The Travis Roy Foundation is dedicated to helping spinal cord injury survivors live more independent and hopeful lives through adaptive equipment grants and funding scientific research focused on solving paralysis-related challenges.

The Story Behind the Foundation

Travis Roy was a promising Freshman hockey player at Boston University when he was paralyzed during his first shift in an NCAA game.  The outpouring of support from New Englanders and the hockey community nationwide was amazing!

The Travis Roy Foundation was established in 1996 to help other spinal cord injury survivors and to fund research. Inspired by Travis' story, the lifeblood of the Travis Roy Foundation has always been the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations across North America. This generosity has made an immediate impact on the lives of many individuals.

It’s about independence.

It’s amazing how the little things in life are so precious when they are not so easy to accomplish. When you have a spinal cord injury, it has an impact on every aspect of your life – from your emotions to your finances. Depending on the severity of the injury and the age of the survivor, the lifetime cost of paralysis can range from $1 to $5 million, much of it uncovered by insurance. Half of the money raised by the Travis Roy Foundation goes toward Quality of Life grants to purchase adaptive equipment such as wheelchairs, mattresses, and home and vehicle modifications that help paraplegics and quadriplegics live more independently.

For someone with a spinal cord injury, having the right equipment can mean the difference between feeling helplessly insufficient as a person and a professional and being independent and capable enough to work and help raise a family. And we are not just helping the recipient. Our grants also relieve some of the physical and emotional strain on family and friends. Over the life of the Foundation, more than $7.2 million has directly helped more than 2,100 quadriplegics and paraplegics.

It’s about hope.

It is the wish of every paralyzed person that one day their wheelchair will no longer be needed. The Travis Roy Foundation has awarded over $5.6 million in research grants. For researchers and scientists the most important question is basic: How can an injured spinal cord regenerate and reconnect the "wires" from the brain to the muscles and nerves throughout the body? Researchers are working tirelessly on many different fronts to solve challenges related to paralysis, but the research is expensive and a cures is likely still years away. The more money we raise, the sooner a cure will be found.

What difference will you make?

Donations of all sizes have an impact - every penny you donate will help the Travis Roy Foundation do its work.