From Matthew Reeve: 15-years - Blog - Reeve Foundation

Today, October 10th, 2019, marks the 15th anniversary since my father passed away.

Not a day goes by that I don't miss my dad, but I take comfort in knowing his spirit lives on in the people whose lives he touched, the community he inspired, and through the ongoing work of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

He would have loved to witness the field of spinal cord research transform into one of the most exciting areas of science, as it has over the past one and a half decades.

He would not, however, have wanted us to pause and mourn his loss. He would have wanted us to charge into the future and continue to go forward. To rally, not rest. And to celebrate our wins, not count our losses. And that's precisely what we have done.

In the past year alone:

• Over 100,000 families received direct assistance through the Paralysis Resource Center since its inception.
• More than 4,000 stories were submitted through #ReeveSeeUs to combat the misperceptions of living with a disability.
• Twelve people have undergone epidural stimulation through The Big Idea, with many more scheduled over the next few months.
• The Department of Defense (DOD) granted the Reeve Foundation and AOSpine additional financial assistance to continue its exploration of Riluzole on acute spinal cord injuries.
• Dr. Ethan Perlstein joined the Reeve Foundation as our first-ever Chief Scientific Officer to help us usher promising treatments to the forefront of care.

We have now entered a new era of innovation. Thanks to the Reeve Foundation's persistent efforts and leadership, it is no longer a question if cures for spinal cord injury exist, it's simply a matter of how fast can we get them to our entire community.

We have arrived at this exciting point in time because of supporters like you. Your generosity and advocacy have helped develop life-changing breakthroughs. We are now on the verge of historic advances in the treatment of spinal cord injury, and the speed of innovation is only accelerating. We must keep the momentum going to bring these discoveries out of the lab and to more of the community.

Anniversaries like these are never easy, but if you have ever felt moved or touched by my dad's fearless and unstoppable spirit, please consider making a gift today in honor of his memory.

Fifteen years ago, we didn't know how the Reeve Foundation would move forward without my dad. Now we are closer than ever to realizing our promise of regained movement, recovered function, and improved quality of life for all individuals living with spinal cord injuries. And, we won't stop until a world of empty wheelchairs is no longer a dream, but our reality.

Today and every day, let's go forward.

Sincerely yours,

Matthew Reeve