None of us is getting out ALIVE! By Paul McKellips

None of us is getting out alive !

by Paul McKellips

Do you remember your first trip on a
commercial airliner?

I remember being 9 years old and
walking up the leaning aisle to my seat on
a North Central Airlines DC-3 propeller
flight from Minneapolis to Oshkosh on
September 9, 1968. The event was so special
that all 21 of us passengers were dressed in
our Sunday best.

Aviation unleashed my imagination,
and the world as I knew it no longer had
boundaries. Anything was possible.

In 1978, a ‘jumbo’ jet took me over
the Atlantic Ocean for the first time, and
picture books came to life as I experienced
the magic of France. Throughout my
college years, I often spent hours at the
local airport, moving from gate to gate,
just watching people come and go. With an
airplane parked outside but no ticket in my
hand, I dreamed of the day when my career
would take off and an airplane would take
me to unknown destinations.

But July of 1981 opened my eyes
to a different level of experience with
aviation. I stood at the arrival gate sobbing
uncontrollably, buried deep in a group hug
with my brothers and sister, completely
unable to comprehend that my daddy had
died unexpectedly in my arms the night
before. I was the guilty 22-year-old son
who couldn’t save his own father with CPR.
I remember landing at Chicago’s O’Hare
airport and watching the baggage handlers
tenderly remove my father’s casket, fully
aware that I was in the window watching
through the tears.

Since that July day in 1981, I look at
airports and airplanes differently now. I see
tearful reunions at baggage claim and I now
understand what’s going on.

I now see far-too-young women with
hairless heads and pink ribbons. I see small
children anchored by the faces of worried

parents as they board an ‘exciting’ flight
to see yet another specialist at a different
hospital. And I often see scientists and
researchers traveling around the world,
heading off to a conference or seminar in
their relentless quest through miles, time,
blood, sweat and tears to find the elusive
cure and the impossible breakthrough.

Illness, disease, injury and
misfortune are like the
dreaded middle seats with no
leg room. You may not get
it today, but you will; we all
will…eventually.

I no longer board an airplane with the
wide-eyed wonder of a boy but rather with
the grizzled temperament of a seasoned
‘air warrior,’ constantly fretting about the
availability of space in the overhead bin,
the possibility of a middle seat and the
realization that my knees will enter my
chest cavity as soon as the guy in front of me
reclines. The boundary-free dreams of my
youth have been replaced by TSA security
lines, expectations of delays and the fear of
system-wide gridlock if O’Hare gets fog.

But no matter how busy I am, or how
stressed my airline connection is, my
emotions immediately snap back to 1981
when I see the familiar tears, when I notice
the bald heads and when I watch those little
pediatric wonders board early.

The airlines see them, too.

Great airlines—historical icons like
American, United, Continental, Air
Canada and Lufthansa—all do their part
to make life—and sometimes dying—just a
little bit easier for those of us in need.

I’ve seen airlines move terminal cancer
patients up to first class seats in an effort to
create a special moment as a husband and
wife check off another adventure on the
bucket list before time runs out.

I’ve seen airlines provide free “Make a
Wish” flights to pediatric patients and their
families so that a short life can enjoy a big
event at the happiest place on earth.

I’ve seen frequent mileage programs
redesigned so that air-weary travelers can
donate their miles to families who need to
travel to a Ronald McDonald House or out
to Walter Reed National Military Medical
Center to be with a loved one during a time
of illness or trauma.

Yes, the airlines run a business, but
they see the same faces we do. Every CEO
at every airline and every pilot in every
cockpit is no different than the rest of us.
They see the faces, and they know all too
well that none of us is getting out of this
life alive.

Illness, disease, injury and misfortune
are like the dreaded middle seats with no
leg room. You may not get it today, but you
will; we all will…eventually.

Yet a conundrum exists that I simply
can’t reconcile. The airlines that carry
those faces, the patients with the diseases
and their families that buckle up tightly
with hopes for a miracle, refuse to transport
the non-human primates for disease and
trauma research that might possibly hold
the future for cures and breakthroughs.

The seats are filled with mothers and
fathers and children facing the end of their
days, while the cargo compartment below
remains empty of the non-human primates
that might give those up above a new ticket
for hope.

No, none of us is getting out alive. But
maybe we don’t have to go today.

If airlines better understood the faces
looking out their windows, they might also
see young scientists and researchers with
unleashed imaginations who now face
a world where aviation may be creating
some of the boundaries between hope and
despair, life and death.

McKellips is an Author and Executive Vice President of
the Foundation for Biomedical Research in
Washington, DC.

Reproduced with kind permission of LAB Animal Europe
To view the original article follow this link in April Lab Animal Europe and flip to page 38.

36 Volume 13, No. 4 | APRIL 2013 www.labanimaleurope.com

Death of a Hero who saved many lives! Yours??

There is a lot going on at the end of this Mowember month.

I'd like to start by mentioning the death of a hero - Dr. Joseph E. Murray- for a hero to mankind he was and he will sorely be missed. Even though most of us have never met him, his legacy will continue to serve numerous generations and every individual that has benefited of organ transplants.

