I have little desire in making this a political blog, but I wanted to tie…
The Ultimate Optimism
Katie Couric had the chance to sit down with Michael J. Fox to discuss his current situation, his stance on stem cell research and his general outlook on life as a person living with Parkinson’s disease. If you look though his shaking and convulsions, Michael has maintained a diplomatic, logical, and rational approach to his situation and the politics surrounding stem cell research. His ideas are delivered, with a side of frustration, with a dedication and empathy that is to be admired.
Katie was clever enough to ask a question about his public appearances with respect to the advancement of his disease and the decreasing impact of his medical treatment. His response, in my humble opinion, shows the ultimate optimism of any person.
“You get in your life, very few chances to make a difference. If these are the circumstances that make [change] possible, I am grateful for that. I am willing to throw vanity out the window.”
Here is the video:
Sympathy only goes so far. I hope that this inspires you to take action. I am going to write Sam Brownback again. I wrote him two years ago and I believe the situation is still the same. Click here to read my open letter to Sam. Click here to see his (crappy canned) response.
I hope that you do the same. Tell the people that speak on your behalf how you feel.
Kendall, very interesting post. You probably remember that I worked for Senator Brownback in college. At that time, I had an opportunity to meet him and his staff. I was generally very impressed with Senator Brownback and his team, but this response is so cookie-cutter it is borderline insulting. It hard for me to understand how our representatives can sit by knowing that these medical developments could alleviate the suffering of literally thousands of people.
I’m going to save my rant on Brownback for another day… There is a very interesting post on “How to write to Congress.” Click here to check it out: http://consumerist.com/consumer/your-government/how-to-write-to-congress-302775.php