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		LISTSERV Archives
		PARKINSN Home
		PARKINSN May 2001, Week 2
Subject:
Re: Great News !!
From:
Jo Ann Coen <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To:
Parkinson's Information Exchange Network <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 12 May 2001 18:24:28 EDT
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (332 lines)
Kees - Congratulations!! On many things.  First for the new baby, second
being with the one you love and third donating the embryos for research.
I wish others would see the need.  You have much going for you, and I
love your upbeat attitude.  Best wishes, Jo Ann
On Sat, 12 May 2001 17:23:55 -0500 Kees Paap <[log in to unmask]>
writes:
><html>
><br>
><font size=4><b>This is a letter of love, getting pregnant and Stem
>cells.&nbsp;    <br>
><br>
><br>
></b>Hi, we are Faye and Kees; we are very happy together and God has
>blessed us <br>
>with even more happiness.<br>
><br>
>Faye is my lovely wife since February 1998. She married me in spite,
>or
><br>
>better with my Parkinson's Disease. Faye is a general surgeon and a
>good
><br>
>one. Her patients are very pleased with her (I get to hear that sorts
>of
><br>
>things). Faye is 39 and her greatest wish, no make that her second
>greatest <br>
>wish, is to have a baby. Her biggest wish is to have Kees cured from
><br>
>Parkinson's Disease. Faye is waiting for a cure.<br>
><br>
>Kees (that's me)&nbsp; is from Holland. We met in Holland during a
>vacation of <br>
>Faye�s. I fell in love with Faye and wrote her a poem (actually&nbsp;
>more than <br>
>one). I am a 51 years old man with a 12 year history of Parkinson�
>Disease. <br>
>I have been very active in the Parkinson's movement in Holland and
>Europe
><br>
>and a little in the USA.&nbsp; It is getting worse for me and life is
>some days a <br>
>struggle. BUT my spirit is unbroken. I am waiting for a cure.<br>
><br>
>I&nbsp; have wonderful extended relatives - Fayes family. They see me
>smashing <br>
>things or not moving at all. My nephews (6 and 4) asked their mother
>why
>I <br>
>moved that much. My father-in-law lived for 6 months with us.&nbsp; He
>saw what <br>
>PD is like. They all are praying for me and Faye.&nbsp; 10 relatives
>ready and <br>
>waiting for my cure.<br>
><br>
>We have a great church family. They pray for us and they love us very
>much <br>
>and we love&nbsp; them very much. Faye and I usually sit on 3rd or 4th
>row, <br>
>because I don't want to miss anything. By now the people are used to
>see
>me <br>
>wiggle or hardly move at all. I don't help at the communion table
>anymore. I <br>
>can't help with administrative tasks, because nobody can read my <br>
>handwriting. But I can pray and I can tell them how happy I am with
>the
><br>
>things I can do.&nbsp; I share my poems with them. 356 people are
>praying
>for the <br>
>cure.<br>
><br>
>My bowling friends see me bowl a 170 and then a 70. They know about my
><br>
>Parkinson�s. I have hit many of them with my involuntary movements.
>They
><br>
>have learned to stay out of my range. I still manage to hit
>them.&nbsp; I
>bowl in <br>
>2 leagues on Tuesday evenings. Totally, I know about 150 bowlers. They
>would <br>
>love to hear that the cure is found. <br>
><br>
>I have bowled against many of them&nbsp; in one of my four
>Bowl-a-thons.
>I bowled <br>
>24, 28, 6 and 14 hours. The last one was April 28. They know that
>bowling
>is <br>
>important for me, that it is one of my ways to stay in good shape. 24
>staff <br>
>members hope for me that a cure will be found soon. <br>
>        <br>
>Further I have a lot of People whom I know through living, shopping,
><br>
>visiting doctors, builders, Radio and TV people and people I know from
><br>
>volunteering work. At least another 100 people who know that a cure
>can
>be <br>
>found soon.<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
>Totally 632 people waiting for a cure for Parkinson�s Disease for me.
>I
>am <br>
>one of about 650,000 people with PD in the USA, and there are some
><br>
>Parkinson�s Disease people who will be counted double. So I subtract
>132.
><br>
>So, 500 left, multiplied by 650,000 is 325,000,000 American people who
>are <br>
>waiting for a cure.&nbsp; And then we have Alzheimer, Diabetes and
>more
>of those <br>
>horrible diseases.<br>
><br>
><br>
>The total population of the USA is waiting for the cure!!&nbsp; But
>what
>will the <br>
>cure be?&nbsp; Some of the most prominent people in science will tell
>you
>that <br>
>the secret will be found with the stem cell theory. Stem Cells can be
><br>
>retrieved from several different sources. One of them is from
>embryo�s.