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1990/#

Here's what Jacquie Calnan, president of Americans for Medical Progress has to say about him

Dr. Joseph E. Murray April 1, 1919 - November 26, 2012

 



 

Many of you will have already read of the passing of the surgeon who performed the first kidney transplant from a living donor, Dr. Joseph E. Murray, who was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1990 for his work in transplant research. Several links to articles follow.

A personal word, if I may.

As someone who conducted research with animals to unravel the mystery of organ rejection, Dr. Murray embraced AMP's mission wholeheartedly. He served on our Board of Directors for a quarter of a century, until his death this Monday. In the 1990s I was privileged to facilitate the publication of articles he wrote on the necessary use of animals in research for The Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times and other newspapers. I learned that he was as precise and exacting with words as he was with a scalpel.

Despite his Nobel Prize and many other honors, Dr. Joe, as he asked to be called, was a humble man devoted to his family, medicine and his faith. In a statement released Monday night his son said that his father kept on his desk a quotation: Difficulties are Opportunities. Rick Murray said, "It reflects the unwavering optimism of a great man who was generous, curious, and always humble."

He is survived by his wife, Virginia 'Bobby' Murray, six children and 18 grandchildren.

We shall miss his sharp surgeon's mind, his passion for medicine, and his generous, caring heart.

Farewell, Dr. Joe.

Here are a few links to articles about the life and research of Joseph E. Murray, MD

Obituaries and Remembrances:
Boston Globe also here
Harvard Health Blog
New York Times
Associated Press
The Guardian

Source: Americans for Medical Progress

It is also high time to report on the online petition I launched a while ago:
we are now a growing community of over 400 supporters whom have signed on in support of medical advancement through science and animal research. Signatures are coming from all over the world and countries include Italy, USA, France, UK, Australia, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mauritius, Belgium, G.D. Luxemburg, Spain, India and many more. When signing the petition you will see regular updates.
The comments left are living testimony to the work done by researchers, medical doctors, surgeons and to all of those that in any way help save, or have been saved by, others including those working in laboratories, in pharmaceutical companies.

The petition will not be sent to anyone. It is there to be used to show there is support from the general public to medical progress through science and animal research.
If you want to read or pass on the original post in which the petition appeared click here.

I also want to mention and ask you to support an important initiative by the US Foundation of Biomedical Research that seeks compelling stories to tell from people like you for the  'Bench to Bedside' TV series (aired on ABC). To read the full story and what they are looking for specifically please follow this link.
We have all benefited of medical progress and animal research continues to contribute to saving lives. Those involved or saved have a story to tell as do those that are waiting for a cure or a life saving treatment. Please share it with your friends and colleagues.

Finally progress is always around the corner and this time I'd like to point to an article involving research by the University of Cambridge on dogs and spinal cord regeneration. Researchers have shown it is possible to restore co-ordinated limb movement in dogs with severe spinal cord injury (SCI).
An important breakthrough for those paralyzed.
Read it in english here and in french here.

Last but not least here's an interesting web site called  Xplore health where you can download educational materials for use in the classroom with kids or watch videos to discover the latest on health research. Available in several languages (Spanish, French, Polish, Catalan).


 

Of other concerns

The subject of animal research is fascinating! Not only because it helps find cures for humans but also for animals - it works both ways. On a more personnal level I too have benefited from medical advances, since I have had several surgeries, have taken medication and have witnessed how my mother was saved from disease by the use of a radioactive implant. We should not take all of this for granted. We can educate ourselves, our children, friends and people around us about how important animal research is.

This link shows the wide variety of animals that are used in research, for which goals and some of the critical medical milestones reached in time. Remember though that currently rats and mice constitute the majority of animals used.

States United for biomedical research (SUBR)

One can also find information about the essential role of Biomedical research towards the search for cures, treatments and medical advancements here :
Foundation for Biomedical Research

There are some interesting stories to view on the FBR site and teachers can find educational materials for classroom use.

The following blog is an advocacy group that talks about the importance of animal research in medical and veterinary science. It is not only very informative but it also drills down to actual research level as you can see on a recent post about animal models and parkinson's desease.
Speaking of research

There are however other concerns those involved in research should be worried about. Increasingly Universities offer animal law studies. I am not saying this is wrong. Protecting endangered animal species through trade mechanisms such as the CITES convention is a good thing when done properly. However I worry when animals can inherit from humans through trusts or foundations. I worry, when animal rights groups seek to obtain for the benefit of animals the almost identical legal status as humans do. Boundaries are being pushed. Often this is done by using emotions and feelings such as guilt, others try philosophy.

When the devil creeps into the fine print of legislative proposals or initiatives, we should worry. Sentiency is another way of achieving the same purpose. We should however not forget the invaluable benefits humankind derives from medical research and what it is trying to achieve. Those that are involved in animal research , directly and indirectly, must be protected in law for I say it is part of an important public service we all benefit from one day or another, willingly or unconsciously.