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1.: # 396 Friday, December 7, 2007 - TRICIA BROOKS, RUNNING TO THE RESCU From: Stephen Meyer

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1.: # 396 Friday, December 7, 2007 - TRICIA BROOKS, RUNNING TO THE RESCU

Posted by: "Stephen Meyer" meyer74@bellsouth.net stephen_meyer_stemcells

Fri Dec 7, 2007 6:07 pm (PST)

# 396 Friday, December 7, 2007
<file:///C:/My%20Webs/myweb11/Archive%20322%20Monday,%20April%2020,%2020\
07%20-%20FLORIDA%20ONCE%20MORE%20PIVOTAL%20TO%20NATIONâ€™S%20FUTURE\
.htm> - TRICIA BROOKS, RUNNING TO THE RESCUE

Three thirty AM and I haven't got the column even started.

Fortunately, someone is running to my rescue, and that is Tricia Brooks.

I'll tell you why I am so late in a minute, but first, here is
somebody everyone in the stem cell advocacy community should know. if
you say Tricia Brooks to somebody who knows her, I guarantee you will
get the same reaction. a huge smile.

Tricia Brooks is the person, who on her honeymoon in Costa Rica, made a
side trip to try and talk that country's political leadership out of
a stem cell mistake. They were following the Bush Administration's
anti-SCNT crusade, trying to block that advanced form of stem cell
research. so Tricia figures, hey, I am in the neighborhood. and drops
in. She was not able to talk the leadership of this tiny country into
supporting SCNT, but she put aside her honeymoon, to strike a blow for
our side.

That's typical. I've known this champion advocate since 2001,
and she is always the same-- cheerful, glad to talk, in a rush, little
ball of energy. and I owe her about twelve million favors.

When she worked with Michael Manganiello on CAMR, the Coalition for the
Advancement of Medical Research, we were trying to prevent the Bush
Administration (hmm, those guys again!) from passing a law criminalizing
SCNT in America. Sometimes I would call her literally every day.
pestering about some crucial (to me, at least) detail or other. but she
never said, "Call me one more time, and I will hunt you down and
throw rocks at your house! . she would just always do her level best to
help me with whatever it was this time.

Now, she works with Michael Losow of BIO, and one of the first things
they did was organize a symposium for research advocates to learn about
bio-medicine. cost? Free.

So, you can imagine how I felt when I got an email labeled, "favor
from Tricia. no pressure--?

To actually subtract one favor from the list?

What is this big favor?

Oh.

The smile faded. Tricia's niece has a terrible disease, and Tricia
is running in a footrace to raise funds to fight for her.

Please read the story, help if you can. I will have a tiny bit more to
say, after you spend a minute with Tricia.

Hello Friends and Colleagues:

As some of you may know, my 11 year niece Peyton has Crohn's disease. I
realize it is the holidays, but I have set the lofty goal of raising
$1,500 before January 10th, and would appreciate any help you can
provide to support my run for Peyton and the Florida Chapter of the
Crohn's and Colitis Foundation (where she lives).

Peyton has been suffering daily with her disease since she had her first
surgery at 8 years old. She has gone through pain and embarrassment due
to her Crohn's. But always remains an optimistic trooper.

Her courage has been an inspiration to me and I want to do all I can to
help her. Needless to say, running a half marathon and turning to you
seems easy in comparison. Please note: All donations are tax -deductible
and can be made directly through a secured website,
www.active.com/donate/MI08FLRDA/TriciaB.
<http://www.active.com/donate/MI08FLRDA/TriciaB.>

Thank you for your help and wish me luck!

Tricia

Well, I'm back.

Lot going on-- three late night adventures in the past ten days. I got
to babble about stem cells at Cal Berkeley in Laurel Barchas's
class, sat on a panel in Oakland about a new stem cell movie called
TERRA INCOGNITA, and last night I got to drive up to the city (SF) in
the rain (I love the rain we get so little of it nowadays) to be on
local public access TV. all fun stuff, but it did interfere with my nap
schedule!

Please keep me posted on what is going on in your neck of the woods?

Thanks,

Don Reed
www.stemcellbattles.com <http://www.stemcellbattles.com/>

Don C. Reed is co-chair (with Karen Miner) of Californians for Cures,
and writes for their web blog, www.stemcellbattles.com
<http://www.stemcellbattles.com/> . Reed was citizen-sponsor for
California's Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act of 1999,
named after his paralyzed son; he worked as a grassroots advocate for
California's Senator Deborah Ortiz's three stem cell regulatory
laws, served as an executive board member for Proposition 71, the
California Stem Cells for Research and Cures Act, and is director of
policy outreach for Americans for Cures. The retired schoolteacher is
the author of five books and thirty magazine articles, and has received
the National Press Award.

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