>Faye <br>
>and I have experienced where the Stem Cells are found that they use
>for
><br>
>research for the cause and the cure of so many diseases.<br>
><br>
>We are so happy!&nbsp; After a year trying to get pregnant in the
>normal
>way, we <br>
>started with the IUI method and 3 months ago with the IVF method. The
>IVF
><br>
>method is the In Vitro Fertilization. In normal language it means that
>the <br>
>eggs of the woman are harvested and are fertilized with the seeds of
>the
><br>
>man. After that the embryo�s are implanted in the woman. Faye is
>pregnant!! <br>
>We know that for some weeks now, but today we heard the heart beat of
>our
>baby.<br>
><br>
>Before the IVF took place we had to sign papers in which, amongst
>other
><br>
>things, we indicated what to do with the unused embryo�s. They are
>frozen
><br>
>and can be destroyed after a certain period or you can decide to
>donate
>them <br>
>to a research project. We signed for them to go to Parkinson research.
>Why <br>
>did we do that?&nbsp; Because we think that it is a waste to throw
>them
>away if <br>
>they can be of any help to find the cure for this awful disease. If it
>is
><br>
>not for me, then it is for the next generation. This research cannot
>be
><br>
>stopped!!&nbsp; It is too important for too many people. <br>
><br>
>Following you find the a part of the text of the NIH about Stem Cells.
>In
><br>
>the Summary is made clear that not just PD will be cured if the
>research
><br>
>will be funded. Diseases as MS, Diabetes and Alzheimer�s may find
>their
>way <br>
>into history also.<br>
><br>
>God Bless you all,<br>
><br>
><br>
>Kees Paap<br>
><br>
><br>
>May 11, 2001<br>
><br>
>E-mail :&nbsp;&nbsp;  [log in to unmask]<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
>============================================<br>
><br>
>What is a stem cell? (Source NIH : Stem Cells : A Primer)<br>
><br>
>Stem cells have the ability to divide for indefinite periods in
>culture
>and <br>
>to give rise to specialized cells. They are best described in the
>context
>of <br>
>normal human development. Human development begins when a sperm
>fertilizes <br>
>an egg and creates a single cell that has the potential to form an
>entire
><br>
>organism. This fertilized egg is , meaning that its potential is
>total.
>In <br>
>the first hours after fertilization, this cell divides into identical
><br>
>totipotent cells. This means that either one of these cells, if placed
>into <br>
>a woman's uterus, has the potential to develop into a fetus. In fact,
><br>
>identical twins develop when two totipotent cells separate and develop
>into <br>
>two individual, genetically identical human beings. Approximately four
>days <br>
>after fertilization and after several cycles of cell division, these
><br>
>totipotent cells begin to specialize, forming a hollow sphere of
>cells,
><br>
>called a blastocyst. The blastocyst has an outer layer of cells and
>inside <br>
>the hollow sphere, there is a cluster of cells called the inner cell
>mass. <br>
>The outer layer of cells will go on to form the placenta and other
><br>
>supporting tissues needed for fetal development in the uterus. The
>inner
><br>
>cell mass cells will go on to form virtually all of the tissues of the
>human <br>
>body. Although the inner cell mass cells can form virtually every type
>of
><br>
>cell found in the human body, they cannot form an organism because
>they
>are <br>
>unable to give rise to the placenta and supporting tissues necessary
>for
><br>
>development in the human uterus. These inner cell mass cells are&nbsp;
>��
>they <br>
>can give rise to many types of cells but not all types of cells
>necessary
><br>
>for fetal development. Because their potential is not total, they are
>not
><br>
>totipotent and they are not embryos. In fact, if an inner cell mass
>cell
><br>
>were placed into a woman's uterus, it would not develop into a fetus.
><br>
><br>
>The pluripotent stem cells undergo further specialization into stem
>cells
><br>
>that are committed to give rise to cells that have a particular
>function.
><br>
>Examples of this include blood stem cells which give rise to red blood
><br>
>cells, white blood cells and platelets; and skin stem cells that give
>rise <br>
>to the various types of skin cells. These more specialized stem cells
>are
><br>
>called . While stem cells are extraordinarily important in early human
><br>
>development, multipotent stem cells are also found in children and
>adults. <br>
>For example, consider one of the best understood stem cells, the blood
>stem <br>
>cell. Blood stem cells reside in the bone marrow of every child and
>adult, <br>
>and in fact, they can be found in very small numbers circulating in
>the
><br>
>blood stream. Blood stem cells perform the critical role of
>continually
><br>
>replenishing our supply of blood cells �� red blood cells, white blood
><br>
>cells, and platelets �� throughout life. A person cannot survive
>without
><br>
>blood stem cells. <br>
><br>
> <br>
>Given the enormous promise of stem cells to the development of new
>therapies <br>
>for the most devastating diseases, it is important to simultaneously
>pursue <br>
>all lines of research. Science and scientists need to search for the
>very
><br>
>best sources of these cells. When they are identified, regardless of
>their <br>
>sources, researchers will use them to pursue the development of new
>cell
><br>
>therapies. <br>
><br>
>Read it all at :&nbsp;&nbsp;
><a href="http://www.nih.gov/news/stemcell/primer.htm"
>eudora="autourl">http://www.nih.gov/news/stemcell/primer.htm</a><br>
></font>
><BR>
></html>
>
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