TESF Receives Governor’s Proclamation at MA State House
BOSTON, MA (September 16, 2026) – The Thomas E. Smith Foundation (TESF) joined members of the spinal cord injury community at the Massachusetts State House on Wednesday, September 16th, as the Commonwealth recognized September as Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month.
TESF President & Co-Founder Tom Smith and Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer Sarah Merrefield, MPH, had the honor of being presented the gubernatorial proclamation on behalf of the Foundation during Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day. The proclamation, signed by Governor Maura Healey, recognizes the impact of spinal cord injury on individuals and families across Massachusetts and the importance of advancing awareness, research, and support.
The annual event, hosted by Massachusetts Walks Again and SCIboston, is held in recognition of the Thomas P. Kennedy Spinal Cord Injury Trust Fund, which supports cure research in Massachusetts.
“We’re deeply grateful to the Commonwealth for recognizing the Thomas E. Smith Foundation team and for the state’s continued commitment to people living with spinal cord injury,” said Tom Smith, President & Co-Founder of the Thomas E. Smith Foundation. “For individuals and families living with paralysis, this is about more than awareness. It is about access to the care and resources people need today, while investing in research that can redefine possible for tomorrow.”
“Recognition like this helps bring greater visibility to the realities of living with spinal cord injury and to the incredible work happening across the Commonwealth,” said Sarah Merrefield, MPH, Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer of the Thomas E. Smith Foundation. “We are proud to be part of a community working to expand access to care, accelerate research, and improve quality of life for people living with the impact of SCI.”
TESF works to improve the lives of people living with SCI and paralysis through financial and emotional support, investment in groundbreaking research, and efforts to expand access to care and resources.
About the Thomas E. Smith Foundation
The Thomas E. Smith Foundation (TESF) was co-founded by Tom Smith, who is believed to be the first person to walk again after three separate paralyzing spinal cord injuries. TESF’s Stronger Together grant program directly supports individuals and families in Massachusetts, and across 26 states nationwide, providing access to critical care and resources that would otherwise be unavailable. The estimated lifetime cost of a spinal cord injury ranges from $1 million to more than $6 million, depending on level of injury and age at time of injury (National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, 2025).
Media contact: Jenna Labbee, Senior Engagement Officer, jenna@thomasesmithfoundation.org