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Media Coverage: 2005-6 | 2003-4 | 2001-2 | 1998-2000
Monday, April 12, 2005
Rocky Mountain News
Dahlia: Hospital honors Reeve's widow
By
URL: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/lifestyles_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_4537_3692213,00.html
Beloved actor and spinal-cord injury activist Christopher Reeve died Oct. 10. He was 52 years old. He is survived by his mother and father, a brother, two children from a former relationship and the 12-year- old son, Will, he shared with his wife, Dana.
If the saying "Behind every man is a strong woman" is true, Dana, who lovingly supported her "Superman" from his 1995 spinal-cord injury until his death, is certainly "Superwoman."
She still supports efforts to find a spinal-injury cure as president of the Christopher Reeve Foundation, which her late husband started to bring spinal injuries to the forefront of medical research.
That's why Dana was honored recently at the fourth annual Craig Hospital PUSH fundraising dinner at the Denver Marriott Tech Center, which benefits the Craig Hospital Foundation.
Kathy Lewis, director of the Christopher Reeve Foundation, accepted the inaugural Christopher Reeve Inspiration Award on Dana's behalf.
The annual PUSH dinner, founded by Art and Julie Seiden, has pulled in plenty of funds for Craig Hospital's spinal-cord and traumatic-brain-injury research, which supports the Reeves' cause on a local level.
Craig and the Seidens began the PUSH for generous patrons in 2002.
The Seidens experienced spinal-cord and brain injury after Julie's horseback-riding accident, which was similar to Reeve's.
With the Seidens' help, PUSH pulled in nearly $1.6 million in its first three years.
This year's benefit brought in a record-setting $770,000, $100,000 of which was a winning bid placed by RE/MAX real estate moguls Gail and Dave Liniger on a bronze set of John Elway's hands and an autographed Super Bowl XXXII football. Gail was chairwoman of this year's PUSH party.
This year's program, hosted by emcee and News4 anchorman Jim Benemann, highlighted Craig Hospital's involvement with spinal-cord regeneration research.
It featured an update on the cell lab at the hospital that's part of a clinical trial of a new therapy in conjunction with Proneuron Biotechnologies Inc. in Tel Aviv, Israel.
PUSH guest Eric Coffman was injured in 2001 while snowboarding at St. Mary's Glacier. He was paralyzed from the chest down after catching an edge and tumbling 400 feet down a steep field of boulders. He was flown to Tel Aviv for the new treatment, known as activated macrophage therapy, which uses immune-system cells derived from the patient's blood to promote recovery of neurological function.
In 2003, Craig became the first U.S. site for macrophage therapy in human spinal-cord trials.
Craig also is one of the few centers participating with drug companies to study new medications for treating spinal cord and brain injuries. The hospital also heralded its collaboration in stem-cell research with the Karolinska Institute of Stockholm, Sweden, which was represented at PUSH by Dr. Ake Seiger.
Among the generous PUSH patrons were Craig President Denny O'Malley; former dinner chairmen Tom Honig, Wells Fargo Bank West, and Don Kortz, Fuller and Co., who attended with their wives, Dianne and Mary Lou, respectively; Debbie and Joe Sakic, guests of the Seidens; and sponsor American Furniture Warehouse honcho Jake Jabs. Other committee members included Lawrence Atler, Ron Branish, Michael Burg, Peter Burg, Steven Cohen, Jack Dorwart, Steve Elken, Leslie Fishbein, John E. Fuller, Gerald Gartner, Kenny Hosack, Sandy Loeffler, Janet Lozow, Gary Rohr, Saul Rosenthal, Robert Silverberg, Michaelan Tate, Bill Vollbracht, Dr. Alan Weintraub and Steven Whisenhunt.
For more information about the Craig Hospital Foundation, call event coordinator Sue Lynch, 303-789- 8578.
Dahlia Jean Weinstein is the society writer. weinsteind@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-2882
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Proneuron Biotechnologies is engaged in research
related to spinal cord injuries and paralysis cure.
