Morgan 1 Adam Morgan ENC 1102.040 Instructor Mitchell 14 Nov. 2007 Fight the Infections Centuries of history have proven that diseases have been the cause of ravaged populations and a disintegration of life. From the Black Plague to the European colonization of the Americas, populations have suffered from deadly diseases. Even today diseases run rampant, mercilessly attacking helpless victims and stripping them of their lives. Fortunately, many of these diseases have vaccinations and preventative measures. Still, other diseases continue to wreak havoc unchecked. Even in our world of technology and science, there are still diseases that are uncured. Our country can send people into space, turn matter into energy, and clone life forms; yet, strangely enough, diseases have not been done away with. One would think that, if technology and science have been pushed to these limits, diseases would be the last thing to worry about in such a civilization. My own mother and best friend both have diseases that can only be treated, not cured. Since this country has the means and advancement to deal with any disease, action needs to be taken against as many uncured diseases as possible. One point that must be addressed is the number of uncured diseases. There are the cancers, which exist in many forms. These forms include, but are not limited to, breast cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer, liver cancer, prostate cancer, and bladder cancer. Other common, uncured diseases include Alzheimer’s, diabetes, AIDS, HIV, hepatitis, arthritis, osteoporosis, and Parkinson’s. But is that it? Are there no other diseases that should be
Morgan 2 worried about? No, there are plenty of other diseases that most people do not even think about. Malaria, polio, and smallpox are three diseases that rarely ever cross people’s minds, and though polio and smallpox are contained, none of those diseases have been cured. A few more uncured diseases include cardiovascular diseases, stroke, herpes, syphilis, and even depression and other psychiatric diseases. Even the common cold has no cure. And just think; all these diseases are the ones we know of. An incomplete list of currently uncured diseases lists 56 diseases (Defeating Incurable Diseases). Many more diseases exist, and I know they can’t all be cured, but our country really needs to start getting our priorities straight about scientific research. Instead of possible Mars missions and other space exploration, research should be geared towards actually helping humankind and improving the quality of life for those of us that still struggle to live in this world. I excluded two diseases in particular from the list of uncured diseases, both of which I have dealt with up close. My mother is affected by a blood disease called Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, or ITP. ITP is a disease similar to hemophilia, in that the blood becomes incredibly thin and the slightest cut can bleed for hours, possibly causing death. The ITP came on suddenly for my mother, and I was very young and scared. I did not know what was happening to my own mother, I only knew she was very ill and could die. These were very trying times for my family. The possibility of death was always on our minds, and thinking about life without our mother was unbearable. Treatment after treatment and hospital visit after hospital visit put the ITP into remission, where it has stayed for years. The ITP can, however, come out of remission, in which case my mother’s life would again be put in danger. If my other family members are
Morgan 3 anything like me, I know that there is always a thought in the back of their minds that the ITP could come back. This would not be so if the disease was cured. The doctor said there were certain treatments, such as a splenectomy, or removal of the spleen, and massive steroid dosage, but most of those treatments were unregulated by the Food and Drug Administration and could not be used in the hospitals. The steroids were terrible for my mother, as they just rendered tired and sick. The splenectomy he mentioned had a relatively devastating chance of survival that none of my family wanted to bet against. Knowing someone close that has an uncured disease is very unsettling, especially when that disease can strike back at any time. It is also very painful to watch someone so close go through multiple procedures that just do not work, and seeing first hand the looks of depression and fear. If diseases like this could be cured, so many people would be spared the feelings my family felt. Young children would not fear for their loved ones’ lives. The victims of such diseases could be cured at once and never have to worry about the disease bothering them again. The other disease I have had close dealings with concerns my best friend, Kale. Kale cannot consume any foods that contain wheat gluten due to a disease called Celiac Disease (CD). CD causes his body the inability to digest wheat gluten. In fact, the gluten destroys the mucous lining of the small intestines and kills the small protrusions that aid in digestion. This all causes terrible stomach pain and bowel problems. Again, there is no cure for this disease, only the single treatment offered, which is to abstain from ever eating products containing wheat gluten. This is no easy feat. The world today is not focused on housing the needs of people like Kale, and very few producers facilitate those with gluten allergies. If this disease were cured, people could live normal lives and not
