What are Stem Cells? STEM CELLS are the future of medicine. Human stem cells offer hope to people with a wide range of devastating diseases and conditions like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, diabetes and more. They can also be used in research to discover new treatments and cures; they can generate organs for transplantation; they can
Other than being spectacularly flat, my feet gave me no trouble for my first 72 years. True, when I stepped out of water, the tracks my feet left would be completely filled in — no arch. And the noise of my footfalls was “flop flop flop!”, like walking in swimfins. I was even told, when
No one can fully understand another person’s pain. Before my son’s accident, I thought people in a wheelchair just sat down a lot. I had no idea of the endless quiet agonies and frustrations they endure. But at least people notice the wheelchair — what if a person looked utterly healthy, young, slender, beautiful —
In the middle of the night, I was wakened by a soft “pop” inside my head, like the bursting of a bubble wrap. And the strangest thing — I could see the individual letters of the words of my thoughts, writing themselves. Like: I t-h-i-n-k s-o-m-e-t-h-i-n-g i-s w-r-o-n-g i-n-s-i-d-e m-y h-e-a-d… I poked Gloria beside me, and
Imagine a government program that attracts money, instead of just spending it… The California stem cell program does exactly that. Technically titled the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) the program has spent approximately $2.6 billion since its beginning. But from other sources, the program has brought in $1.9 billion — and more is almost certainly
A long-time medical technologist and former faculty member at UCSF, Bill Remak has his fair share of experience with the medical research industry. He has also battled chronic Hepatitis C (HCV), survived two liver transplants and a bout with cancer, and now is a Type 2 diabetic. In short, Bill is well acquainted with the
Without Don Reed, the stem cell voice in California would not be what it is today. Don’s journey in stem cell advocacy began almost twenty years ago with California’s Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act of 1999- an initiative named after his son who was paralyzed in a football accident. Don later served on
The story of how Frances Saldaña became a fierce advocate for Huntington's Disease (HD) research is not one for the faint of heart. In 1989 Frances lost the father of her children, Hector Portillo, to Huntington's Disease. Then, in one tragic misfortune after another, that same cruel disease took each of her three children, Marie, Margie
Monica Johnson was just a toddler when she was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis. Despite battling the disease for nearly her entire life, Monica’s sunny outlook on Arthritis has supported her staunch work as a patient advocate across the country for nearly 30 years. We spoke to Monica to learn more about her experience living with
