February is Low Vision Awareness Month. Vision loss is a growing, urgent problem in this country. According to NIH estimates, 4.2 million Americans above the age of 40 are visually impaired, and that number is on the rise, potentially reaching 7.2 million by 2030. But we are not standing idly by—we are searching for answers. Meet
“You ought to get a computer!” said my cousin Tommy Snyder, a couple of decades ago, “It would help you write your books!” “Sure,” I snapped, ”Next time I get an extra $5,000 (computers cost a lot back then) I will just dash right out and get one!” Months passed, and I forgot about the
Our Champions Award recipient for January, Adam Brown, was diagnosed with diabetes in 2001 at the age of 12. Following his diagnosis, he often got conflicting advice that did him more damage than good. Over the years, Adam has learned a lot about how to handle his condition. Now, as an editor and columnist for
Meet January’s Champion Award recipient, Adam Brown. He was diagnosed with diabetes in 2001 at the age of 12. He now writes and speaks extensively about diabetes and chronic disease, and is recognized as a leading expert in diabetes technology. Today, Adam is a Senior Editor at diaTribe—a nonprofit devoted to helping diabetes patients better
Mary Bass is the executive director of Americans for Cures, a nonprofit advocacy organization that works to make stem cell research and science accessible to everyone. It was founded in 2004 after the passage of Proposition 71, California’s groundbreaking investment in stem cell research. Mary spoke with Student Society for Stem Cell Research (SSSCR) about
Did you see a movie called “THE BOY IN THE PLASTIC BUBBLE”, starring John Travolta? In the film, the hero has a disease called Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), which means his immune system does not work. Germs that you and I would not even know about (because our immune system would fight them off) could
Gloria, my wife of 48 years, was walking down the street toward me. But something was wrong. Her face was gray. She said she had pain in her back and chest. One arm felt heavy, and she had broken out in a cold sweat. It took some doing, but last she was safe and snug
First (and this is important) with rare exceptions, every dollar of the California stem cell research program is spent in California. The exceptions are for equipment or materials that cannot be had for reasonable prices in California. Other than that, our home state money gets spent at home. But what if one of our scientists
One day in the eleventh grade, I did a thousand situps without stopping; I don’t know why. I just started doing them in PE class, going for a hundred at first, then continuing on and on. The person holding my ankles got bored and quit; somebody else tossed a cupful of water on the floor
