what kills me...

[Foolish Old]

Dr. Young,

First, let me thank you once again for dedicating so much of your life to accomplishing what so many in the medical community once considered impossible. I put you right up there with the first man to dunk a basketball and show the world that man can fly. Now, most every athletic kid on the planet has a signature dunk. You have made your place in medical history, but your vision has yet to bear the fruit you still pursue. Please don't let the naysayers dampen your fire.

I have two questions that may be unanswerable at this time.

1. We know that a realistic timeline for a cure is not able to be produced at this time. How about a current timeline on the cord blood and lithium trials? Forgive me if this question has been recently answered, but please steer me to that info.

2. We talk about funding quite a lot. I know that nothing in this world of the complexity of a cure for chronic SCI can be accomplished without tons of money. Money is the grease that allows the wheels to turn. But for many of us in the lay community, we don't really have much of an understanding of the way money gets transmuted from donations to helpful answers to cure questions. Is there a publicly available budget for any cure effort?

As you know, some in the SCI community believe that a cure is being held up by those who profit from the status quo. Miami Project may be the most visible example of a cure effort with dedicated haters. I understand their frustration, even though I am reluctant to give credence to their accusations. But I do believe that the cure effort has been guilty of hype and poor communication in regards to their research.

The years when Christopher and Dana Reeve were the face of SCI probably produced more advancement for our community than at any other time. We need to find a new spokesperson who can bridge that gap between scientist and the public. And those of us who stand to gain the most from cure efforts need to pull together instead of pulling apart.

[Rbrauer]

Dear Chopped Liver..

thaks!

[Wise Young]

Originally Posted by Foolish Old

Dr. Young,

First, let me thank you once again for dedicating so much of your life to accomplishing what so many in the medical community once considered impossible. I put you right up there with the first man to dunk a basketball and show the world that man can fly. Now, most every athletic kid on the planet has a signature dunk. You have made your place in medical history, but your vision has yet to bear the fruit you still pursue. Please don't let the naysayers dampen your fire.

I have two questions that may be unanswerable at this time.

1. We know that a realistic timeline for a cure is not able to be produced at this time. How about a current timeline on the cord blood and lithium trials? Forgive me if this question has been recently answered, but please steer me to that info.

2. We talk about funding quite a lot. I know that nothing in this world of the complexity of a cure for chronic SCI can be accomplished without tons of money. Money is the grease that allows the wheels to turn. But for many of us in the lay community, we don't really have much of an understanding of the way money gets transmuted from donations to helpful answers to cure questions. Is there a publicly available budget for any cure effort?

As you know, some in the SCI community believe that a cure is being held up by those who profit from the status quo. Miami Project may be the most visible example of a cure effort with dedicated haters. I understand their frustration, even though I am reluctant to give credence to their accusations. But I do believe that the cure effort has been guilty of hype and poor communication in regards to their research.

The years when Christopher and Dana Reeve were the face of SCI probably produced more advancement for our community than at any other time. We need to find a new spokesperson who can bridge that gap between scientist and the public. And those of us who stand to gain the most from cure efforts need to pull together instead of pulling apart.

FO, as you know, I respect you and your voice. So, your compliment means a lot to me. I would love to be the person who dunked the cure ball... We have spoken a bit about the frustrations that I feel trying to convince the spinal cord injury community that we need to get clinical trials for chronic spinal cord injury going. You would have thought that convincing the community to support clinical trials for chronic spinal cord injury would be a slam-dunk.

But it wasn't and still isn't a slam dunk. I think that a majority of people in the spinal cord injury community still oppose animal research and do not believe in clinical trials. Hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of people are still rushing to fly-by-night clinics to gamble on some therapy. They would rather spend $30,000 on some unproven overseas therapy than to contribute $1 a day to clinical trials to test the best therapies at home.

Do people think that it is just coincidental that the multiple sclerosis field has over ten times more clinical trials than spinal cord injury? It is because the MS community has committed itself to clinical trials. The MS Society funds over $40 million of research every year. They work closely with companies to ensure that there are clinical trials. They understand that the way to advance in the field is to support science and clinical trials.

Wise.

[paolocipolla]

Originally Posted by Wise Young

FO, as you know, I respect you and your voice. So, your compliment means a lot to me. I would love to be the person who dunked the cure ball... We have spoken a bit about the frustrations that I feel trying to convince the spinal cord injury community that we need to get clinical trials for chronic spinal cord injury going. You would have thought that convincing the community to support clinical trials for chronic spinal cord injury would be a slam-dunk.

But it wasn't and still isn't a slam dunk. I think that a majority of people in the spinal cord injury community still oppose animal research and do not believe in clinical trials. Hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of people are still rushing to fly-by-night clinics to gamble on some therapy. They would rather spend $30,000 on some unproven overseas therapy than to contribute $1 a day to clinical trials to test the best therapies at home.

Do people think that it is just coincidental that the multiple sclerosis field has over ten times more clinical trials than spinal cord injury? It is because the MS community has committed itself to clinical trials. The MS Society funds over $40 million of research every year. They work closely with companies to ensure that there are clinical trials. They understand that the way to advance in the field is to support science and clinical trials.

Wise.

Wise,

in my little experience with people with SCI I have found that if you have to do with the ones that don't see things the same way you do all you get is frustration, and there is noway you can change minds of people with SCI. I am sure that there is a psychological explaination for all this, but I haven't find it yet.
So lately I try to select people I work with, I always give more than one chance to people, but when it becomes evident we are not on the same page I leave them go.
Doing that sometimes you do not have a critical mass, but at least you conserve energy for the next fight, I am also sure you know that better than me.

Paolo

[Leif]

Originally Posted by Wise Young

To fund clinical trials for chronic spinal cord injury, we have established a new fundraising mechanism JustADollarPlease.Org in the U.S., specifically to support clinical trials of therapies for chronic spinal cord injury. On the other hand, it is likely that government funding of clinical trials will be feasible in Europe. For example, Norway is one of the wealthiest countries in the world due to its oil.

Agree, government funding we shall have.

[woman from Europe]

But the oil money is in Switzerland for future generation and it is not much we see of them.

We don't even have a decent SCI hospital with SCI specialists. We have two and Wise have met both of them.

[Leif]

Originally Posted by woman from Europe

But the oil money is in Switzerland for future generation and it is not much we see of them.

This is not correct.

Originally Posted by woman from Europe

We don't even have a decent SCI hospital with SCI specialists. We have two and Wise have met both of them.

And this is not correct.

You don’t know what you talk about.

[Leif]

Originally Posted by woman from Europe

But the oil money is in Switzerland for future generation and it is not much we see of them.

We don't even have a decent SCI hospital with SCI specialists. We have two and Wise have met both of them.

Not correct.

[keeping on]

the results are making rats world over rejoicing and the next step is pigs, and finally humans. The whole bais for this forum is the upcoming tests on humans for chronic conditions. Wise is bringing to fruition the beginning of a new day. The critics and poticians who are aginst stem cell therapy, have no idea what they are thinking and why. I belive the upcoming thrust of research will open the tunnel a little wider for all of us. In the meantime keep up vigours therapy and exercising. We have hope and those conducting research are with us. Those that continue to do research without moving forwanrd will be left behind. Keep the drum beating and good luck to all.

[Duran]

Oh, yes. Pigs are the next step... Idiots!