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"The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them." -George Bernard Shaw SCI-Step Update
6/25/2009 We welcome Joe H. next week! Our thoughts are with Kevin C. and Joe O. as they recover from medical issues.
6/22/2009 We welcome Cori L. and Morgan D. this week! We are also excited to have Mike C. back in town for a while too!
6/18/2009 The summer weather is finally here and everyone is working very hard! We can't believe how fast June is flying by!
6/5/2009 Everyone had a great week and we are excited to have Sarah S., Cori L., Morgan D. and Joe H. in for trial weeks this month! We are also excited for Brittany, Mike and Molly to join us again! Good Luck to Abby as she heads to PT school!
6/1/2009 Paul S. joins us this week and we celebrate the birthdays of James, Kevin C. and Joe O.
5/27/2009 We welcome John M. this week for his trial week. We are excited to see what he can do! It was great to see Christina E. last week. She came up from Nashville for a few days of hard work!
5/24/2009 Happy Birthday, Anne!!
5/15/2009 Check out the videos of Mike C! He arrived for his free trial week on Monday, not having been upright much since his accident in 1995, and left here literally walking! He is amazing! We can't wait until he comes back later this summer for more! We also welcome Molly F. on Monday for her trial week and are excited to see what we can accomplish with her! There are so many incredible individuals reaching milestones each week...check out their profiles!
5/12/2009 John B. has a used Upper Tone that he is selling. If you are interested, please let me know!
5/11/2009 We welcome Mike C. this week for his free trial. His potential is amazing and we can't wait to see what the week brings!
5/10/2009 Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's we know!
5/4/2009 We welcome Steve S. to SCI-Step this week for his free trial and look forward to working with him! He has tried a great deal of therapy modalities over the years, we can't wait to see what he can do! Congrats to all of our May graduates! Way to go!!
4/21/2009
4/20/2009 So far, spring is off to a great start! We are excited to share pictures and videos of the latest and greatest going on here...be sure to check them out!
4/19/2009 Happy Birthday, Luis!
4/1/2009 After six years and MANY requests, we are officially opening our program to a wider range of neurologic conditions including:
Although SCI will remain our focus, we have the equipment and knowledge to work with similar conditions. If you or someone you know may benefit from our program please feel free to inquire! We welcome David E. to the group! 3/23/2009 We are excited to have Justin H. join us this week and welcome back Paul S. Happy Birthday to Heather on Tuesday!
3/9/2009 WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama signed an executive order Monday repealing a Bush-era policy that limited federal tax dollars for embryonic stem cell research. Obama's move overturns an order signed by President Bush in 2001 that barred the National Institutes of Health from funding research on embryonic stem cells beyond using 60 cell lines that existed at that time. Obama also signed a presidential memorandum establishing greater independence for federal science policies and programs. "In recent years, when it comes to stem cell research, rather than furthering discovery, our government has forced what I believe is a false choice between sound science and moral values," Obama said at the White House. "In this case, I believe the two are not inconsistent. As a person of faith, I believe we are called to care for each other and work to ease human suffering. I believe we have been given the capacity and will to pursue this research -- and the humanity and conscience to do so responsibly." The president pledged to develop "strict guidelines" to ensure that such research "never opens the door to the use of cloning for human reproduction." Such a possibility, he maintained, is "dangerous, profoundly wrong and has no place in our society or any society." Obama's order directs the NIH to develop revised guidelines on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research within 120 days, according to Dr. Harold Varmus, president of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and co-chairman of Obama's science advisory council. "The president is, in effect, allowing federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research to the extent that it's permitted by law -- that is, work with stem cells themselves, not the derivation of stem cells," Varmus said in a conference call with reporters Sunday. While conceding that "the full promise of stem cell research remains unknown" and "should not be overstated," Obama nevertheless expressed hope that the order will help spur faster progress in the search for cures to afflictions such as Parkinson's disease, cancer and spinal cord injuries. Researchers highly value embryonic stem cells because of their potential to turn into any organ or tissue cell in the body. Stem cells have this ability for a short time. A few days before the embryo would implant in the uterus, it starts to develop into specific cells that will turn into skin or eyes or other parts of a developing fetus. When the embryo is 4 or 5 days old, scientists extract the stem cells and put them in a petri dish. With the removal of these stem cells -- of which there may be about 30 -- the embryo is destroyed. Twenty-one of the 60 stem cell lines authorized for research under the Bush policy have proven useful to researchers. Bush twice vetoed legislation -- in July 2006 and June 2007 -- that would have expanded federally funded embryonic stem cell research. At the time, Bush maintained that scientific advances allowed researchers to conduct groundbreaking research without destroying human embryos. Conservative leaders echoed Bush's rationale in their criticism of Obama's decision. "Advancements in science and research have moved faster than the debates among politicians in Washington, D.C., and breakthroughs announced in recent years confirm the full potential of stem cell research can be realized without the destruction of living human embryos," House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Sunday. