Jim Ramstad: “Della Mae is a wonderful, loving, 79-year-old woman totally debilitated by Alzheimer's disease. Joey was a promising…”

“Della Mae is a wonderful, loving, 79-year-old woman totally debilitated by Alzheimer's disease. Joey was a promising young man in his early 20s who died a horrible death; a cruel, tragic death from diabetes. Mr. Speaker, Della Mae is my mother. Joey was my first cousin. On behalf of my beloved mother and my first cousin, I plead with the President and the Congress to accept the NIH report on the medical value of embryonic stem cell research and to not block Federal funding for this promising, life-saving research; on behalf of not only my mother and my first cousin, but 100 million other Americans suffering from Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, juvenile diabetes, multiple sclerosis, as well as spinal cord injuries resulting in paralysis. Mr. Speaker, I have watched several close friends devastated by Parkinson's Disease and spinal cord injuries, conditions that could also be aided by embryonic stem cell research. Who amongst us, who amongst us has not been profoundly moved by the sight of former President Ronald Reagan, that giant of a man, now reduced to a mere shadow of his former self by Alzheimer's disease. Mr. Speaker, the scientific evidence is overwhelming that stem cells collected from surplus embryos have great potential to regenerate specific types of human tissues and offer hope for millions of Americans devastated by these and other cruel, fatal diseases.”