Unite 2 Fight Paralysis

Running for something bigger than me- always 💯 Chicago has always been a dream race of mine, and this year I’m hoping to run my first marathon with Unite 2 Fight Paralysis - a mission that connects deeply with what we do through City Run. 🤍 This cause is especially personal to me because I’ve been a caregiver and have seen firsthand how spinal cord injuries impact not just individuals, but entire families. If 275 people donated just $10, I’d reach my fundraising goal and make it to the Chicago Marathon start line while helping support spinal cord injury research, recovery programs, and advocacy. Every year, thousands of people sustain spinal cord injuries, and many face lifelong physical, emotional, and financial challenges afterward. Organizations like U2FP help fund research and resources that push for better recovery outcomes and quality of life. If you’d like to support my journey and an incredible cause, the link is in my bio. Even a share means a lot. 🫶🏽 #runclub#runner#miles#roadtochicago#marathonworldmajor

After seeing Jacob Goldsmith’s presentation at the symposium in Minneapolis and recently talking with him more about testosterone and recovery, I was inspired to finally get my testosterone checked. Really opened my eyes to how important it is for overall health and performance A total testosterone number by itself doesn’t tell the whole story. Someone can have “normal” or even high testosterone on labs and still have symptoms if the hormone isn’t being properly used, converted, transported, or supported by the rest of the body. 1. Free Testosterone This is one of the biggest missing pieces. * Total testosterone = all testosterone in your blood * Free testosterone = testosterone actually available for your body to use A person can have: * high total testosterone * but low free testosterone …because too much is bound up by proteins like SHBG. 2. SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin) SHBG acts like a “carrier” that binds testosterone. If SHBG is: * too high → less usable testosterone * too low → hormones can become unstable Two guys with the same testosterone level can feel completely different depending on SHBG. 3. Albumin Another protein that carries testosterone. Bioavailable testosterone = free testosterone + loosely bound testosterone (mostly albumin-bound). This helps show how much your body can realistically access. #testosterone #sci #scirecovery #sciresearch #scirehabilitation

We have spots to fill on our charity team for the Twin Cities 10-miler or Full Marathon, Sunday October 4th, 2026. EMAIL: [email protected] *All wheelchairs and E-assist mobility devices are welcome for this race!* ••• U2FP exists to accelerate progress toward recovery from spinal cord injury (SCI) by pushing for greater collaboration. To do this, we host an annual symposium that brings together SCI survivors, family members, scientists and clinicians; advocate for smart legislative funding in multiple states (over $40M passed to date); host an educational podcast with top scientists and advocates; and place individuals with a spinal cord injury into SCI research labs to act as lived-experience consultants. Our vision for a cure is restoration of one’s fully functional body, including relief from pain and spasms, return of bowel, bladder and sexual function, and recovery of normal sensation in addition to motor control. Improving any one of these individual issues would greatly improve independence and quality of life. We work to deepen collaboration amongst scientists, investors, advocates, clinicians, and regulatory agencies.

Register for our Silent Auction (free!) starting tomorrow, Thursday April 16 at 5:30pm. And/or come to our Fundraising Gala at the Bird’s Nest on Saturday, April 18. Our goal is to raise $30,000 for functional recovery after SCI. Join us! Link in bio‼️

Support @u2fp and get something cool at the same time! Please join us at our 2nd Annual Gala and Auction this Saturday, April 18th, 2026. This event is in person at Estes Park, CO AND online with a virtual auction. Visit U2FP.org and visit our Gala and Auction page for more details and to register!

Nerve Pain! Trying to bring to life to how it feels… 😕 To turn off the constant internal bug zapper I live with day-to-day would be a massive improvement to my quality of life!! #nervepain 📸 @ben_moon @cedarwright joins us, in person next Saturday April 18th 530 at the @birdsnest_estespark . Don't worry if you can't make it in person, the auction is virtual and free unless you bid and win--- you can bid from your own toilet! There is radical art, accessible airBnBs, outdoor gear and more! All proceeds support @u2fp legislative work to accelerate #spinalcordinjury research, this effort tangibly improving quality of life for people living with #paralysis. Share the auction link with your friends and strangers. #NonProfit /get-involved/birdsnest.html

