Please Recommend this so that as many people as possible take action immediately! This issue is very important! The vote is tomorrow!!
Meet my little sister Samantha and her boyfriend Jeff. They are both 18. Jeff was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes when he was 8 years old. For 10 years he's been living with this illness. Last year he was admitted to the hospital 4 times because he slipped into a diabetic coma. He has a pump (taped to his stomach) that controls the 24/7 flow of insulin into his body.
This is a pic of them at our other sister's wedding rehearsal dinner. Jeff has to pay close attention to his diet, obviously. The result of this in our family (of my mom and 5 girls) is that Jeff has 6 women who are constantly hovering over him and asking him whether or not he's had enough to eat or whether he should drink this or that, or checking to make sure he hasn't eaten too many M&M's. My mother has a constant supply of Diet Coke for him. My sister has spent hours on the phone trying to find out about a cure. They're administering the cure to some people at the University of Chicago, but because Jeff doesn't manage his disease with perfection (what 18 year old boy can?), he doesn't qualify for that study.
Stem cell research will help Jeff and millions and millions of others. I'm sure almost everyone here knows at least 5 people who could be helped by stem cell research. I know more than 5. My best friend's parents have both had cancer. Her father has a form of blood cancer that is untreatable because he is 75 and his liver is damaged. Her mother has had breast cancer twice and a hysterectomy because of a fear of ovarian cancer (she had cysts most of her life). My boyfriend's father has heart disease. He had his first heart attack at 40. He goes to the doctor again tomorrow for chest pains and a tingling in his arm. He also has arthritis. My mother's father died of Parkinson's disease. My hands shake (sometimes a symptom of Parkinson's), but I'm afraid to get tested for fear of never again being able to get health insurance (I think in my case it's probably related to hypoglycemia. At least I hope it is...). There's Jeff with his juvenile diabetes. My boyfriend's aunt has emphysema. She won't see a doctor because she's uninsured so she is literally going untreated. She continues to smoke when she can breathe. Her husband is also ill and refuses to see a doctor. My boyfriend's younger brother has high cholesterol at the age of 24. My father's parents both died of cancer, pancreatic and stomach (if I remember correctly...I was awfully young when they died).
My point? Everyone is effected by illness. Stem cell research can find cures for many of these illnesses. But stem cell research is under attack. Americans who suffer from illness and disease are under attack by Republicans, President Bush, and the Religious "Right". Tomorrow the Senate will vote on the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, HR 810. 72% of Americans support Stem Cell Research...and that number is growing every day. Let's do our duty and take action...and please pass these action items along to EVERYONE you know!!
Please don't assume we have enough votes to pass this bill. And PLEASE don't assume that if we pass it, we have enough votes to override the veto!
Tell your Senators to pass this bill with NO AMENDMENTS!!
Click here to Send an email to your Senators NOW!
Click here to read more real stories!
Click here to read about 71 diseases and disorders that could potentially be cured by Stem Cells!
Click here to tell Presidential hopefuls that we need their leadership at work FOR Stem Cell research!!
Click here to demand President Bush sign the stem cell bill into law!
Also, if you're from Missouri, or you know someone who is, watch or pass along the video at MissouriCures.com!
And...if you want to read MORE diaries with MORE details about this, click here for the list of all the recent diaries related to this issue!!
This is Crossposted at Street Prophets and at Action Alerts!
Special thanks to Hlinko, DEFCON, noweasels, clammyc, and everyone who has already taken action!! And thanks to Sam and Jeff for the pic...sorry to Sam who is making a bit of a silly face...well, actually...she's usually making silly faces...so this was actually the most "normal" pic of them:-)