July 27, 2007 | Click here to send an email.
Putting Patients First
    46-year-old Stephen Sprague never thought that he would be diagnosed with leukemia at that age, a deadly clandestine blood disease with very few symptoms and one often believed to be found mainly in children. Despite his unfortunate diagnosis, Stephen was determined to fight the leukemia. But after 17 months of treatments, he found himself facing the deadly end-stage of the disease much sooner than many patients who have four to five years before reaching that point. Deciding to pursue bone marrow transplant, Stephen knew his chances were slim. As an only child, he had no near relatives to look to for matching bone marrow. Trying to match unrelated bone marrow was unlikely and, as expected, it turned out unsuccessful. Stephen considers what happened next to be nothing short of a medical miracle.

Stephen’s oncologist was in the process of beginning a clinical-trial for leukemia patients where doctors would match stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood and use them to successfully treat end-stage adult leukemia patients. Almost instantly, Stephen’s perfect cord blood match was found in the New York Blood Center, the oldest cord blood bank in the United States. The donor—a young mother who, years ago, decided to donate her baby’s umbilical cord to the bank, perhaps in the hope that someday it would mean a chance at life for someone else. The young mother was right.

Stephen’s transplant, using adult stem cells from an umbilical cord, was successful. Now ten years later, Stephen stood before me telling his story this week in the Committee on Science and Technology hearing room—completely cancer free.

There are stories like Stephen’s scattered across the nation. Adults treated and cured of their diseases by adult stem cells. U.S. doctor Amid Patel has used adult stem cells to successfully treat over 1,800 patients who suffered from severe heart failure, dramatically increasing their qualities of life and chances of survival. Dr. Patel says the most amazing thing about performing this of type treatment is that it allows his patients to return to their normal lives as they were before they suffered heart failure. Adult stem cells have even cured patients of their Type 1 Diabetes.

Unfortunately, medical breakthrough stories like Stephen’s and Dr. Patel’s are often clouded by an ongoing and heated ethical debate over embryonic stem cell research, which uses stem cells derived from human embryos. While we must devote enormous energy to conquering disease, it is equally important that we pay attention to the moral concerns raised by human embryonic stem cell research.

Proponents of embryonic stem cell research argue that embryonic stem cell treatments may be successful in 20 or 30 years. But adult stem cells are treating people now. There are real life stories of people, like Stephen Sprague, who are being cured of their life-altering diseases as a result of adult stem cells. So why is there such a huge push to fund embryonic stem cell research, when its success could be decades away? Why are we not putting patients first by focusing our research funding on the type of stem cell treatment that has proven results today? Why are we not hearing more success stories like Stephen’s?

Just this week, in a bipartisan press conference joined by patients who have been successfully treated with adult stem cells therapies, I introduced the Patients First Act, H.R. 2807. The Patients First Act will prioritize our stem cell research efforts towards those that are providing the greatest potential to patients right now. The bill would provide funding for all stem cell research so long as human embryos are not destroyed. Additionally, the Patients First Act directs the National Institutes of Health to prioritize research that can treat people in the near term, and calls for an annual report on all stem cell research grants that are not funded, with an explanation as to why they were not funded.

Rarely do we, as citizens and public servants, have the opportunity to make a decision with the potential to truly alter our nation’s future. The issue of embryonic stem cell research has become divisive, and when there are cures and human lives at stake, divisiveness is not a luxury that we have. The Patients First Act bridges the political divide and focuses our energies on the common goal shared by both sides of the embryonic stem cell debate - curing and treating patients.
 
 

SPOTLIGHT
 

The Capitol Monitor Has a New Look!

 

The Capitol Monitor has taken on a new look! We would love to hear your feedback on the new design. We welcome your thoughts, comments, and suggestions.

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Congressman Forbes' Summer Primer Series Kicks Off

 

Congressman Forbes will release four primers this summer on important issues impacting you like energy prices, health care, and immigration.

Click here to go to the Summer Primer Series page.

Deadline Approaching for Relaxed Passport Laws

The relaxation of new passport laws granted by the U.S. Department of State and Homeland Security expires September 1, 2007.

Click here to read more.

Other News

Jul 26, 2007 Congressman J. Randy Forbes (VA-04) and Congressman Daniel Lipinski (IL-03) joined today in announcing the introduction of H.R. 2807, the Patients First Act

July 20, 2007 Congressman J. Randy Forbes (VA-04) announced today that $1,500,000 has been included for the dredging of the Appomattox River


ON THE HILL
PHOTO GALLERY
Congressman Forbes co-hosted the Second Annual Modeling and Simulation Expo on Capitol Hill.
Congressman Forbes with Petersburg Mayor Mickens and First Lady Laura Bush at the 2007 Preserve America Grants.
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