In the last several years, Life Rolls On has contributed over $250,000 to spinal cord injury research. Some of the more recent contributions are listed below.

March 2008
$20,000 to UCSD Center for Neural Repair

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March 2008
$20,000 to Reeve-Irvine Research Center

March 2008
$20,000 to Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation

August 2006
$50,000 to Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation

June 2006
$10,000 to Reeve-Irvine Research Center

December 2005
$10,000 to UCSD Center for Neural Repair (Details Below)

 
Life Rolls On Foundation Presents $10,000 Check to UCSD’s Center for Neural Repair

San Diego, CA (February 15, 2006)—Life Rolls On, a San Diego-based nonprofit foundation that exists to be a grassroots resource and an advocate on behalf of young people who have sustained a spinal cord injury, presented a check for $10,000 to the Center for Neural Repair, part of the School of Medicine of UCSD, on Wednesday, February 15.

The presentation of the ceremonial, oversized check took place on the UCSD campus in front of the Leichtag Building.

Josh Billauer, president of the foundation, presented the check to Dr. Mark Tuszynski, head of the Center for Neural Repair and the UCSD Translational Spinal Cord Regeneration Research Program. The donation will fund research into spinal cord regeneration.

This is the second donation from Life Rolls On to the Center for Neural Repair. In 2005, Life Rolls On contributed $5,000 to the Center.  

Through the UCSD’s Center for Neural repair, Dr. Tuszynski and his team conduct experiments of growth factor therapy to enhance the growth of spared or regenerating nerve fibers.

Tuszynski expressed gratitude to LRO for its continued support.  “Private donations are critical as we attempt to move forward in reducing these research efforts to a practical therapy of potential applicability to humans,” Tuszynski said.  “While we receive good amounts of federal funding for our research, private donations are the only source of support for our chronic injury programs in primates.” 

He believes that there has been significant advancement in the body of scientific knowledge over the last 15 years that presents, for the first time, the possibility of developing spinal cord regeneration strategies that are candidates for translation to clinical trials.

Life Rolls On first made contact with Tuszynski’s program in 2003, when Foundation founder Jesse Billauer and his father, George, visited the center for a presentation. 

Life Rolls On was founded in 1999 by brothers Josh and Jesse Billauer to help fund research and educational efforts on behalf of people suffering from paralysis caused by spinal cord injuries.

Nearly 10 years ago, Jesse Billauer, one of the world’s top amateur surfers, suffered a severe spinal cord injury while he was surfing, ending his ambition to become a professional surfer.

According to the Life Rolls On Foundation, there are currently more than 250,000 Americans with spinal cord injuries, with approximately 11,000 new injuries occurring each year. 

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Photo Caption: Life Rolls On President Josh Billauer presented Dr. Mark Tuszynski, head of UCSD’s Center for Neural Repair and the UCSD Translational Spinal Cord Regeneration Research Program, with a check for $10,000 to fund research into spinal cord regeneration. Life Rolls On was founded in 1999 by brothers Josh and Jesse Billauer to help fund research and educational efforts on behalf of people suffering from paralysis caused by spinal cord injuries.