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Source: Capital Times Paralyzed racer says politics shouldn't slow stem cell research Nate Carey - 9/22/2008 10:07 am This week Madison is playing host to the World Stem Cell Summit, and Sunday's "Lab on the Lake" segment featured inspirational speaker Sam Schmidt, the former Indy Racing League driver who now is chairman of the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation. "I am really proud to be here and be a part of (the conference)," said Schmidt, who also now owns his own race team. "There is so much information here, and I am still learning every day about the research that is going on everywhere (on stem cells)." Though stem cell research has become a hot-button issue in the political arena, there is a lot of confusion about what it really involves. To educate the public, those who are putting on the World Stem Cell Summit offered a free primer on this burgeoning area of research on Sunday. Dubbed "Lab on the Lake," the event was open to people of all ages and interests. The event was held at the Pyle Center on the UW-Madison campus and featured hands-on labs, panel discussions with experts on a range of other happenings related to stem cell research. The old saying goes that "lighting never strikes the same place twice," but in the case of the Schmidt family, it has. When Sam was 11 years old, his father had an accident during an off-road racing event, leaving him partially paralyzed. Twenty-six years later, on Jan. 6, 2000, Sam -- who by then was a premiere driver in the Indy Racing League -- was testing in preparation for the upcoming racing season when his car bottomed-out as he entered the second turn at the Walt Disney Speedway in Orlando, Fla., forcing him to crash into the wall. The impact of hitting the wall crushed his spinal cord at the C-3 and C-4 levels, and he went more than four minutes without breathing. Schmidt spent five weeks on a respirator before being able to breath for himself, and is now paralyzed from the shoulders down. Yet Schmidt has battled on and has found comfort and stability thanks to his family -- his wife Sheila, son Spencer and daughter Savannah. "I am extremely blessed. I have a very strong faith, a wonderful supportive family, I've got a wife and kids that love me, and probably the most important thing is that I've got good insurance," said Schmidt. "Ninety-nine percent of the people I meet out there with any type of disability don't have a lot of those elements. I'm just truly blessed to have them all." In 2001, just 14 months after his accident and at the urging of his wife and parents, Schmidt announced the formation of Sam Schmidt Motorsports. His drivers won Indy Pro Series titles in 2006 and 2007, and this past season Richard Antinucci finished second in the points race. The reason for Schmidt's speech in Madison on Sunday was to raise awareness for the issue of stem cells and its research. On that point, Schmidt made it very clear where he stood. "To me, it's a shame that a lot of this research and the funding and the future of it has become a political debate," he said. "To me, that should not be a part of what this is all about. It's about making lives better and fixing this issue. "We live in the greatest country in the world, and here we are being limited by a political debate, and it seems like a waste to me." It's been 10 years since UW-Madison biologist James Thomson became the first scientist to coax stem cells from human embryos. The discovery was significant because stem cells are capable of transforming into cells from any organ tissue in the body. Scientists say these so-called pluripotent cells hold the key to discovering the causes and cures for many human ailments, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, juvenile diabetes, blindness and spinal cord injuries. But because embryos are destroyed in the process, stem cell research has become a target of anti-abortion groups and socially conservative politicians like President Bush who support restrictions on such research. Just last year, however, researchers in Thomson's lab announced they had produced stem cells from human skin cells, a move that might ultimately quiet the opposition to stem cell research. Scientists say that more study of these skin cells is needed to ensure they don't differ from embryonic stem cells in unexpected ways. To Schmidt, the use of stem cells to find cures should not be a political issue. He also called for a move forward with the stem cell research that is already being done -- a move to human trials. "Our foundation's motto is 'Race to Recovery' and that is what this is all about. There needs to be a sense of urgency," Schmidt said. "I think if Christopher Reeves was here today he would be saying the same thing. We were both sick of watching rats walk. We need to move and push for human clinical trials -- safe, FDA-approved clinical trials." That is obviously easier said than done, but it is conferences like the World Stem Cell Summit -- which will take place Monday and Tuesday at the Alliant Energy Center's Exhibition Hall -- that can get the ball rolling and allow information to be shared and, in the end, help to advance the research on stem cells. "It is so important for a summit like this to occur," said Schmidt. "I don't know how else to express it. A lot of times in situations like this I use the analogy of my team, because I have been racing all my life. I never was able to win a race by myself. I was always part of a team. "I think if we use that analogy of a team effort, and work together collaboratively in situations like this where people compare information, that we can ultimately win that race, and that to me is the big picture." In the end, Schmidt hopes to get more people involved in, or at least made aware of, stem cell research, and hopes that those people will do the right thing when the time comes. "We all have an ability to get the information, do the research on stem cells, on different types that are out there, and make a decision," Schmidt said. "Yes there are a lot of ethical and moral questions to be answered out there. But do the research, make an informed decision and vote appropriately." For more information on the World Stem Cell Summit, visit www.worldstemcellsummit.com. Nate Carey - 9/22/2008 10:07 am Tom Strattman/Associated Press Sam Schmidt, once a top Indy Racing League driver, was paralyzed from the shoulders down after crashing his car in 2000. He now owns a race team. Rayilyn Brown Director AZNPF Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn