We are proudly into day 2 of our Incredible Journey and as I said at the onset of accepting my position of road manager and keeper of the blogs I will post from the hip and tell it as it is.
For us to be successful at our endeavour we need to engage as many people as we can to become team members and join our efforts as messengers to get this amazing story out.
Our current road group is made up of only 6 members. We are limited in the number of people we can contact personally.
If we had six more people we could contact twice as many people to make them aware of this amazing miracle. That would be good. But if we could attract 1200 more messengers into our dedicated group of 6 we would have 200 X as many messengers telling everyone of this miracle.
I can’t imagine how the message we carry, a message that will give so many spinal cord injury patients hope and the will to soldier on knowing that with the surgury and therepy can give them some if not all function through the spinal cord regeneration could not be considered news worthy..
In my capacity I am dealing on a daily basis with the media.
Lets face it we need the media to notice us to be successful at our endeavour. Why? We have a monumental task to bring our message of the miracle research being undertaken at McMaster Medical Center to the fore front of the news.
To be frank we have an uphill battle to achieve this in this modern day of email and electronic correspondence.
Reality is that the media receive over 2000 requests a day to run special interest stories like ours and when we call and confront them personally they very frankly ask us why they should treat us with any preference.
We are now going to ask them a simple question.
If you triped in your home tonight and severed you spinal cord and couldn’t walk any longer would you think it news worthy to hear that Doctors, Canadian Doctors in Hamilton Ontario are conducting lab experiments at repairing the severed spinal cords of rats, caring for these rats as we would be required to care for human spinal cord injury victims and then repairing the severed spinal cord in these lab rats so that these rats can Walk Again.
Dr Shucui Jiang one of the two research Doctors working on this miracle discovery at McMaster University Medical Center did just that. She severed the spinal cords of the subject lab rats cared for and nurtured them for about 40 days including taking care of their needs with catheters etc and insisted on doing this herself throughout the experiments. This is not an easy thing to do because of all of the sensitivities of the human psyche, but DR Jiang did this and she was there to see the first Rat Walk after the miracle surgery and regeneration technology were utilized.
Now I would like someone who thinks otherwise to call me so that I can arrange a meeting with anyone of our athlete team and tell them that a News Story about this amazing surgery, spinal cord nerve regeneration transplant technology utilizing only 6 inches of intestine from their own bodies and a naturally occurring molecule guanosine to stimulate the nerve cells to regenerate thus repairing nerve function in the spinal cord.
I challenge the media outlets to call me on my cell 905 869 6125 and talk with me about this miracle treatment or email me at mij@sympatico.ca to learn more about how the Doctors can achieve the miracle of repairing severed spinal cords so that Rats Can Walk Again.
For the full story and background information please refer to our web site www.wheeltowalkcanada.org or
You see it is a simple news story folks.
Doctors in Hamilton Ontario Canada have actually performed a miracle.
They have successfully reconnected severed spinal cords in Lab Rats
and
The Rats are Walking Again.
Now please tell me again one more time that this is not a noteworthy news story
I Need your help all of you reading and anyone else that you feel would like to get involved.
Allison if you are reading you could get your mom to approach your school teacher and ask her to refer to the web site to follow our journry and to study the science. She could contact us for direction in what to do to engage the children to become involved.
She might even utilize our project as a special project for her class. Allison you could also ask you teacher to get other teachers in your school to do the same.
We could even get one or more of our athletes to come to your school for a presentation at an assembly next fall after we return. Two of us are from the Waterdown Area.
To the countless others reading this blog please get involved.
You could contact the media in your area as we pass through and keep on contacting them as we cross the entire country and help us make them and others aware of this amazing science.
The athletes are having the time of their life running the many hills in and around Vancouver.
They are running the many long hills at speeds of over 50 kmph. ( I have agreed to keep the highest speeds secret due to the speed limits etc) I could however be induced to Tell the True Story by PM for a $20.00 donation to the Wheel to Walk Canada charity.
The mountains are a challenge and will be especially difficult until the athletes toughen up after a long break away from their training.
We are tweaking the bikes, adjusting the brakes and making sure everything is in top shape for the big mountains starting in tomorrows journey.
The scenery is beyond beautiful and the athletes are pumped to go.
