Summary:

-Spinal cord injuries are devastating conditions that cause long-term paralysis and that negatively affect people and their families physically, emotionally, financially, etc.
-These injuries have long been considered incurable
-UCLA Professor Reggie Edgerton and his colleagues have been experimenting with a promising new therapy that treats injured spinal cords via electrical stimulation
-During trial studies throughout the past decade they have seen consistent, noticeable improvement without any significant negative side effects
-Unfortunately, FDA approval is expensive and could take years
-We request that the President of the United States instruct the FDA to offer fast tracked review and approval to Professor Edgerton and his colleagues, so that Americans can legally participate in this life-changing therapy
-We also request that the president use his business connections and relationships to help secure funding for Professor Edgerton so that he and his colleagues can perform the tests and processes that are necessary for FDA approval

Read more about Professor Edgerton and one of his more recent (very successful) trials here:
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/noninvasive-spinal-stimulation-method-enables-paralyzed-people-to-regain-use-of-hands-study-finds

Hello Mr. President,
My name is Seth Coyne and I am paralyzed.
Along with the kind people who are supporting this petition, I am asking for your help.
Between 245,000 and 353,000 Americans were estimated to be living with a spinal cord injury in 2017. And it’s believed that 17,500 people sustain such an injury each year in the US.
A spinal cord injury and the resulting paralysis are devastating conditions to have to live with, for more reasons than one. For example:
*They deprive us of many of life’s simple pleasures.
*They place unbelievable pressure on our closest relationships.
*They rob many of us of our independence.
*They cause enormous financial strain for us as individuals and families, as well as for the economy as a whole.
*They can cause debilitating depression, hopelessness and misery.
*They can likely lead to substance abuse, including opioid addiction.
In the past, spinal cord injuries were generally assumed to be incurable. But, during the last decade things have started to change.
UCLA Professor Reggie Edgerton, along with various colleagues and employees, has been developing a therapy that treats the spinal cord via electrical stimulation in a way that produces movement and recovery.
Since the first successful experiment in 2009, dozens of people have participated in experiments that have resulted in well-documented improvement.
Nearly all test subjects have experienced substantial progress, without any significant negative side effects having been reported!
This treatment could be a major key in helping paralyzed people walk again. (Even if it’s not enough to help us walk again by itself, it’s possible that it could be combined with other treatments to potentially generate full recovery.)
And even if it couldn’t help accomplish full recovery, even modest partial recovery could be absolutely life-changing for many of us. This is especially true for those who suffer from more severe injuries that cause quadriplegia, like myself.
For someone like me, just a small amount of improvement could mean things like being able to…
… prepare and eat a meal without assistance…
… get dressed, bathe or use the bathroom independently…
… drive a car…
… get in and out of bed by myself…
… live on my own and move out of my parents’ home, now that I’m in my 30s…
… and so much more!
For those with more severe injuries than my own, the changes could be even more significant, such as being able to breathe without being hooked up to a ventilator or being able to reach up and scratch one’s nose when it itches.
Unfortunately, despite the fact that this treatment holds so much promise, it could easily be years before it receives FDA approval so that people like me can legally experience its benefits.
This is why I am writing to you and asking for your help.
According to my understanding, the FDA can offer fast tracked review and approval for therapies that treat serious or life-threatening conditions and that fill unmet medical needs.
Hopefully I’ve successfully demonstrated by now that this is a very serious condition that represents an unmet medical need. If you need any more convincing, please consider famous actor Christopher Reeve, who offered tragic proof that a spinal cord injury can absolutely be a life-threatening condition.
So, along with the good people who have supported my petition, I am writing you with two requests, Mr. President.
1. Please instruct the FDA Commissioner to offer fast tracked review and (as appropriate) approval for Professor Edgerton, his colleagues and their miraculous therapy.
2. Please use your business relationships and contacts to help secure the necessary funding that Professor Edgerton and his colleagues need in order to perform the tests and processes that are required for them to receive FDA approval.
The lives and well-being of hundreds of thousands of people depend on your help in this matter. Will you help us, please?

Thank you for your consideration!
Seth Coyne; on behalf of all those who support this petition, as well as those who can benefit from it