Morgan 4 need to worry about reading the labels of every last food item they buy. Kale could apply to a college and live in a dorm with a meal plan without the worry of gluten contamination from eating. Kale is my best friend, and it is one of my greatest dreams to be companions in school without worry of health. Every time I see him doubled over in pain after eating something containing gluten, I wish I could fix him. What, then, is being researched instead of disease treatment and cures? Space exploration is one of the major research areas. This isn’t even a practical research subject. In 2006, NASA was funded $16.5 billion to start a robotic mission to take the Hubble Telescope out of orbit (Leath). $16.5 billion to build a robot. That money could have been spent on disease research and could have really done some good. Is a telescope in space helping to further the existence of the human race? How can it be? Space exploration, as interesting as it is, has no benefits. Travel and Colonization are like old episodes of “Star Trek” or “The Twilight Zone”: impossible fantasies about the future. Why spend so much money on something that is so worthless? Of course, in the state of the world today, colonization of new planets would be an excellent alternative to living in a world of nuclear fallout, but I cannot foresee colonization happening before nuclear war, no matter how much money is spent. If money was instead spent on disease research, cancer may have been cured long ago. Diabetes victims would no longer have to check their blood sugar levels before every meal. Senior citizens could remain active if osteoporosis and arthritis were both cured. Where disease research would work wonders for the human race, space exploration only serves to pique imaginations. What kind of solutions can be offered in order to combat uncured diseases? The number one solution, which most people tie to being absolutely immoral, is stem cell
Morgan 5 research. Stem cell research needs to be funded. All those people with kidney disease can get new kidneys grown from stem cells and much higher chances of survival with new kidneys. Livers, intestines, spleens, any organ can be grown from stem cells and transplanted into a person’s body. The long waiting lists for organ donors would be gone if stem cells could be used to grow organs when needed. My mother could get a properly functioning spleen, and Kale could receive new intestines, both being acceptable solutions without the high probability of bodily rejection of the new organs. Even celebrity figures like Michael J. Fox, who was featured in a TV commercial for McCaskill, a Missouri senator candidate, could be cured. Fox, having not taken his Parkinson’s medication, rocked back and forth uncontrollably during the commercial (McCaskill4Missouri). Stem cells, which Fox was promoting, could help such victims with their diseases. What many people do not realize about stem cells is that there are more ways to get them than by killing embryos. Stem cells can be retrieved from placenta excess and from inside the umbilical cord. If the government would fund research on stem cells, instead of space, these cells could be retrieved and used to begin curing the victims of deadly incurable diseases. Bills allowing funding have been vetoed numerous times by President Bush, and that will not change. Bush says he knows that stem cells can be retrieved from other sources, but embryonic stem cells are more usable by scientists (Bush). If funding for stem cells was granted, the source of the stem cells would not matter. Greater research contributions would come from the funding, causing all stem cells to be usable. Because stem cells can be retrieved from the placenta and umbilical cord, research can safely be funded without risking the lives of unborn children. I believe
Morgan 6 that stem cell research will be the beginning of a new era of medical discoveries, and this research should be funded and used for the benefit of all human life. Another possible area of disease research could be the field of gene therapy. Many diseases are hereditary, and predisposed offspring could have diseases genetically removed before birth. This issue has a lot of controversy in terms of religion. Genetic altering can be equated to “playing God,” which the majority of religious people do not agree with. I am a Christian myself, and I believe that gene therapy is an acceptable form of disease prevention as long as the therapy is limited only to prevention. Uncured diseases are a big problem in this world, and they do not need to be. Many advances have been made in the fields of science and technology, and curing some diseases seems to be a simple feat in comparison to sending a telescope to take pictures of never before seen parts of space. Why, then, is nothing being done? I know there are too many diseases for all of them to be cured, but if the predominately stressing diseases, such as cancer, AIDS, HIV, and other more common diseases, were cured, lives would be saved and families would stay together. Once all the particularly dangerous diseases are cured, specialists with their own reasons, such as my care for my mother and best friend, could focus on the diseases they deal with directly. Stem cell research and gene therapy are two possible solutions, and whatever direction is taken, action needs to be taken to get research funded before more people die needlessly from diseases that could be cured.
Morgan 7 Works Cited Bush, George. “President Discusses Stem Cell Research.” The White House. 9 Aug. 2001. 15 Nov. 2007. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/08/20010809-2.html. Leath, Audrey T. “Exploration Funding Up in NASA FY06 Budget Request.” FYI: The AIP Bulletin of Science Policy News. 11 Feb. 2005. 15 Nov. 2007. http://www.aip.org/fyi/2005/019.html. McCaskill4Missouri. YouTube. Michael J. Fox. 20 Oct. 2006. Online Video. 27 Nov. 2007. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9WB_PXjTBo. Unknown. “Defeating Incurable Illness.” Project Mind Foundation. 15 Nov. 2007. http://www.projectmind.org/breakthroughs.html#disease.