On the eve of the 10-year anniversary of the passing of actor and activist Christopher Reeve, the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation launched the most ambitious effort in its history, "The Big Idea." The foundation hopes to raise $15 million to fund the next phase of epidural stimulation research and bring life-changing therapy to more individuals living with spinal cord injuries. The once inconceivable notion that a damaged spinal cord could be repaired is closer to reality, as reported in an April 2014 study published by researchers from UCLA and the University of Louisville in the medical journal Brain, in which four young men who were paralyzed for years were able to voluntarily move their legs and bear weight as a result of epidural stimulation of the lower spinal cord. Even more revolutionary, the participants experienced significant improvements with autonomic functions – including bladder, bowel and sexual control – an unprecedented breakthrough...
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