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Fighting for all of us Column by Jaime Richards Article Last Updated: 01/13/2007 02:31:00 AM PST DON REED wants to change the world. For all of our sakes, I hope he does. Reed is a remarkable guy. A Renaissance man, he used to be a champion weightlifter, a professional scuba diver and an award-winning author. In only his third year of teaching, he was named Fremont Teacher of the Year. Now retired, he finds his most important work ahead of him. In 1994, Reed's son, Roman, was paralyzed from the neck down while playing football at Chabot College. From that moment on, Reed has been relentlessly attacking fate. He refuses to believe that Roman's - or anyone else's - paralysis is permanent. On the home page of his blog, "STEM CELL BATTLES," next to a photo of a wheelchair, Reed writes, "See that empty wheelchair? We who fight for embryonic stem cell research believe that wheelchairs are for temporary occupancy only. We do not accept the diagnosis of 'incurable,' given to more than one hundred million Americans with cancer, paralysis, Alzheimer's, AIDS, diabetes, MS, and more. We are America's millions: patients, family, and friends. We support research to bring cures, to empty the wheelchairs everywhere." When you've witnessed miracles, you begin to believe in them. He was told his son never would be able to move a muscle. Today, although still in a wheelchair, Roman has regained many physical abilities. He drives to work as the vice chair of the Fremont Parks and Recreation Commission, has been married for 10 years and coaches his two sons' baseball, basketball and soccer teams. Remember that controversial public service commercial starring the late Christopher Reeve? The one where computers made it look like the quadriplegic Reeve was walking onto a stage to speak? Reeve died believing that commercial was no fantasy. Don Reed carries on Reeve's fight. His days are spent reading, studying, thinking, planning, speaking, writing and, most of all, lobbying for stem cell research. It's Reed's passion. His original motivation was obvious, but now the fight is much larger than a father fighting for his son. It's a committed man battling for all of us. He believed that the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, widely supported by most Americans - 72 percent - and even last year's Republican-controlled Congress - 56 percent - was his weapon. It wasn't. The president vetoed the bill, and Congress couldn't override it. But Reed isn't giving up. The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act is back on the floor of the new, Democratically controlled Congress. According to Reed, the new bill, now called HR3 and SB5, "offers a nonpolitical way to increase the number of federally funded stem cell lines, all from microscopic blastocysts otherwise thrown away, turning laboratory trash into a treasure of hope for our loved ones." When Reed spoke to the 50-plus seniors at Mission San Jose High School, he was enthusiastically received by most. A few, however, thought his message was too "political." But Reed isn't about politics. He's about finding a cause, believing in it deeply and fighting for it fiercely. Jaime Richards teaches in Fremont. Contact him at [log in to unmask] or visit http://www.what-it-takes.com. Print Friendly View Email Article Return to Top Comment on this article by clicking on the link below. Notice: InsideBayArea.com reserves the right to delete obscene, libelous or abusive comments. Cars Rentals Jobs Homes Fleetwood '87 Bounder (Cars) $12,000 34ft, w/d, 2bds Volkswagen '69 Bug (Cars) $2400 private '93 TOYOTA SR5 Kingcab (Cars) $4500 V6, 4x4, 155K mi FORD '92 F250 XLT (Cars) $4000 V8 longbed COACHMAN '99 (Cars) $9000 5th whl VEHICLES Wanted (Cars) 510-677-7785 BMW '91 (Cars) $14,995 Beautiful CADILLAC '87 (Cars) $900 runs good. All Listings Oakland (Rentals) $975 2Bd/1ba Half Moon Bay (Rentals) $5500 5bd/4ba Hayward (Rentals) $750+ 1BD, $950+ 2BD Alameda (Rentals) $285/week Half Moon Bay (Rentals) $5500 5bd/4ba Hayward (Rentals) $925 2BD Oakland (Rentals) $1100 2B Penthouse Union City (Rentals) $1000 3BD/2BA All Listings BEAUTICIAN (Jobs) ESKATON Class B & C Drivers (Jobs) A-PARATRANSIT CORPORATION Warehouse (Jobs) Arch Mirror Contact Lens Specialist (Jobs) VALLEY EYECARE CENTER RECEPTIONIST (Jobs) ELEMENT ENTERPRISES Process Engineer/Sr. Analytical Chemist (Jobs) Benefit San Francisco CAREGIVER/CNA'S (Jobs) SENIOR SOLUTIONS INC JANITORS (Jobs) CHALLENGES INT'L INC. All Listings Fremont (Homes) $618,000 3BD/2BA Hayward (Homes) $365,000 3bd/1.5ba Castro Valley (Homes) $559,950 3bd/2ba Hayward (Homes) $1000 2bd/1ba Berkeley (Homes) $799,000 2BD/1BA Hayward (Homes) $1000 1bd San Leandro (Homes) $895,000 Oakland (Homes) $324,000 1bd/1ba All Listings ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn