I saw the report on NBC about the exciting news of a quadriplegic walking again. After one year, 6 hours of therapy per day, 8 therapists, the subject could take some steps. My injury occurred in 1966. My first ray of hope was within 1 year when an RN told me that a team of doctors rebuilt a spine and the subject was expected to walk again. Ten years later, it was reported that all the vets from the Vietnam war w/sci could look forward to a cure soon as all this money spent on the war was to be spent on sci research. Twenty years ago, reports of stem cell research of aborted babies promised a cure. Ditto: late 1980's the same promise made involving your own stem cells. 1995, Christopher Reeves hype gave us sooooo much hope. 2011, The more things change the more they stay the same. Without a promise of positive results these doctors would not get the $$$ to drive Beamers. Instead of making Christopher Reeves our hero, how about Charles Krauthammer, Mike Ferriter, Eric Ingram Jamie Dunross, Earl LeVan, Mike King among so many others. I would say the success rate for those that don't sit on their butt, waiting for a cure, but have an attitude of "so what, get over it and get on with life, are much higher than Reeves. July will be 44 years post sci. I put myself through home correspondence school, (for those of you in Rio Linda that means reading and schooling by mail,) started and operated an electronics business for 30+ years, involved in our local community, historical society, church and pet therapy to disabled. When discharged in 1968, 2 1/2 years in hell named the Elizabethtown Crippled Children Hospital (how politically incorrect), the same facility where I first heard of hope, the head nurse took my father aside and said " take him home, buy him a television and wait for him to die." Although March 2011 was almost my last, God has been gracious enough to allow me this time on earth and I guess that he isn't finished with me yet. Take what time you have on this earth, don't sit around waiting for a positive outcome, make a positive influence on someone's life. Now get out there and "get over it." If research gives us a cure, go for it, just don't sit around and wait for it
Glenn Henry Pennsylvania, USA