Living with a spinal cord injury has shaped so much of my journey, and now I’m turning that experience into action. I am beyond proud to announce that my shop is officially supporting @u2fp and their mission to advance SCI research. We aren’t just dreaming of a cure; we’re helping fund the science to make it happen. How you can help: Use code U2FP26 at checkout. You’ll get a discount on your order, and the profits will go directly to @u2fp . Let’s move research forward, together. [Link in bio to shop] #spinalcordinjury #paralysis #fundraiser #interiordesign

Well, I’ve got some sad news, some bad news, and some good news coming out of Wisconsin.   First, the sad news: effectively, our window to pass our $5 million Spinal Cord Injury Research Grant Bill during this session of the Wisconsin Legislature is now closed. The State Senate adjourned on Thursday, March 19, 2026 for the last time this legislative session. And once again, our bill was left out in the cold.    The bad news: our author in the Senate, Sen. Van Wanggaard, announced his retirement last week on the Senate’s last day. Although the bill never got passed under his authorship, having a Republican as the lead author in the Senate seemed to give permission for many more Republican Senators and Assembly members to co-sponsor our bill.   As for the good news: many other lawmakers who have consistently been against the WI SCI Research Bill in past sessions have also announced retirements in the face of the upcoming election this November. Some of these lawmakers have created quite the speed-bumps for our bill over the last few sessions; these soon-to-be-retiring legislators include Sen. Steve Nass, Sen. Rob Hutton, Rep. Kevin Petersen, as well as the majority leader of the Senate, Devin LeMahieu. Assembly Speaker Rep. Robin Vos (who holds the record for the longest-serving Speaker in WI legislative history) has also announced his retirement. While Vos was not an explicit opponent of our bill, he didn’t do much to help our cause. On top of all this, Gov. Tony Evers (who has always been in support of our bill) has also announced that he will not be running for governor again this fall.   This will be the first time in 16 years that all three Wisconsin leaders (Governor, Senate Leader, and Assembly Speaker) are voluntarily not returning for reelection.   Majority control of the Senate may change during this November election where over half of the Senate seats (17 out of 33) will be on the ballot. New district maps were introduced in 2024, which were mandated by the WI Supreme Court to reduce gerrymandering in the state. Link in bio‼️ #sciadvocacy #sciadvocator #scifunding #scibill #sciresearch

2026 Symposium Videos Available! This year’s symposium had more energy, engagement and excitement than ever. Part retrospective and reflection, part assessment and analysis, our presenters covered histories and strategies from almost every facet of SCI research and recovery. All of that enthusiasm translated well to our Capital Roll on day three (not recorded), where we kicked off our campaign to increase SCI research funding at the federal level. As always, we’ve provided links to our speaker lineup, symposium agenda, and full-color conference program, with tons of helpful content designed to help you contextualize the presentations. We at U2FP are proud to make these videos available to the public for free. We also provide free access to all of our past symposiums, which total over 50 hours of presentations from over a decade of recorded talks (you can scroll down on our Video Library page to access these). This on-going service is made possible by the generous support of our symposium sponsors and donors like you. Link in bio‼️ #scirecovery #scisymposium #scirehabilitation #sci #sciadvocacy

Join U2FP’s Quinn Brett on April 18th for a Silent Auction and Gala at The Bird’s Nest in Estes Park, CO! (Don’t worry if you can’t make the Gala, you can still participate in the Silent Auction online - tix in bio). Quinn’s friend and professional climber/filmmaker, Cedar Wright, will be there sharing some remarks. Plus there will be live music and encouraging updates on our work from my U2FP colleagues, Jason Stoffer and Lucia Webb! Link in bio‼️ #scirecovery #sci #scifunding #sciauction #scigala

A new study out from Samuel Stupp got the Headline Patrol treatment by U2FP’s Sam Maddox. Link in bio for full article‼️ #sci #scirecovery #scirecovery #sciresearch #scitreatments

I LOVE the diversity in perspectives of our community & world ♿️🌎 let me know your own thoughts & my own opinion will be posted to my Story today if you’re wondering :) check out @u2fp for networking, SCI research, and donation information! #wheelchair #paralyzed #spinalcordinjury #disabled #awareness