DerbyCity Area Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
The Derby City Area Chapter of the N.S.C.I.A. is a membership organization for individuals with spinal cord injuries, their families, and health professionals. Founded in 1984 as a Charter Member of the N.S.C.I.A., it was incorporated under IRS Section 501 (c) 3 as a not for profit organization. The Board of Directors consists of the Officers, Past President and the Board Members At Large.
*** OFFICERS
PRESIDENT
David Allgood - (502) 589-6620
VICE PRESIDENT
Adam Ford - (502) 425-2206
TREASURER
Tom Stokes- (502) 957-5865
LIAISON TO FRAZIER INSTITUTE
Jill Farmer
FUNDRAISING CHAIR
Betty Perry—(502) 647-0368
CORRESPONDING SECRETARY/WEB MASTER
Michael Feger- (502) 647-0368
PAST PRESIDENT
Adam Ford- (502) 425-2206
BOARD MEMBERS AT LARGE-
Mike Perry
Kelly Young
NSCIA DERBY CITY CHAPTER NEWSLETTER
Editor- Barbara Davis
Contributor- David Allgood
Visit Our Website at www.DerbyCitySpinalCord.org
The Derby City Area Chapter Newsletter is brought to you through the generous support of Frazier Rehab Institute
STEM CELL RESEARCH CENTER, CONT'D
Strength in his arm's triceps muscles would permit Alex to move himself from wheelchair to bed, allowing him to live without help from an attendant. "At this point, I would love a home run, but quality of life would do," said Melissa Pitts, his mother.
Pitts and others credited Dr. Wise Young, a Rutgers University Neuroscientist who championed the establishment of the Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey, with renewing their hope. Young has grown close to many of the families that attended the ribbon-cutting. Walking through a hallway on Saturday, he was always a few steps from the next hug. One boy, whose sister is partially paralyzed because of cancer, asked for his autograph.
"When I first talked to Wise, he and Christopher Reeve were the ones who gave us hope," Pitts said. A section of Saturday's program honored Reeve, the actor and New Jersey native who played Superman and who became a champion for stem cell research after being paralyzed in 1995. Reeve died in 2004, but everywhere one looked on Saturday, Superman was there.
Richard Gaskin wore the superhero's famous "S" on a gold dog tag as he performed a rap song titled, "You'll always be Superman." Gaskin, 40, said he hoped the center's researchers would find a cure for the paralysis he has suffered since being shot in the neck in 1987.
"When a lot of new injuries come into the hospital, weeks or months later, they can walk out," Gaskin said. "They don't have to spend 20 years like myself in a wheelchair."
The center is scheduled to open in a few years, Young said. He added that he thought clinical trials would show stem cells' potential to cure diseases such as diabetes "in the next few months, the next few years at most."
If that is the case, there are not enough embryonic stem cells to help all the patients that need them, Young said.
"This is a humanitarian crisis," he said.
Many social conservatives oppose embryonic stem cell research because it requires the destruction of human embryos. Some critics compare the process to abortion.
John Tomicki, executive director of the League of American Families, said the Legislature is risking public investment in a field whose benefits have not been proved. Tomicki added that the Legislature should have asked for public approval for its initial investment of $270 million.
"They seem to be bent on moving into the embryonic field, which of course destroys human life," Tomicki said. "Not one cure or treatment has evolved from embryonic research."
The state, which thinks stem cell research could boost the state's economy, is focusing next on funding research. The $270 million it approved last year is being spent on the
