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Home » Consumer Information » Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal Cord Injury Support Groups

The Miami Project

In 1985, The Miami Project was established by world-renowned spinal cord injury guru Barth A. Green, M.D. and three families directly impacted by a spinal cord injury. Don Misner and Beth Roscoe provided initial funding for the campaign. Shortly after, NFL Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti joined the grass roots effort following the injury of his son, Marc. The Buonicontis swore that a lack of capital would not delay research and led fundraising endeavors that opened the public's eyes to the significance of spinal cord injury research.

The organizers, dedicated to find a remedy for paralysis, decided it was necessary to unite the field's leading scientists under one roof. From this dream came the inception of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.

The Project's inaugural director of science, Ake Seiger, M.D., initiated a partnership with a team of researchers from the University of Miami School of Medicine. Seiger also enlisted a batch of young scientists to partake in the venture.

Richard P. Bunge, M.D., a scientist known worldwide for his trailblazing studies in nerve growth and myelination, headed The Miami Project from 1988 through 1996. During his reign, their research team doubled in size and really began to flourish.

W. Dalton Dietrich, Ph. D. has guided The Miami Project since Dr. Bunge stepped down. His goal is to begin incorporating their data gathered through countless hours of research into human clinical trials.

Since the concept became a reality, one of the objectives of The Miami Project has been to promote spinal cord injury research in more laboratories internationally through recruitment of leading scientists and training new ones. As a pioneer in the field, The Miami Project is an exceptional example for other foundations involved in spinal cord injury research to model themselves after.

Christopher Reeve and his vision

In 1995, the actor most famous for his role as Superman, fell off a horse during a competition and severed his spinal cord. Christopher Reeve was paralyzed from the neck down and almost died at the scene. From that point on, Reeve dedicated his life to the promotion of spinal cord injury awareness and research until he died in 2004. His wife, Dana, carried on the cause until she tragically lost her life to cancer a couple years later.

The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation is devoted to finding a cure for spinal cord injury through research. Until that day, their other focus is on enhancing the quality of life for quadriplegics and paraplegics through fundraisers, information, and advocacy.

The roots of the foundation can be traced back to 1982. Then known as the American Paralysis Association (APA), it was led by a group of people that refused to accept the belief that the spinal cord could not be healed once it was damaged. These people had faith that science and research would someday solve the mystery of reconnecting and rejuvenating damaged nerves and cells that cause paralysis.

When Christopher was injured in 1995, he felt that he shared the same passion as the American Paralysis Association that finding a cure is inevitable. After linking up, the APA adopted Christopher's name, and when Dana Reeve passed, it became the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation that it is known as today. Since 1995, the foundation has worked diligently to alter the perception that a spinal cord injury is incurable, and many more people are supporting the cause.