Posted on 07/26/2003 2:00:34 AM PDT by yonif
Christopher Reeve, actor, advocate and chairman of the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation (CRPF), will visit Israel from July 28 through August 1., Rubenstein Communications spokesperson Juda S. Engelmayer told The Jerusalem Post.
Engelmayer said that the trip is a scientific, fact-finding mission to learn about Israel's research on treatments for spinal injuries and to visit with people living with disabilities in the region.
Reeve, who was seriously injured in an equestrian competition in 1995, has become a respected advocate in search of treatments and a cure for paralysis. He plans to meet with Israeli doctors and researchers who have been working on remedies for paralysis caused by spinal cord injuries and other central nervous system disorders.
Christopher Reeve is almost as active today as he was in the Hollywood role he played as 'Superman'. Reeve, who was a recent presenter for the 2003 Tony Awards, believes a cure for paralysis is close.
'Help is on the way, it really is,' Reeve said in May after touring the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
He visited the speedway for a benefit for the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation, named for the Indy Racing League team owner who was left a quadriplegic in a January 2000 crash during a test session. Reeve is a strong supporter of stem cell research, which some experts believe may unlock a way of reversing the often debilitating effects of spinal injuries.
'It's going to transform everything and mean a great deal to people with brain injuries and spinal cord injuries as well,' he said.
Reeve's visit to Israel will also include people who are living with disabilities and their caregivers to better understand care in this part of the world.
"I am looking forward to visiting Israel to learn more about their cutting edge paralysis research as well as their approaches to addressing the quality of life of those living with paralysis," said Reeve. "Israel is the center of some of the world's leading research related to paralysis. There are many new therapies in the pipeline as well as care strategies being employed that may also benefit millions of people around the world living with paralysis. This includes therapies derived from stem cell research."
"Israel is very excited to welcome Christopher Reeve, who is a true super hero and inspires us all in his fight and struggle to achieve his motto, "nothing is impossible," said Yuval Rotem, Israel Consul General of Los Angeles.
Reeve's four-day trip will consist of visits to hospitals, centers for children with diseases and disabilities, and some of the leading centers that have been at the forefront of worldwide advances in spinal cord research.
At each location he visits, Reeve will meet with scientists and patients to learn more about the progress being made to find effective treatments for debilitating injuries. Reeve said that he "has been very interested in the projects Israel's researchers have been working on in recent years."
While in Israel, Reeve will meet with Elad Wassa, a 25-year-old immigrant from Ethiopia who was paralyzed in a terrorist attack on May 19, 2002. Wassa wrote to Reeve saying that Reeve provided him hope and inspiration. He is paralyzed from the chest down and is undergoing rehabilitation in a hospital in Tel Aviv.
Unlike the way propaganda that says Israel is an apartheid state, this is yet another example of the fact Israel is the land of the Jews, no matter where you are from.
Yeah, right.
Respected by whom? I am related to him, and I don't respect him. His stem cell mantra sickens me.
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