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Joan, thank you so much for all you do for all of us. Hangin' on, Ray ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joan Snyder" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Monday, September 04, 2006 1:03 PM Subject: the governor and me Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich was coming to Peoria on Friday, September 1st and I was determined to thank him personally for this money and for his commitment to see stem cell research to continue in Peoria and in Illinois.Even though was in town to announce an expanded program allowing all women in Illinows access to Breast & Cervical Cancer screenings, I figured that if I could get a moment, that it would not be entirely inappropriate to tell him how much his words and actions mean to all of us in the PD community. I arrived at the Diagnostic Center of Methodist Medical Center early enough to talk to all of his aides as they set up for the Press Conferenced. and I had the opportuinity to tell a few my reason for being there.When it was time for the event to begin, the speakers entered the staging area from the right. First was Michael Bryant (my very good friend & supporter), followed by 3 or 4 women from the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the local county health dept., a breasty cancer survivor and finally by the Governor with his wife and two young girls with him.Before he even got to his place on the dias, he came down the aisle, the crowd parting for him and walked up to me. Although we had never met before, he took my hands and asked: "Joan Blessington Snyder?" After I said that I was, he questioned "Parkinson's Disease?" Again I nodded. His next words to me were "Hang on...can you please hold on for just a little while longer?? Help is on it's way!! This money and the talents of the researchers here in Peoria are going to find a way to help you." Later on during his speech, he mentioned the stem cell grant and said that if it weren't for the efforts of one person who had written him so many letters and driven his poor aide crazy with all the phone calls urging him to check out the stem cell research in Peoria,he would have been reluctant to designate the money to Peoria. I can only thank the Lord that something I did had made a change in this area. So even when you feel that you are only butting your head against a brick wall, keep up the armchair advocacy. You can never tell when your letters and phone calls are making a difference!!! _July 20, 2006_ Gov. Blagojevich directs $5 million from FY07 budget to stem cell research in Illinois Governor’s action comes one day after Pres. Bush shuts down hope of federal funding for stem cell research CHICAGO – Just one day after President George Bush vetoed bipartisan legislation that would expand scientists’ access to new, healthy uncontaminated stem cell lines, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich announced he is directing $5 million to stem cell research in Illinois in fiscal year 2007. For the second year in a row, the Governor is using his executive authority to bypass stalemates in Springfield and Washington, D.C, and ensure stem cell research continues in Illinois. “President Bush’s action yesterday was a clear indication that stem cell research will get no support from Washington as long as he occupies the White House. And the Illinois General Assembly has yet to back a plan that would provide significant, ongoing support for stem cell research. It would be wrong to ask sick and injured people and their loved ones to wait for the tides in Springfield and Washington to change before research into potentially life-saving cures can move forward. That’s why I am directing $5 million in state funds this fiscal year to continue supporting the research being done. Investing in research that can save lives and prevent serious illnesses is more than a sound public health strategy, it’s our moral obligation,” said Gov. Blagojevich. Gov. Blagojevich is allocating $5 million of state funds from an administrative line in the Department of Healthcare and Family Services’ (HFS) budget to fund stem cell research in Illinois. Recipients will be selected from proposals that were previously submitted, but not funded, based on the recommendations from an outside panel of stem cell research experts and bioethicists that advised the Illinois Regenerative Medicine Institute (IRMI) in its first grant-making process. This past April, the Governor was joined by Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn and Comptroller Dan Hynes in announcing the first ten grants worth a total of $10 million for life-saving stem cell research at several Illinois hospitals and research institutions. “Investing in stem cell research has the potential of saving thousands of lives now and in the future,” said Lt. Gov. Quinn. “Let’s be very clear here. The states did not ask for this responsibility, but the President’s action, in direct conflict with the wishes of a large majority of Americans, has forced us to take on what rightly should be the federal government’s job of funding this life-saving research,” said Hynes. “I am grateful that Governor Blagojevich has had the courage to act.” Last summer by Executive Order, Governor Blagojevich