Dear fellow Parkies, caregivers and friends,

NOW IS THE TIME YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING TO CHANGE THE WORLD:

1.  Read Carl Ricco's plea written below, then

2.  Donate only $21.00 to www.njforhope.org

3.  Print out  just a couple copies of the letter below:.  Pass one copy
around to your  neighbors.  Add a friendly  note
(a short note) Ask them to read the mesage. It truly  will give the voters
understanding.  Maybe  ask the neighbor to initial  the last page and pass
on to another neighbor.  The same can be done through your famiy
members.
NJ surely  appreciates your help!
Thanks a million times.
Claire

Dear Friend,
        In 20 days, New Jersey will be offered a choice.  The stakes could
not be higher.
        Do we embrace the power and promise of stem cell research, or do we
allow this historic opportunity to transform lives simply pass us by?

        Do we support the aggressive, moral, and ethical pursuit of cures,
or do we ignore this chance to deliver a better tomorrow for those who are
suffering today?

        On the ballot on Tuesday, November 6th is a Referendum asking
whether New Jersey should invest $450 million a year for the next decade in
stem cell research.  It is research that could lead to a cure for
Parkinson's disease, juvenile diabetes, spinal cord injury, multiple
sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease and many other debilitating diseases and
conditions.

        Stem Cell Research is also an investment in the future of New
Jersey.  Passage of this Referendum will create jobs in our State, promote
cutting edge scientific innovation, and spur economic development.

        We Must vote YES for ballot Question # 2 --- The Stem Cell Research
Bond Act.

        We must Vote YES for Hope!

        Below is an Op Ed piece from Carl Riccio, a senior at Villanova
University who was tragically injured in a high school wrestling match in
2003.   Carl is a leading advocate for the advancement of stem cell research
and his moving words tell the story of what this ballot question is really
all about.

        Please email it to all those in your contact lists to encourage them
to VOTE YES FOR HOPE--Ballot Question # 2 -- and thus help support Carl and
those they love who would benefit from this groundbreaking science.

Riccio: Green light for stem cell funding?
Sunday, October 14, 2007

By CARL RICCIO

CLOSE YOUR EYES for a moment and visualize a young man, strong and vibrant,
with the world at his fingertips. Now picture that young man being told
that, in the blink of an eye, his life as he knew it was over. Imagine him
hearing the words that he may never walk again, or tie his own shoes, throw
a ball with his child, or hug his parents.

Now let me introduce you to that person. It is me.

Now imagine that there is something you could do to help reverse this
terrible reality. Imagine having the chance to harness some of the world's
greatest minds, who believe a cure is literally within their grasp, not just
for me but for those you love who suffer from Alzheimer's disease,
Parkinson's disease, juvenile diabetes or multiple sclerosis.

On Nov. 6, when you see the Stem Cell Research Referendum on your ballot,
you can do that. You can vote to allow our state to invest up to $45 million
per year for the next decade in stem cell research, facilitating an
aggressive, moral and ethical pursuit of cures.

Those who oppose research, and this referendum in particular, urge you to
allow this moment to simply pass us by. Their opposition is grounded in
either remarkable ignorance or a complete indifference to the truth. Their
chief claim is that stem cell research is actually a sneaky way to allow the
rampant cloning of human beings.

Here is what they conveniently forget to say: The very same law that created
this November's ballot referendum, Public Law 2007, chapter 117,
specifically states that "no funds authorized for, or made available to, an
eligible research institution pursuant to this act shall be used for the
purpose of human cloning."

Moreover, the very same law that legalized stem cell research in New Jersey,
enacted in 2004, also stated that "a person who knowingly engages or
assists, directly or indirectly, in the cloning of a human being is guilty
of a crime in the first degree." So how exactly is the ballot question going
to foster human cloning?

One New Jersey legislator, Assemblyman Michael Doherty, R-Warren, went so
far earlier this year as to refer to embryonic stem cell research as
"expensive and aimless" and "devoid of any real or measurable potential."
That statement is devoid of factual basis.

Former Republican U. S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who unlike
Doherty is a physician, gave a speech two years ago in which he said that
embryonic stem cells "especially offer hope for treating a range of diseases
that require tissue to regenerate or restore function." That was two years
ago. Imagine how much closer we are today than we were two years ago.

I am certain that there are those under the cloak of being "pro-life" who
will continue to disregard my life and the lives of others in my situation.
They will seek to defeat this referendum through ideologically driven
deception.

The stakes are just too high for that.

Allowing stem cell research to take place in our state nearly four years ago
was historic. Funding the laboratories where it can best flourish, as was
done last year, was the next step. But without the long-term resources to
conduct the cutting-edge science that this referendum would provide, our job
is not yet done.

I was injured on Feb. 22, 2003. Sometime later, I realized that dwelling on
"what might have been" was probably not healthy, but dreaming and hoping
with the proper perspective is both healthy and productive.

Every day since the day I was injured, my mom has said to me, "Carl, I am
going out today to find you a cure."

On Nov. 6, you can cast a vote to help her do that. This is the moment where
politics and rhetoric must be rejected, and facts and hope embraced.

I believe strongly we can defeat these and other terrible medical conditions
just as we have defeated so many others that, at the time, seemed truly
insurmountable. And I believe this referendum may well give us the funds we
need to do it in this decade.
I have made a lot of progress these past four years. I recently started my
senior year in college, and I am studying to go to law school. I am very
thankful for what I have.

But I am still dreaming and hoping for more, because I know that tomorrow
can be better than today.

        For More Information on how to get involved in the effort to pass
the Stem Cell Research Bond Act on November 6th, please visit
www.njforhope.org.

Rayilyn Brown
Board Member AZNPF
Arizona Chapter National Parkinson's Foundation
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