Family Raises Money for Quadriplegic Daugter to Receive Stem-Cell Therapy in Costa Rica

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Debbie Menzies
Phone: 970-640-7798
Email: stvdeb3@msn.com

Local Family Raises Money for Quadriplegic Daughter’s Treatment through Collection of Old Cell Phones

Fruita, Colo.—-November 13, 2007—-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. 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 stepmom, 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 disesase, 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 $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.

Please donate unneeded cell phones at any of the following locations: 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, phones can be dropped off at any of these locations in Delta: Geared Up Motors, The Stockyard Restaurant and Café Roubideau.

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, Okla., 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.

For more information on how you can help, or to mail your cell phones to the family, please call Deb Menzies at (970) 640-7798 or visit http://www.jordsadventure.com.

For more information about Pace Butler Corporation, please visit http://www.pacebutler.com.

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