and Comptroller Dan Hynes created the IRMI, making Illinois the first state in the Midwest, and only the fourth state in the nation, to commit public funds to stem cell research. The IRMI program is designed to issue grants for stem cell research to study therapies, protocols, medical procedures, possible cures for, and potential mitigations of major diseases, injuries, and orphan diseases; to support all stages of the process of developing cures from laboratory research through successful clinical trials; and to establish the appropriate regulatory standards for research and facilities development. “Stem cell research has the potential to yield groundbreaking medical advancements for many debilitating diseases. By supporting work in this field, we can help ensure that we are building capacity and expertise here in Illinois in one of the most important areas of research to date,” said Dr. Eric Whitaker, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health. Researching and studying stem cells allows scientists and doctors to better understand what causes serious medical illnesses and conditions such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, spinal cord injury, stroke, and heart disease, in hopes of discovering new ways to treat or even cure them. Stem cells are cells that have the potential to develop into many different types of healthy new cells in the body. As described by the National Institutes of Health, they act like an internal repair system for the body. Stem cells can divide to replenish other cells for as long as the body is alive. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential to either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell like a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell. Studying stem cells allows doctors to analyze how cells transform into other cells. Many of the most serious illnesses or birth defects are caused by problems during the transformation process. Understanding the process better may help doctors discover how to prevent, treat or cure illnesses and conditions. _/Peoria researcher gets stem-cell grant Professor among those awarded state funding Friday, August 18, 2006/_ By MOLLY PARKER Of the Journal Star PEORIA - Imagine a world cured of cancer or a day where no one is terminally diagnosed with memory loss, heart failure, diabetes or a number of other ailments that strip Americans from their lives every day. Or think about a doctor delivering this prognosis to a patient with a broken back from a skiing accident: "Yes, you will walk again." It's all possible, maybe in the next three to four years, says Dr. Jasti Rao, a professor and head of the department of cancer biology and pharmacology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria. "I'm hoping," said Rao, the recipient of a $1.1 million state grant announced Thursday at a news conference in Chicago. "Everybody should hope this is the treatment. It's better than any other treatment." Rao was one of seven researchers awarded pieces of a controversial $5 million allotment of state money Gov. Rod Blagojevich set aside in the budget for stem-cell research. The money will go toward continued lab research on the effects of stem cells derived from umbilical cords and placentas when injected into rats and mice with a host of diseases. This research could be translated into cures for humans in "maybe in three to four years," Rao said. Rao has seen positive results from healthy stem cells - essentially building blocks of the human body - when they are injected into cancerous tumors or spinal injuries. "They are killing the cancer cells and helping repair the spinal cord injuries," Rao said. Blagojevich announced the additional funding for stem-cell research in July, saying it would come out of a budget line item for medical programs. The announcement came on the heels of President George W. Bush's veto of legislation that would have provided federal assistance for embryonic stem-cell research, a controversial practice because scientists destroy the embryo when they extract the stem cells. Scientists argue studying the stems cells is better than throwing them away, which often happens with extras at in-vitro fertilization clinics. But critics contend the research destroys a potential human life, is difficult to regulate and could lead to human cloning. Blagojevich's funding, which also includes $10 million from the last budget cycle, provides grants to scientists in Illinois studying both embryonic and cord blood stem cells. Rao said his research is done solely with stem cells taken from umbilical cord blood, meaning no embryos are destroyed in the process. State Rep. David Leitch, R-Peoria, who years ago sponsored legislation allowing for mothers to donate their umbilical cord blood for scientific research, said he's excited Dr. Rao received the funding, though he thought the money should have come to Peoria in the last round. "I'm very happy he will have the opportunity to do his research, because I think he may well hold the key to some important answers," Leitch said. -- Joan Blessington Snyder 54/16 [log in to unmask] www.calipso-pd.org “Hang tough……..no way through it but to do it.” Chris in the Morning Northern Exposure ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn