but this is also personal.
Up until this point, I have not used this blog to share my political opinions or frustration. Yes, I have very strong feelings about the way my country is being governed, but I have kept my blogging to the things that affect me personally, on a daily basis. Well, today I am sad and angry. I am sorry for ranting on such an emotional and divisive subject, but I have to do it. Yesterday's presidential veto touches my life personally.
For those of you who don't know, I was injured in a car accident on January 5, 1991. I broke my neck and injured my spinal cord. My life was changed so dramatically that I cannot begin to describe the challenges I have faced and continue to face on a daily basis. Don't get me wrong, I am extremely grateful for the things that I am able to do and for my amazing family and friends who constantly pick up the slack for the things I cannot. I live an incredibly full life, with a wonderful husband and beautiful boys. I am active and healthy. I love my life, but I cannot say that I don't wonder, from time to time, how life might be without my disability.
Fifteen years ago, the doctors told me that we were 5 to 10 years from a cure. That seemed like a long time to a 19 year old, but I figured that I could handle it, knowing that it wouldn't be a forever kind of thing. About 4 years later, Chris Reeves broke his neck. I remember feeling so sorry for him, understanding how overwhelmingly frustrating his injury would be. I also have to admit that his injury gave me a little hope. I realized that he could use his celebrity and influence to bring attention and funding to the search for a cure. He did not let me down. His strength and determination brought the search for a cure to the public's attention like no one else had ever done. I was amazed!
Not too long after his accident, maybe 6 months or a year, I caught an interview that Chris Reeves did on television. Something he said caught me by surprise. He said that we were just 5 to 10 years away from a cure... This was 5 years after my accident! My heart sank. OK, I thought, I'm doing alright. I can do this for another 5 years...
I have not followed the current research. I don't sit around waiting for a cure. I am living my life to the fullest that I think I can, but that doesn't mean that I haven't noticed that it has been 10 years since Chris Reeves was told that we were 5 to 10 years away from a break through. No one knows how far we are from a cure. Maybe it will be another 5 to 10 years. Whatever. What I do know is that the only way to find a cure is to do research. Research takes money, and the kind of research that is needed for spinal cord injuries and many neurological diseases is dependent on Federal funding. It will not get done at the same rate without it.
As I understand it, the bill that was vetoed yesterday would have allowed Federal funding for research on stem cells taken from fertility clinics that would otherwise be thrown away. I do not understand the argument that Bush gives. He is not preserving life if the cells are going to be destroyed anyway. We are simply throwing out an opportunity to help millions of people with the much needed funding for research. Research that offers us hope for a better life.
