This child, my niece Destiny Marie, needs stem cell research

[DanCa]

This is another why I hate the christian right. You see the pretty blonde fifth grader in the picture? She's my niece Destiny Marie and she has a severe form of hemophilia known as Von Willowbrandes.
Destiny is like the thousands of other kids who has to stick needles in her arms, and go thru thousands of dolloars of product a year to keep her living a normal life.

I love my niece more than life itself and I want any prolifer anti stem cell person to look into her pretty blue eyes and deny her research that can give her a normal life. I want you to look into her eyes amd tell her that a cell is more important than a living breathing human being. And I want you pharmicist for life people to tell her in all your righteous glory that she has to bleed to death because she will need birth control to regulate her period when she turns 13. All for your religious view points.

Inclosing I want to say that this is my niece Destiny Marie and I love her very much. And I feel that no ones religious beliefs or political affilation has the right to give her a normal, pain free life. And to all those who recognise the importance of this research my best possible white light and thank you to you.

[EFerrari]

1. We'll get it done. Thank you for sharing this beautiful child. n/t

[DanCa]

2. Thank you sfexpat

You know my heart just rips apart when people call me an embryo farmer or toddler killer for wanting to save her . I am glad I have people on DU for support. Thanks a million. :hug:

[EFerrari]

4. People have a lot of fear in them. And that's a shame.

You keep going with your gut. It works.

:toast:

[latebloomer]

3. My 4-year-old niece has a rare blood disorder

and a year ago she had a transplant using stem cells from her baby brother's umbilical cord blood.

It's been a hairy, scary year but the transplant seems to be working and she is out of the woods.

I wish all the luck and healing in the world to your beautiful niece and hope she gets the treatment she deserves.

[DanCa]

5. Thank you and best wishes to your niece

Where on a waitting list for chord blood hopefully she'll be called soon. Peace to your family. I know how scary bleeding disorders can be. :hug:

[latebloomer]

7. Thank you, Dan!

It will be a heartfelt Thanksgiving for us this year.

Peace and love to your family.

:hug:

[SoCalDem]

19. Something I have wondered about re umbilical cord blood

Is there enough to save for the baby whose cord was used? What a bummer if baby C's cord blood was used to treat an illness with baby A, and later in life, baby C developed a condition that his own cord blood could treat..

How much is recovered..and reserved for the one who donated it?

It's exciting technology to be sure..

Good news about your niece :)

[latebloomer]

25. wow, interesting question!

And I don't know the answer.

I have the impression they used all of her little brother's cord blood, but I could be wrong.

Maybe I'll ask them tomorrow-- although I wouldn't want to give them something else to worry about.

Her illness was diagnosed right after birth. Her brother, who's going on 3, is very healthy, and was going on 2 when she was transplanted. Probably they assumed he was fine, and, since we don't save cord blood of normal infants as a matter of course, they gave it all to her. I'm not sure, but maybe they needed it all for her transplant.

BTW, I'll add that the whole experience was quite an ordeal. She had to undergo chemotherapy first to break down her immune system, then the transplant, a month in isolation, couple more months inpatient, more months visiting the clinic a few times a week, all kinds of heavy anti-rejection drugs, the risk of various "graft vs. host" diseases with the potential to destroy her kidneys-- the list of risks is endless. She had many side effects, some very worrisome, but none proved life-threatening. And she's still on some heavy meds and will not be allowed to go back to school till the fall, since her immune system is still not up to par.

And many, many of the children they met in the unit did not survive the transplants. Many of them were there for childhood cancers, and their immune systems were already greatly weakened by previous rounds of chemo, etc. It was a heartrending experience for my brother and sister-in-law.

The wonderful news is that the graft has taken, and a child who was unable to produce her own red blood cells (with attendant risks and damage to organs), is now functioning normally.

It's a very hopeful technology, but by no means is it a sure thing.

[Auntie Bush]

32. Is that you? Wow ,sexy.

[in_cog_ni_to]

6. Destiny Marie is a beautiful little girl and will get the help she needs.

We will turn their stem cell policies around so we can help people like her and Parkinson patients like you. They have no right to dictate who lives and who dies, who suffers and who doesn't. Their asses are on the way OUT and their policies will be stopped. Hang in there Dan! :hug:

[EFerrari]

8. That's right! They jumped the shark.

And I for one am really grateful for their arrogance.

Schizophrenia runs in my husband's family. We could be doing so much more there, too -- instead of using napalm on Iraqi civilians. Expensive napalm that the fake Christians justify.