I’ll blog again tomorrow and I will look forward to hearing from the media about our challenge to Convince me and 92 million paraplegics and other spinal cord injury sufferers worldwide that being able to repair a severed spinal cord
The Rats are Walking and the Humans want to walk Again Too.
Anyone wanting to get involved can send letters to editors asking if their papers think this story is news worthy, you can copy this post and send it to your local radio and TV stations asking them if it is not news worthy. The more requests, questions etc they receive the more they will be compelled to cover the story.
To the media checking out this site please contact me for an interview as we pass through your area and we will answer this question for you.
Jim Anderson, Road manager Wheel to Walk Canada 905 869 6125, mij@sympatico.ca

4 comments
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June 16, 2008 at 2:40 am
Allison Dixon
Hi everyone me again. Grandpa mommy said that she ‘ll ask Mrs. Furman to talk to the class about it. But there ’s only 2 weeks of school left so she might not do it. How are you? Have you opened father’s day gift that we sent with you? Having fun? I MISS YOU.
June 16, 2008 at 2:59 am
Susan Dixon
Hi Dad, I’m glad that the mountains are proving not to be too strenuous on the athletes and that you are being so welcomed along the route. You are bound to make life-long contacts along the way. I am sure we’ll have to set up “Home hostings” for all the people you meet that one day will be coming to Hamilton to partake in this medical miracle for themselves. I know Mr. Charlie will be first in line, but hopefully, many others will follow to walk again.
I hope the media will all come on board and you guys get extensive coverage. Don’t forget to remind people that this will also cure diseases like Parkinsons, MS, and all the others. I think drawing a connection with as many people as possible is the key to success for you all!
Wish everyone a Happy Father’s Day! I hope you are sharing your little care package with everyone. Don’t let the athletes break the speed limits too often, but then again, maybe a police escort to keep them in line through part of the country wouldn’t be a bad media idea!!!!
We miss & love you, especially today!
June 16, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Susan Dixon
Susan thanks for your thoughts and kind words.
I am proud of you also and happy to see that you care enough about others less fortunate. Thank you for all the effort you have put in on our behalf.
Thanks for the care package on Father’s Day we all enjoyed the treats especially Mr Charlie.
I was in Kelona today and met up with Gary. He was very happy to see us and even helped us to crash a car show with our logo’d Vans and trailer.
Thanks to Boyd for letting us into his show.
Gary seems to have his Parkinson’s under control and was in very good spirits. I will spend some private time with him before we move on to the next stop.
The media has been good to us so far and we welcome them into the fold to be very important messangers of our message.
The rats are walking and with the proper funding humans can walk within 1 to 5 years once the clinical studies are completed many people will leave those chairs behind.
We look at the 30 cent donation as an inexpensive life insurance policy.
What most people fail to realize is that in one second they could become handicapped in an accident and never walk again just like my friends I am travelling with and the countless others we are meeting all across Canada and the Us.
People like AJ and others we talked to as we spread the message.
It is hard for the 6 messangers crossing Canada especially on special days that we all enjoy as families, like Father’s Day.
I know I miss you and the kids dearly and think of you often as we traveland can only surmise that the others in our group feel the same aabout their families.
I’m sure there will be a lot of group hugs when we all meet again as we pass through in August on our way to St John’s Nfld.
Thanks for your thoughtfulness and priceless Father’s day cards.
The card from Alli where she altered the smile on the Grandpa figures to sad faces with tears on the little girl. It makes my days better and the mission doable knowing I have such strong support from my family.
The others in the group talk of their families fondly and I know they miss them dearly also.
I’ll see you in August with love onb a special day.
Dad
June 16, 2008 at 10:41 pm
wheeltowalkcanada
Hi Allison:
I really liked your card that you modified to show you sad with tears. I especially liked the part inside with the kisses and hugs.
If Mrs Furnham can’t do anything this year we can come to your school when we get back so friends and classmates can talk to the athletes about their disabilities and our trip.
I shared my goodie gifts with Mr Charlie and our team and they all liked them very much. I know that you would want me to share as I have taught you to share.
I love you sweetheart and hope to see you soon. Love Grandpa.
Eric thanks for the portable hugs card, Whenever I think of you I will open it up for a big hug. Miss you lots love Grandpa.