CALIFORNIA PARALYSIS-CURE RESEARCH BILL TO CONTINUE?
Dear Friend of Research to Cure Paralysis:
My son, Roman Reed is the paralyzed young man who inspired California’s Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act of 1999. As bill number AB 1931 (Torrico), the renewal of “Roman’s Law” will soon be considered by the powerful Appropriations Committee—and your Assemblymember. (If he or she sits on that committee, contact information is at the bottom of the page.) Would you help us with one email?
Small but mighty, (only $1.5 million a year), the Roman Reed program is revenue-positive, bringing in more money than it costs. Over ten years, it has spent $14 million– but has brought in $60 million in matching grants—new money for California.
With two patents pending and 175 published scientific papers, the Roman Reed Act has brought the world closer to cure. https://www.reeve.uci.edu/Research/RomanReed.aspx.
One of our experiments, to re-insulate damaged nerves, may go to human trials this October. Another area we are working on is rehabilitation: a vastly cheaper way to “rehab” paralyzed people is being developed using robotics. One RR-developed project called “Avatar” involves a helmet which uses a paralyzed person’s brain waves to activate a computer, and may help retrain the body to control its own motion. We may even be able to lessen the injury itself, by reducing the post-accident secondary damage.
The need is relentless. An estimated 464,000 Californians are paralyzed, with devastating financial impact on their families and the state. “A person with spinal cord injury may face medical expenses as much as $775,567 in the first year alone…” (Source: University of Alabama National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, Centers for Disease and Prevention). The emotional and physical suffering cannot be quantified.
Administered by the UC system, and hosted by the Reeve-Irvine Research Center at UC Irvine, the Roman Reed Core Laboratory also funds a primate lab, offers access to well-developed animal models and provides training in spinal cord injury repair.
Other neurological disorders may benefit from our research: Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS); Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA); Multiple Sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, and more.
“Roman’s Law” performs an irreplaceable service. Please help it to continue. Your assemblymember’s contact information is below. If you want to send a hard-copy letter (wonderful) just use this address: (Name of Assemblyperson) California State Assembly, State Capitol Sacramento, CA 95814
They all have similar similar emails: Assemblymember.lastname@assembly.ca.gov, and same (916) area code for phone and FAX. Rm= their office Room # in Sacramento.
Example: Assemblymember.Fuentes@assembly.ca.gov (916) 319-2039 D-L.A., Rm 5136. FAX: (916) 319-2139
Appropriations Committee Phone—916-319-2081
Chair: Filipe Fuentes (916) 319-2039 D-L.A., Rm 5136 FAX: 319-2139
Vice chair: Connie Conway 319-2034 R-Visalia Rm 6027 FAX: 319-2134
Charles M. Calderon 319-2058 D-Whittier Rm 2117 FAX: 319-2158
Joe Coto 319-2023 D-San Jose Rm 2196 FAX: 319-2123
Mike Davis 319-2048 D-Los Angeles Rm 2160 FAX: 319-2148
Kevin de Leon 319-2045 D-Los Angeles Rm 2114 FAX: 319-2045
Isadore Hall III 319-2052 D-Los Angeles RM 6025 FAX: 319-2152
Diane L. Harkey 319-2073 R-Laguna Niguel Rm 4177 FAX: 319-2173
Jeff Miller 319-2071 R-Orange Rm 3147 FAX: 319-2171
Jim Nielsen 319-2002 R-Biggs Rm. 6031 FAX: 319-2102
Chris Norby 319-2072 R-Brea Rm 5126 FAX: 319-2172
Nancy Skinner 319-2014 D-Berkeley Rm 4126 FAX: 319-2114
Jose Solorio 319-2069 D-Santa Ana Rm 2013 FAX: 319-2169
Tom Torlakson 319-2011 D-Martinez, Rm 5160 FAX: 319-2111
Alberto Torrico 319-2020 D-Fremont, Rm 3160 FAX: 319-2120
Or: email the entire appropriations committee by cut and pasting the following:
Assemblymember.Conway@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Calderon@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.coto@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Davis@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.deLeon@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Hall@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Harkey@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Miller@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Nielsen@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Norby@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Skinner@assembly.ca.gov,Assemblymember.Solorio@assembly.ca.gov,
Assemblymember.Torlakson@assembly.ca.gov,Assemblymember.torrico@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Fuentes@assembly.ca.gov
The Roman Reed Act renewal bill is endorsed by: The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine; Stanford Cancer Center; Placerville Spinal Cord Injury Support Group; Dr. Claire Pommeroy, Dean, School of Medicine, UC Davis; The Stem Cell Advisors, Inc., Nobel Laureate Dr. Paul Berg; VistaGen Therapeutics. Inc.; The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis; Dr. Tom Okarma, President, Geron Inc; Unite 2 Fight Paralysis; Texans for the Advancement of Medical Research;Gwendolyn Strong Foundation; Missouricures; Student Society for Stem Cell Research; Dr. Jose Cibelli, Michigan State University; Bay Bio; California Health Care Institute; California Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation; Research!America; Brock Reeve; W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience; Harvard Stem Cell Institute
If you have any questions, drop me a line at stemcellbattles@aol.com. And thank you!
Don C. Reed, Co-chair, Californians4Cures