Noela Vallis is the visionary behind the New Zealand Spinal Cord Society. Noela's husband suffered a jet-boating accident in 1984 incapacitating him with paraplegia. It became a vision for Noela that she would raise funds to assist people with spinal injuries by supporting effective research towards the goal of a cure for spinal cord injury.

Her longer-term goal was to establish a research laboratory in New Zealand, translate research into clinical treatments, and ensure New Zealanders would benefit directly from the money she raised.

Noela has this to say about her vision and passion for a cure:

“Within my lifetime, people who suffer injury to their spinal columns will be treated in hospital like anybody else with a serious breakage, and walk out again after a few weeks treatment.

And they will resume their normal lives.

A lifetime, most often shortened and confined to a wheelchair, the difficulties of needing help with daily bowel and bladder control, the many complex and painful side-effects will all be gone.

Mankind will have broken another major frontier in medical care.

There is nothing controversial about the journey upon which we are starting.

Indeed, it is all about harnessing what is natural and without any unnatural interference, helping people back to fully functional lives.

Please support us on this journey. Many thousands of wheelchair-bound kiwis and many more of their family members will benefit by your generosity.

Our dream is about to come true!”