Quadriplegic Woman to
Receive Life-Changing
Stem-Cell Therapy in
Costa Rica
Most homes in America
have at least one or two
old cell phones lying in
a drawer or closet
somewhere, not really
doing anything except
collecting dust. But
what if those very cell
phones could be used to
help a quadriplegic walk
again? They can, by
donating them to the
Jordanne Menzies
Stem-Cell Therapy Fund.
Four years ago, Jordanne
Menzies was driving back
home to Grand Junction
from Denver, Colorado.
At one o'clock in the
morning, 15 minutes from
home, she started to
doze and fell asleep.
The car rolled several
times in the median and
she was thrown from the
vehicle. Menzies' body
was thrown to the other
side of the interstate
and almost ran over by a
semi truck. She wasn't
wearing her seat belt.
Her head hit the
pavement, causing head
and neck injuries that
left the 18-year-old
quadriplegic. It looked
like the aspiring
model's dreams had been
smashed.
Today Menzies is 22
years old and living
with her dad and
stepmother, who care for
her.
Menzies applied for and
has been accepted for
treatment at the
Institute of Cellular
Medicine in Costa Rica,
where they use stem
cells harvested from
umbilical cords of
healthy, full-term, live
births. The institute
also uses stem cells
from patients' own
blood, bone marrow and
fat. Stem cells used at
the Institute are not
derived from abortions.
Stem cells have proven
promising for treating a
wide range of
debilitating diseases
such as Alzheimer's
disease, certain types
of cancer, Parkinson's
disease and spinal cord
injuries.
The Menzies family is
seeking the community's
help in raising money
for Jordanne's journey
to Costa Rica for
therapy, which will cost
about us$30,000. They
are hopeful that the
treatment will at least
give Jordanne the use of
a hand and arm, if not
the ability to walk
again.
The fundraiser will
continue until January
5, 2008, when Jordanne
is set to leave for her
therapy.
The donated cell phones
are sent to Pace Butler
Corporation of Edmond,
Oklahoma., a leader in
the cell phone recycling
industry. Pace Butler
pays for each shipment
of cell phones they
receive, while ensuring
that each phone is
recycled in a
responsible manner and
that no phone ever ends
up in a landfill. The
money raised benefits
Jordanne's Stem-Cell
Therapy Fund while the
environment is spared of
cell phones' harmful
toxins.
By donating cell phones,
the public not only
helps the Menzies family
raise money for their
daughter, they also help
the environment, while
at the same time getting
rid of unneeded clutter
in their homes.
Unneeded cell phones at
any of the following
locations Colorado:
Batteries Plus,
Bookcliff Auto Parts,
Rocky Mountain Electric
Motors, Pearmain's
Performance & Auto,
Fraps & Wraps, Holiday
Cleaners, Grand Junction
Federal Credit Union,
Sebastian's Salon or
Curl Up and Dye, all
located in Grand
Junction, or visit
http://www.jordsadventure.com
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