Charity Event Honors Stricken Surgeon and Injury Prevention Foundation

 

Fifth Annual Bruce Fellows Tennis Benefit Set for October 4, 2009

 

 

Wilmington DE---The fifth annual Bruce Fellows Tennis Benefit—a fund-raising event in support of a prominent local surgeon who was left paralyzed after a bicycle accident in 2005 and ThinkFirst Injury Prevention foundation—will be held on Sunday, October 4, 2009 (rain date October 11).

 

The event has raised nearly $50,000 in its first four years. Last year a total of 80 people took part in the tennis tournament and dinner and more than 70 individuals and businesses made contributions as event sponsors. The event sponsors are planning for increased participation in 2009, with the commitment of additional tennis courts by private clubs in the Greenville area. Following the tennis, which culminates in a playoff to determine the winning team from the round robin competition, dinner and cocktails will be held on the patio at Greenville Country Club, where Dr. Fellows has been a member for many years.

 

Participation is open to men and women tennis players at all skill levels. The entry fee is $60. Proceeds are divided between the Bruce Fellows Trust Fund and the Delaware Chapter of ThinkFirst, a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to injury prevention. Various levels of sponsorships are also available to businesses and individuals, including courtside banners and program name recognition.

 

Dr. Bruce Fellows, a member of the staff at Christiana Hospital, was among the region’s most respected vascular surgeons. He was paralyzed from the neck down in a bicycle accident near Bethany, Delaware on Memorial Day in 2005.

 

In August, 2007, Dr. Fellows underwent an innovative stem cell transplantation surgery, developed by a prominent neurosurgeon in Portugal. Early experience with the procedure has shown encouraging results in terms of return of function in individuals with severe spinal injuries. Although the stem cell transplantation takes effect slowly, at the present time Dr. Fellows has recovered some muscle strength. He notes that the road to recovery is tedious and expectations have to be modest, however, given that his age places him outside of the trial criteria. Dr. Fellows was among the patients in the U.S. to undergo this landmark spinal stem cell transplantation surgery. The procedure is believed to have the potential to be a major medical breakthrough, with implications for all varieties of paralysis as well as cerebral maladies.

 

The Bruce Fellows Tennis Benefit is organized and managed by friends and colleagues of Dr. Fellows from Greenville Country Club and Christiana Hospital. In a statement, the organizing committee said, “Bruce Fellows saved innumerable lives over the years and inspired patients, colleagues and friends with an indomitable spirit and sensitive, caring demeanor. It is a small token of our affection and esteem to help him and his designated charity in a time of need.”

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Additional information on participation and sponsorship for the 2009 Bruce Fellows Tennis Benefit may be obtained at www.brucefellowstennisbenefit.org. Or contact Bruce Shaeffer, Shaeffer & Associates (302-622-9548, bruce@sapr.com)