwork will also support the initiative through fundraising efforts. In total, the event aims to raise $330,000 with each center challenged to raise $30,000 respectively.
Funds raised will bring greater access to new, activity-based therapies for more patients with spinal cord injury. Each center will use the funds for their greatest need, and Ohio State’s goal is to purchase an additional $200,000 locomotor training treadmill system.
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.
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. Today, approximately 6 million people are living with paralysis.
To make a donation or learn more about Ohio State’s team, visit ChristopherReeve.org/Victory2014.
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Media Contact: Eileen Scahill, Wexner Medical Center Media Relations, 614-293-3737 or Eileen.Scahill@osumc.edu