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Forwarded FROM: Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation: Bridging the Gap e-newsletter "Watch CNN’s Paula Zahn Now, Friday, November 28th, 8:00 PM (EST) for Christopher’s first full-length interview off the ventilator and more coverage of the CRPF premier event, A Magical Evening. "To breathe normally, to be able to smell ... anything that makes you feel more normal is psychologically so important,” stated Christopher Reeve while breathing without the use of a ventilator. Christopher made his first live public appearance without the ventilator at this year’s A Magical Evening, CRPF’s annual gala fundraiser, held at the Marriott-Marquis in New York City, Monday, November 24, 2003. Christopher underwent minimally invasive surgery in February to implant a device that provides electrical stimulation to the muscle and nerves that run through the diaphragm. He explained the new techniques he had to learn while off the ventilator. When adapting to breathing while eating, he joked that he had first choked on a piece of lettuce, then a piece of tuna. “Had I had a slice of bread, I would have had a whole sandwich.” “But the reason it’s important is not so much for the advancement it makes for me, but because it symbolizes everything we’re trying to do and that is constantly move forward and take reasonable risks,” Christopher stated. He went on to explain that he pushes the boundaries of medical research in order for medical research to progress. “We as patients--and all of us at the Foundation are thinking about patients, not only those with spinal cord injuries, but every conceivable disease because now the research crosses all the barriers--we’re thinking as aggressively as we possibly can. We will not be complacent. We will not take no for an answer. If someone says that they can’t do something, we want to know why and then we want to move the field forward as rapidly as possible….Thanks to your support, thanks to your shared belief in our mission, it’s working. Now we’re giving answers to people right after injury or those that have been injured for many, many years. We now have a Quality of Life program reaching more and more people we can help now with jobs, accessibility, and training. “At this time of Thanksgiving, I’m very grateful … scientists are really making progress. And we’re part of it. You hear on a daily basis about things that aren’t working. But what is working now together are scientists and the scientific community around the world, exchanging ideas and information….It’s your support of the Foundation that gives us the impetus to push them along….We’re going forward very well now. We need more help, we need you. It comes down to the compassion of people like yourselves. I’m thankful you’ve joined us, stay with us, we’re going great places.” If you have any questions, please call the Foundation at 973-379-2690. Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation 500 Morris Avenue Springfield, NJ 07081 www.ChristopherReeve.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn