Christopher Reeve's son announces 'game changer' in spinal cord injury treatment

paralysis

A. Pawlowski TODAY contributor

Oct. 9, 2014 at 10:49 AM ET

The family of Christopher Reeve is announcing what it calls a "game changer in the treatment of spinal cord injuries.

"It's hard not to think, 'What if he was here and what if he was present for this breakthrough?' Matthew Reeve, the late actors son, told People magazine on the eve of the 10th anniversary of Reeves death.

My father dreamed of a world with empty wheelchairs and gave hope to a whole community this is a key new step in that hope becoming realized."

AFP-Getty Images

Christopher Reeve poses with his wife, Dana, and their son, Will in Los Angeles in 1997.

Four paralyzed men who were not able to move any muscles below their neck or chest can now move their toes, feet and legs, and are even able to stand with the help of epidural stimulation, the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation announced Thursday.

The therapy involves implanting a device thats wired to the paralyzed patients spinal cord and applies an electrical current, which helps provide signals that would normally come from the brain, according to the foundations The Big Idea website.

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Christopher Reeve's son announces 'game changer' in spinal cord injury treatment