There is a day for virtually everything these days. Forget the old school Valentine’s and Sweetest Day, or even Administrative Professional’s or Grandparents’ Day. Today, October 5th is Stem Cell Awareness Day!
Who issued this proclamation? Well, a group that might be just a tiny bit interested in raising public awareness about stem cells, CIRM (the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine).
Their call to action: “Every family knows they are one phone call or one diagnosis away from needing what stem cell research can yield for us.” –Speaker Nancy Pelosi, U.S. House of Representatives
So how does one celebrate Stem Cell Awareness Day, I wonder? I can be aware of the millions of adult stem cells in my spinal column or in my adipose tissue and say a little thank you. I can remember a person who is suffering from a degenerative disorder that may be helped by adult or embryonic-derived stem cell interventions and hope that treatments may arrive in time to help him or her.
In any case, today is the day to celebrate the mighty, morphic stem cell.
Summer Johnson McGee, PhD