Imagine or perhaps you will not have to imagine. Imagine if you will that a loved one, someone very close, someone you plan, or had planned, to live the rest of your life with, contracts a debilitating disease. The disease is one in which the body’s own immune system attacks the central nervous system, destroying or severely disabling nerve cells. The disease also attacks the brain slowly destroying cognitive functionality, gradually dimming the light that once lit the brilliance of your loved ones thoughts, depriving you of valuable counsel and wisdom
And since the central nervous system is vital to the proper functionality of almost every other body system, the disease manifests itself in surprising and often tragic ways; it leaves your loved one without the ability to walk without assistance; it robs her of energy, necessitating frequent naps throughout the day, and so she can no longer work; it increases the likelihood of urinary track infections, and attacks the bowls leading to frequent nausea constipation; it attacks her eyes so that she ca not longer drive at night, and even has trouble driving during the day; extreme heat or cold can set off seizures which can last several minutes and become quite violent…
The person you used to know, who was so full of life, who used to beat you in tennis, who used to lead the way on twelve mile hikes, who used to bubble with energy, is now confined to the bed for most of the day. Her mind is being slowly destroyed by a disease that could care less about the person she used to be, but is bent on destroying what is left of the person she is!
There is no cure for this disease, only expensive drugs that can slow the progression of the malady. And because the disease attacks the central nervous system, little can be done to combat the effects because nerve cells do not regenerate, and once damaged very rarely repair themselves.
But there is hope! Medical science has stumbled upon what could be a miracle in the making: the ability to grow—cultivate if you will—any type of human cell in the lab. However, the generation of these cells cannot take place without a starting point. That starting point is embryonic stem cells.
Note: want more information on Step Cell Research? Visit this site: NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, May 2000 http://www.nih.gov/news/stemcell/primer....
By now most of us have heard about the debate swirling in Washington D.C. about research into the value of stem cells. On one side we have those who advocate the use of embryonic stem cells in order to further research into finding cure for some of the most common debilitating diseases that inflict human kind. People, who suffer from ailments such as Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, Muscular Dystrophy, Heart Disease, Diabetes, Arthritis, and Pancreatic Cancer, could all benefit from research into embryonic stem cells.