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, said the Bush policy imposed proper ethical limits on science. "My basic tenet here is I don't think we should create life to enhance life and to do research and so forth," Shelby said Sunday. "I know that people argue there are other ways. I think we should continue our biomedical research everywhere we can, but we should have some ethics about it." The issue of whether to lift the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research has, however, exposed a clear rift between the more moderate and conservative factions of the GOP. In February, a group of six moderate GOP congressmen sent a letter to Obama urging him to lift the funding ban. Former first lady Nancy Reagan also issued a statement Monday thanking Obama for lifting the ban. "These new rules will now make it possible for scientists to move forward," Reagan said. "Countless people, suffering from many different diseases, stand to benefit from the answers stem cell research can provide. We owe it to ourselves and to our children to do everything in our power to find cures for these diseases." President Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease after leaving office -- an affliction that many scientists say eventually may be cured with the help of embryonic stem cell research. Obama's presidential memorandum, however, may turn out to have a broader impact than his executive order. The memorandum is expected to create a clear change of tone from the Bush administration on a broad range of scientific issues. Bush's critics argued the former president allowed political factors improperly to influence funding decisions for science initiatives as well as to skew official government findings on issues such as global warming. Obama's memorandum directs the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy "to develop a strategy for restoring scientific integrity to government decision-making." In a thinly veiled criticism of his predecessor, Obama reiterated a promise to base "public policies on the soundest science" as well as to "appoint scientific advisers based on their credentials and experience, not their politics or ideology.To view the article online, please visit http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/09/obama.stem.cells/index.html
3/5/2009 Everyone is working hard each and everyday! Check out their achievements on their individual pages. Fred hurry up and heal so you can get back in here! We miss you!
2/24/2009 Up for a last minute trip to OHIO? We have a few free trial week openings in April and May!
A typical busy February day!
2/23/2009 We are sad to say another temporary goodbye to Bryan J. and his family who will be return back to Louisiana tomorrow. We know that he will keep up the hard work back home and return to us this summer better than ever!
(From L to R) Front: Bryan and Anne Back: Michele, Abby, Molly, James, Matt, Kevin, Kristen and Cheryl We are also sad that Alan M. will be leaving us at the end of the month as well. If all goes as planned, we will see him again in a few months and we are confident that he will keep up the hard work and walk as much as he can at home! John M. joined us last week and was excited to discover movement in muscles that he did not think were active. It was a great first day. Jeremy G. started with us this week and will be training hard for the next six months. He made tremendous progress during his initial therapy at a local hospital and that progress will only lead to more! Currently, there are 19 hard working spinal cord injured individuals that enter our doors each week with the enthusiasm and drive to recover...shouldn't you join them?
2/15/2009 We joined the community of Facebook after many requests!! Be sure to check us out! http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=49438115761&ref=ts
2/5/2009 The snow has arrived! We usually only get one big storm per season and hopefully, we just had it!! Even as we thaw out, the gang is working hard and keeping focused! Our thoughts are with Fred as he recovers at home. We plan to see John M. and Jeremy G. start with us over the next few weeks and are excited to have them join us!
1/19/2009 I have finally found a few extra minutes to update the website-sorry it has taken a few weeks. Life has been busy at SCI-Step and full of progress and hard work. We currently have a full house and just added two more housing units in order to accommodate the needs of our patients in town from all parts of the country, including Puerto Rico and Ontario! Free trial weeks are booking for weeks in March and April, as well as this summer so be sure to reserve yours soon!
1/6/2009 Happy New Year! We are excited to enter the new year and see what it bring for everyone! Welcome back to Bryan who joins us for the next few months!
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