Obviously, a spinal cord injury is a devastating blow. Aside from the physical and emotional trauma, the individual costs to a patient can reach $1.35 million over their lifetime.
What is less obvious is that we are all hurt by the injury. How? Consider the costs. There are currently 1.3 million individuals in the United States living with a spinal cord injury. To that number, an estimated 10,000-14,000 are added each year. When you combine these numbers with the fact that the average age at the time of injury is 30 years old, the annual cost to society is estimated at $8 billion. How about we find a cure for spinal cord injury and put the $8 billion back in our pockets?
