Spinal Elements has announced that by the end of 2013, it will have raised more than US$250,000 for children’s charities through sales of its Hero allograft product. The company will present a cheque for US$23,000 to the local Make-A-Wish chapter during the 2013 North American Spine Society (NASS) meeting (9–12 October, New Orleans, USA).
A press release reports that Spinal Elements launched its US-based “Pledge to Be a Hero” programme last year, which offers surgeons and hospitals across the country the opportunity to pledge to use only allograft tissue from companies that do not profit from the transfer of that tissue whenever clinically feasible. The company has chosen to donate all profits from the sale of its Hero allograft to charities benefiting children with life-threatening medical conditions, such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation and St Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The cheque for US$23,000 that is be granted to the local Make-A-Wish chapter will be presented in honour of Mike Leahy—one of the first surgeons to in the US to participate in the “Pledge to Be a Hero” programme—at an event on 10th October marking the one-year anniversary of the programme.
“Spinal Elements sees allograft as much more than a product or a commodity,” says Jason Blain, president and co-founder of Spinal Elements. “Allograft is the physical embodiment of a human life and deserves that level of respect. We are honoured to be stewards of this precious gift.”
