Running in the Dark for All Who Dream to Walk
By now everyone’s heard of Mark Pollock. He is blind and paralyzed but is optimistic about finding a cure for paralysis.
Pollock is Chairman of Collaborative Cures, which works to “bring people together to cure paralysis in our lifetime.” The charity gathers scientists, investors, and philanthropists to collaborate on innovative research and make treatments accessible to all. According to the website, Mark has mobilized partnerships worth over €100 million, “co-creating international neuro-modulation and robotics research studies; building an exoskeleton rehabilitation programme; facilitating multi-stakeholder relationships towards the commercialisation of academic research; and working alongside Wings for Life Spinal Research Foundation and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.”
In its own words, Collaborative Cures aims to “create systemic impact that will:
- Reduce 50-year scientific translation timelines to 10 years by creating the conditions for collaboration, facilitating healthy rivalries and building trust
- Catalyse collaborations worth €1 billion by connecting scientists and technologists with business know how, regulatory expertise and capital.”
Meanwhile, to fundraise and collect donations for Collaborative Cures’ mission to cure paralysis, Mark Pollock created the global charity event Run in the Dark. It’s described as, “a global movement lighting up the night to help cure paralysis in our lifetime. All fundraising and donations go to our charity partner Collaborative Cures.” It’s a run for the millions of paralyzed people around the world who dream to walk.
Everything Collaborative Cures does is about bringing people together to cure paralysis in our lifetime, which will produce a public benefit for up to 60 million people around the world with some form of paralysis.”
– Collaborative Cures mission
Run in the Dark 2024 will take place in 50 cities around the globe on November 13.
Registration for this year’s event in Belfast, Cork, Dublin, London, and Luxemburg is now open. The latest numbers show that over 120,000 people will take part worldwide. To register as an individual, friends club, or prepaid group, click on this link and enter a location for information on the event in a particular area. Participants can also run their own route on their own schedule, by downloading the Run in the Dark app. The app will track the run (or walk) time and distance using GPS coordinates. Finish times will be posted and each participants receives a digital certificate.
Really inspiring. What money can most positively buy… hope.