California Cures

<!-- <description> -->Thirteen years ago, America faced an epidemic of chronic disease: cancer, paralysis, blindness, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and more.
But California voters said “YES!” to a $3 billion stem cell research program: the awkwardly-named California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). Born into battle, the scrappy little state agency was immediately blocked by three years of anti-science lawsuits — but it defeated them all. And then?
A quiet triumph. With a focused intensity like the Manhattan Project (but for peaceful purposes, not to build a bomb), scientists funded by CIRM took on the challenges: disease and disability called chronic: incurable.
In a series of connected stories, accurate though written to entertain, “California Cures” relates a war: science against disease, with lives on the line. Think what it means for a paralyzed young man to recover the use of his hands, or for a formerly-blind mother to see her teenaged children — for the first time!
Do you know the “bubble-baby” syndrome? Infants without a proper immune system typically die young; a common cold can kill. But for eighteen babies in a stem cell clinical trial, a different future: they were cured of their disease.
No one can predict the pace of science, nor say when cures will come; but California is bringing the fight. The reader will meet the scientists involved, the women and men behind the microscope, and share their struggle.
Above all, “California Cures” is a call for action. Washington may argue about the expense of health care (and who will get it), but California works to bring down the mountain of medical debt: stem cell therapies to ease suffering, and save lives.
Will California build on success — and invest $5 billion more in stem cell research?
“We have the momentum”, says author Don C Reed, “We dare not stop short. Chronic disease threatens everyone — we are fighting for your family, and mine!”
<!-- </description> -->Contents: Introduction: Evangelina and the Golden StateThe Absolute Minimum You Need to Know FirstTo Breathe, or Not to BreatheThe Strongest Man in the WorldWhen the Dolphin Broke My EarThe Boy with Butterfly SkinThe Great Baldness “Comb-Over” Replacement?“He Sees! He Sees!”Cop at the Window“Go West, Young (Wo)Man” — To a Biomed Career?And How Will You be Paying for that New Heart?The Answer to Cancer?A Political Obstacle to Heart Disease Cure?Your Friend, the Liver!“Bring 'em Back Alive”The Color of FatRevenge for My SisterA Story with No Happy Ending?Aging and Stem CellsThe “Impending Alzheimer's Healthcare Disaster”President Trump's Great Stem Cell OpportunityLeiningen's Ants and Parkinson's DiseaseOn the Morality of Fetal Cell ResearchDemocracy and Gloria's KneesThree Children, and the Eternal FlameAutism, Mini-Brains, and the Zika VirusWhy “The Big Bang Theory” Matters to MeMusashi and the Two-Sword Solution“The Magnificent Seven”The Connecticut CommitmentIn Memory of BeauTo Relocate Alligators, or Turn a Country on to Biomed?Whale Sharks and Outer SpaceMr Science Goes to Washington?When Oklahoma is Not OkJames Bond and MelanomaNeurological Diseases vs. CaliforniaDriving to the StormDoor into TomorrowStem Cell Battles — On Times Square?Annette, Richard Pryor, and Multiple SclerosisMike Pence, and Reproductive ServitudeMotorcycle Wrecks and Complex FracturesEven Dracula Gets ArthritisTugboat for CureWheelchair Warriors, Take Back Your Rights!Sickle Cell Disease vs. Stem Cell AgencyDwight Clark, “The Catch,” and A L SA Friend is LostDying in Doonesbury, Fighting Back at UCDThe Man with the Autographed BaseballThe Gorilla Gynecologist ReturnsWrestling the Invisible EnemyTwo Warriors Named JoanAn End to Heroism?Message from the Middle KingdomScientists and the UndocumentedThe Girl, the Bandit, and Women in ScienceThe Greatest ProposalForty-Two California Clinical TrialsGathering of ChampionsGoodbye, Hello!The AnswerA Nobel Prize for Bob Klein?Afterword: For More InformationPersonal MessageName IndexSubject Index<!-- </contents> -->
<!-- <readership> -->Readership: Scientists in biomed field, parents of children with disabilities, soldiers with injuries; Parkinson's, diabetes and spinal cord injury survivors, science organizations, fundraisers for medical causes; for anyone who has a chronic disease — or who loves someone who does.<!-- </readership> -->
Keywords:Spinal Cord Injury;California Stem Cell Program;Regenerative Medicine;Parkinson's Disease;Cancer;Liver Disease;Alzheimer's Disease;Autism;Neurological Disease;Clinical Trials;Chronic Disease;Nobel PrizeReview:“An engrossing read that is hard to put down and packed with insights blend history and the latest research with broader examination of stem cell potentials to change not only health conditions, but society as a whole. No collection covering stem cell advancements should be without this hard-hitting examination that uses California's results as a foundation for considering stem cell's special promises and powerful obstacles to success.”
Midwestern Book Review
“As someone who has actively worked in the stem cell field for 20 years, this book provides very nice coverage of diverse aspects of how stem cell research and therapies can impact our lives in so many ways. Written in an easy-to-understand style with many interesting personnel anecdotes from someone who has been in the trenches of the many stem cell battles. My father-in-law picked up the book and was quickly hooked to keep reading. Recommended for scientists and non-scientists alike.”
Professor Dan Kaufman
University of California-San Diego
Praise for Author's Previous Book: “Stem Cell Battles: Proposition 71 and Beyond”
“A real page-turner … fills a gap in public library collections …"
S Pantages
Former Head Librarian, Fremont, California
“Solid primer … should be useful to anyone interested in stem cells and their potential to change the world …"
Kirkus Reviews
“Exceptionally well-written, organized and presented … very highly recommended for both academia and the general reader …"
Midwest Book Reviews
“… prime example of how a small group of people can bring about significant change for many …"
Foreword Reviews
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