11.16.2016

International Animal Research Association

There are many organizations out there doing an excellent job at explaining why animal research is needed and why it is valuable in medical research.

I do not need to name them here in this blog, they appear in my blog list and in my posts, as well as in my tweets. They provide readers with information one would otherwise not get or perhaps get in a distorted fashion.

Today and since a long time, there is a need to join our common voices and strengths into a new organization. One that will bundle the positive forces and positions into one unique entity that will represent all on an international level.

Increasingly opponents of animal research are gnawing away at the very objectives of animal research which are to further medical progress as an initial pillar prior to conducting research on human beings.

Although necessary many openly and quite vehemently oppose this. Their continued actions take a toll on researchers, institutions and world known faculties. A toll in terms of finances, time and human resources.
Whilst some years ago direct actions and interference were the privileged weapons of action, currently the opposition takes place in our court rooms.

With their deep pockets and a continued flow of unlimited donations, 501C charities (in the US) and similar mechanisms elsewhere across the globe, have the means to disrupt and terminate  our efforts and the many years of supplying the public with a precautionary principle.

This principle in which every single drug, treatment or medical device is understood and tested prior to conducting testing on humans. This safeguard is and shall always remain a prerequisite in modern day health care.
Animal research is also fundamental research. It is exploratory in nature and seeks to explore new ways, means or methods that further our understanding of disease at every level. This aspect of basic research is not always well understood and poses another challenge to the community because by its very nature it is not outcome driven and therefore an easy target 🎯 for opponents.

My point is that our efforts toward explaining and educating the public need to continue. They also need to grow. They need to be defended at the international level in order to continue our work and to ensure our voices are heard and are taken into consideration. Not as lobbyists but as an authoritative voice, speaking on behalf of its members.

If we do not do this our opponents will continue to paint the landscape and shape the world in which you will be an accessory of the past. I challenge you all to take on this new endeavour and avail myself to further this initiative to fruition.

11.04.2016

Everyone has a story


Everyone has a story. Most of us do, good or bad, it doesn't matter. What matters is if you're healthy enough to tell your story.
Take my brother for example. His brain did not develop properly. His speech is impaired and his life is spent as a three year old. He'll depend on others to do what is right and so do we his family. He does not recognize his condition, so we hope although it is difficult to ascertain this 100%, at least emotionally that is. There are so many thoughts, fears and plenty of other emotions that come with this sad state of affairs that by the end of the day one can only pull oneself together and hope all the others do the same for we are not all burdened equally. Nor are we all equipped to deal with this equally.


DESPITE all, ours is not a sad story. It is just life. There are more difficult ones, even shorter ones. Therefore it is important to count your blessings and to realize how lucky you are to have an ordinary life. I do wish it to be great for you by all means however if you are being dealt a blow, there is always a way to change your perspective. None of us is meant to be eternal. Who would have the time to listen to that story anyhow?

I do find a lot of solace in medical progress and I consider ourselves lucky to live now rather than before. Not only because the home in which my brother lives is such a caring and profoundly human place where all get medical, psychological and social attention from all of the folks around them but also because I see hope. I hear and read about medical progress every day.


My story is not about standing up for animal rights. If you have read me before, you know that. My story is about those who suffer in silence, those who scream in their hospital beds and those who stand besides them, feeling guilty for not knowing how to help or assist. My story is nothing special but yours is for this is your story too. In your life, You too will be confronted with disability, depression, disorder, malfunction if not yourself, a family member, a neighbour or a friend. Then will be the time you recognize these words as if they're yours. Then your story will join mine and the ones of millions of us who value medical research not for the lives taken but for those saved or improved.


What you have to know though is that all the help and assistance we get and we all have been getting from even before our individual births, all of that  is being rejected by people who want to put animal life at the same level as ours. I fail to see and I can not understand this, no matter how much I love animals or nature. They reject the very fabric of modern day society thread after thread and want you to stop using animals period. It is a dangerous philosophical reasoning that perhaps suits some but I would rather spend my time and energy thanking all of you who conduct research, dispense health care, create drugs or cures in order to provide humanity with an everyday life and the dreams that come with it.

Share this story because it is yours too and remember everybody has a story worth listening to.
Thank you.