The blood-taker nurse wrapped a rubber band around my arm, so the vein stood out. Then she reached for the syringe . “Wait,” I said, talking fast, “I have a question for you.” The needle paused. “I was a diver for an aquarium called Marine World,” I said, “and sometimes I would help the vet take
Imagine pain, excruciating pain, like broken glass in your veins. Now imagine, on top of that, being insulted — at the hospital? Hold that thought. First, the enemy: sickle cell disease (SCD) which means a change in the shape of your blood cells. Instead of being round and soft, the cells become hard and c-shaped, like a
“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
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
Do you want to become a stem cell scientist, or know someone who does? If so, this article is a Christmas gift for you; or, more accurately, three gifts— all from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), which our beloved state voted into law in 2004. First, if you are in High School or
“I was the little girl who at the age of five gathered up mosquito fish”, said Jan Nolta in a personal interview. The fish were to eat mosquito larvae and then be used as fertilizer for Northern California rice fields. When the knee-deep water dried up, the fish died and enriched the soil—but Jan rescued
