Stodir is the main sponsor and one of the co-founders of the Institute of Spinal Cord Injury (ISCI). This remarkable and Influential project, the first of its kind anywhere in the world, was initiated by a local nurse called Audur Gudjonsdottir. Her daughter, Hrafnhildur Thoroddsen, was left paralyzed after a car accident in 1989 and Audur has fought a global battle on behalf of those suffering spinal cord injuries ever since.
The purpose of ISCI is to encourage advances in the treatment of this devastating injury by raising funds to support pioneering research and sponsoring experimental procedures for people with spinal cord injuries.
It is estimated that approximately four million people suffer from spinal cord injury, as well as the many others who have damaged spines as a result of injuries to their multiple sclerosis (MS) or cancer. Although the world has witnessed great progress in medical science generally, advances in the treatment for spinal cord injuries have not kept pace.
Young people form the majority of those who suffer spinal cord injuries, usually as a result of car accidents or sporting activities. These youngsters are cut down in their prime, often relegated to a wheelchair for the rest of their lives.
Motivated to tackle this issue and help people to become fully participating members of society once again, Audur Gudjonsdottir has created a database of spinal cord injury sufferers. Working in collaboration with the Icelandic Ministry of Health and Social Security and the World Health Organisation (WHO), the ISCI is now positioned to become a leading international force for advancement in this complex scientific field.
Stodir is assisting the ISCI in its promotional and educational efforts, including a national fundraising initiative planned for May 2008. The honorary patron of ISCI is Vigdis Finnbogadottir, President of Iceland from 1980-1996.
For further information see www.isci.is