Increasing Support For Spi nal Cord Injury Research (NAPSA)—Bytaking a chance on winning their dream home, Americans are also waking up to the need to support spinal cord injury research. To raise the needed funds for research, an organization called Gateway to a Cure has created the largest charity homeraffle ever held in the U.S., giving Americans a chance to win a $3.3 million home. The tickets are $25 each, or five tickets or more for $20 each, with only 599,999 tickets to be sold. The need for funds is serious. There are over 500,000 people in the United States living with Spinal Cord Injury (SCD. Approximately 11,000 new cases of SCI are documented each year in the USS. A CureIs Possible Twenty years ago, the chances of recovering from a spinal cord injury were nonexistent. Ten years ago, hope through research gave SCI patients a new outlook on life. Research has concluded that in order for an injured person to regain the use of his or her limbs, 100 percent of the communications do not haveto be intact. With as little as 10 percent of the correct lines in place, a person maybe able to walk again or have use of his or her arms. In addition, lowering the level of an injury by just a single vertebra, about half an inch, could change a person’s quality of life dramatically. The Spinal Column The spinal columnis made up of 33 vertebrae. The higher the break in the column, the more severe the debilitation. A person with a break —> A raffle with the grand prize of a $3.3 million dream home will raise needed funds for spinal cord injury research. in the C6 vertebra has no power in the arms andlittle movement in the shoulders and elbow joints. If this injury were just a half inch lower, in the C7 vertebra, this person would be able to move the shoulders and elbow joints and extend the wrists and hands. Raffle To Raise Funds The $3.3 million grand prize in the Dream Home National Raffle is located in Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida. It also includes three new Chrysler vehicles that will be parked in the garage. Second prize is a $350,000 custom home, a new Chrysler 300C Rear-Wheel Drive and a Chrysler Crossfire Roadster Limited Convertible. There are 48 new Chrysler PT Cruisers as consolation prizes, with 50 prizes in all. To purchase raffle tickets online, visit Gateway to a Cure’s Web site at www.gatewayto acure.org or call 1-866-995-2878 toll free.
