Kindness and Gratitude. These are the two words that come to my mind when I think of Pete Hypio. Mr Hypio passed away on July 3 of this year. He and his wife, Shirley, have made continuous contributions and gifts to our University of Michigan Spinal Cord Injury Research program throughout the past 30 years. With their assistance, we have been able to provide our patients with educational materials needed after being discharged from our inpatient rehabilitation unit, therapeutic devices needed for their care, transportation and caregiver services, research incentives and small honoraria for patients with SCI participating in our studies, and attending our advisory council meetings for our various research projects.
Currently we are using their gifts to assist us with the costs of running a clinical trial, primarily funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, to evaluate the efficacy of Gentamicin installations in the bladder to prevent the re-occurrence of urinary tract infections after SCI.
Mr. Hypio or Pete was born in Highland Park, Michigan, grew up in the Detroit area, later moving to Indian River in northern Michigan. He was instrumental in forming the Fraternal Order of the Eagles in 1983 and served as Aerie President and State President. During this time, he raised significant amounts of funds for our research project making SCI a priority of his research agenda contributions. He is survived by his wife Shirley, three daughters and three sons, 19 grandchildren and 23 great grandchildren a brother and a sister and many nieces and nephews. We will be always very grateful for his kindness and commitment to SCI research.
Denise Tate PhD
Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Past Director of the University of Michigan SCI Model System.
