Imagine waking up one morning to a paralyzed body. You can’t move or feel your legs. How would you feel? What would go through your mind? Would you panic? Suddenly your life drastically changes. No more chasing your kids around the house, dancing with your wife body to body, eyes to eyes. What if you were a quadriplegic and breathing becomes something done by a machine? What about dressing yourself? What happens to your two-storey house? Your car? Your job? Your life? When does it become bad enough for you to do something about it?



February 5, 1999 was when versions of these questions were mine to answer. I was a healthy 12-year-old kid who was very active and had big dreams. I was playing basketball at school and suddenly couldn’t catch my breath and my head started bounding with sharp pain. The school I was attending called the ambulance and while lying down in the locker room, my left leg became numb and tingly. I picked it up, put it back down and I couldn’t feel the floor.



I was scared out of my mind but I thought that whatever was wrong the doctors could fix. Transverse Myelitis is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the spinal cord causing inflammation that damages the cells that control sensory and movement of the body. After staying in the hospital for a couple of months, I went to rehabilitation where I learned how to do everything from use a wheelchair, all the while having dreams of my feet imprinting in the sand.





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Sometimes hope is all we have to get us through life’s hardships. Embryonic stem cell research is hope backed by real and evidence-based science. I have seen it and this has become my life because it is has become my hope. These cells have huge potential to improve how we treat and cure current diseases and those of the future.Embryonic stem cells are cells that can become a variety of cell types in the body. All of life starts out this way, a cluster of cells that become specialized cell types, which form our tissues that make up who we are. Scientists have been able to use these cells where damaged ones traumatically affect how millions of Americans live life.“Morality” and “life” are two words I constantly hear when the debate about this research comes up. We give thousands of parents in this country the chance to have the beautiful gift of their own biological children who otherwise would not with in-vitro fertilization. That’s life and whether or not we agree with the morality of conceiving children outside “God’s Plan”, lives are created and therefore are given every opportunity to grow and succeed just like the rest of us.However, because the process of in-vitro fertilization creates more embryos than are implanted, thousands of them are given a different fate. With full consent from the parents, these clusters of cells are frozen for later use, given up for adoption, donated to research or - as most of them are - thrown away. Where do our morals lie if we can easily throw these cells away but do not use them to treat and cure debilitating diseases? This research needs to continue with responsibility and oversight.The political debate over this research is forcing many of our brilliant scientists to think twice about whether they should stay in this field. I know how dedicated and passionate they are about helping all of us find answers to our pain and suffering. If we keep dragging this debate back here to Washington, in Congress and in the courts, more and more scientists will have no choice but to either find a different research avenue or move to another country where they can pursue the promise that embryonic stem cells possess.Christopher Reeve would have turned 58 on September 25th. One voice has power for he implemented huge changes by using literally all he had, his voice. If I could use mine, my message to the members of Congress is a simple one: If you are not affected by spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, just to name a few, use your voice on behalf of millions of Americans who are, and who are counting on you. Please pass unambiguous legislation that will once and for all clear up the language of the limits and allowances of this important research.We live our lives with such great fortune and in a way that allows us to live without even realizing we are. The moment I became paralyzed my quality of life was one of constant struggle. Anything can happen to any of us at any point in time. My hope is that the members of Congress don’t need a reason to care about how vital this research is to move forward for future generations. The “Now” has been here, the waiting game is over.