This country has had enough. Take heart.

:hug:

[DanCa]

9. Thank you incognito

-semi joking - my family has a trifectic in bad genetic stew my brother doug has multiple scerolosis - thankfully its in remission. That's probably why I am so intune with whats going on. Some would say too much so. Peace incoginito thank you for the concern you showed my family :hug:

[in_cog_ni_to]

11. GEEZ. Think of all the people who could be helped by stem cell research!

In YOUR family alone...3 people! Multiply that by millions and that is a LOT of people! Who the hell are they? A MINORITY Christian RW dictating what a MAJORITY needs and wants? :grr:

How does your sister feel about you, your brother and Destiny not getting help from stem cell research?

[DanCa]

22. Sis is against stem cell research verbally against it.

That's one of the reasons that my old man told her if she wants help with college and to stay in the house that she cant talk politics to anyone.

[demnan]

10. Next time there's a protest march about stem cell research

count me in!

[EFerrari]

12. kick

for this lovely child and for all the lovely ones.

[LisaLynne]

13. You have a beautiful niece and ...

I'm sorry that the ignorant in this country are trying to stop research that could help her. It makes me sick. These people never think about the actual people they might be affecting. They just want to have a chance to act all self-righteous and tell other people what is right and wrong.

And what they can't seem to get through their heads is that it is only their BELIEF. What is happening to this country? How did we get so backwards? The mind boggles.

I wish all the best for your niece. I think we are making progress and perhaps we will be able to turn the tide and show these idiots who oppose science the door soon.

[leesa]

14. There is a new center for stem cell research being developed for stem cell

procedures of all sorts a Madison Wisconsin. Might want to check it out if she hasn't already. Should be lots of clinical trials coming out.

[Ilsa]

15. Blessings to her, DanCa, and to all doing the hard work of

stem cell research and protecting it. She's a beautiful girl. I'm truly sorry she and others have to endure this.

[DanCa]

16. To all my friends on DU thank you all so much for your support.

You people are more than message board screen names your my family.
I am saying a special prayer thank you and good vibes for everyone today and at Thanksgiving Dinner tomarrow.
:hug: :thumbsup:

[dogday]

17. My most heartful wishes for your niece.

Yes, she is one of a million reasons we should be working with embryonic stem cells. My youngest sister is Autistic and this work could of helped her as well.

[DanCa]

21. Autisim is another illness that can be treated....

You know I was readding that article about the mother who was kicked out of the RC. "Prolifer's" are just beyond hypocritical. Autisim, Als, parkinsons, diabetes, ms, so many living breathing people have t o suffer for thier religous views. It aint right.
Peace dogday we shall over come.

[cassiepriam]

18. Tears in my eyes as I say a prayer for your sweet niece and you.

And damn those religious wing nuts. They can (and will) burn in hell for all the bad they have done.

[DanCa]

20. Most appreciated

:hug: peace to you and yours.

[roguevalley]

23. you are absolutely right. hug your baby and tell her people she

will never know love her and pray for her good health.

[DanCa]

27. I will and thanks i am saving this post and am going to show her it

tomarrow. You guys are all wonderful. :hug:

[Gormy Cuss]

24. Beautiful child

and a beautiful post, DanCa. I hope that we can get reasonable humans back in charge of our country in time to help her and the thousands of others who might benefit from stem cell research.

[DanCa]

26. Thank you - I love her dearly

you'll notice how just by talking about her my anger subsided.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

28. Oh Jesus--I couldn't imagine being a female hemophiliac.

My own goddamn menstural cycles are frigged up and heavy as it is. I couldn't ever imagine bleeding to death.

:scared::scared:

[DanCa]

29. I am just worried what will happen if they outlaw birth control for her.

Hell am so scared that if she gets a cut I cant watch war movies.
:hug: lets just hope the dems shoot down the alito nomination.

[DanCa]

30. Thank you all for you wondeful comments and pms.

Your the best group of people on the net. Peace :hug:

[SW FL Dem]

31. Your niece is a beautiful young woman

I wish you both the best. Issues like this really bring home the tragic cost that innocent people are paying because of the current administration.

[FlemingsGhost]

33. I believe it is impossible to "love" and "hate" at the same time.

Good looking kid. May she live a long, happy life.

[DanCa]

34. I printed out all of these post and am going to show it too Destiny

Both my parents couldn't believe the overwhelming support you guys showed her. You made me a proud DU'er today and thanks so much for your concern and kind thoughts for my family. Love ya all Danny.
:hug: you showed me that theres still some light in the universe.