30 September 2012

Working2Walk - I'll be there in spirit AND pocketbook


I've never done this on my blog before, but today I'm happy to make a very important announcement.

I made a small donation of USD125 to Unite2FightParalysis (U2FP) today. 

Let me tell you why I did and why I think you should, too.

The amount of my donation is equal to the early bird registration for the Working2Walk (W2W) conference that they are holding in Irvine, California on 1-3 November. For those of you who don't know what Working2Walk is, let me tell you just a little.
  • a yearly conference sponsored by U2FP since 2006 to bring together scientists, practioners, paralysis survivors and family members for a dynamic exchange of information and strategies
  • with a jam packed agenda of the best science to cure paralysis
  • presented by leading world scientists and others involved in raising money and advocating for a cure for spinal cord injury

I wish I could attend W2W, organized by U2FP, but because of distance and pain I really can't go to California, but distance or pain shouldn't deter us from participating even if we can't physically attend.

Last year I was skyped in from Osaka to Washington to sit on the advocacy panel. It was a great experience to be able to talk about activism in the spinal cord injury with so many at the conference and even more people not at the conference.

That's right; more people saw me who weren't at the conference than were actually at the conference. This is because the W2W organizers make sure that we benefit by:
  • having a live blog to read about the events as they happen (2011 W2W)
  • putting the main speakers up on the web so we can see the good news about the main scientific cure breakthroughs (2010&2011 W2W)

Not only this, but we benefit from the advocacy that they undertake on our behalf year round.

So this year, I'm giving something back even though I can't physically attend. I'm going to pay my registration fee by making a donation to say thank you and to continue supporting W2W and U2FP. I hope those who are able do the same, and please don't let the size of my pocketbook discourage you from donating even more.

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