My letter to the herald- need help trimming and puncutation.

Hello, I am a human being,

My name is Daniel Caithamer and I am a thirty seven year old man who was diagnosed with young onset parkinsons, specifically stage two parkinsons which effects the body both sides. Yopd is a crippling neurological disorder which can be something as simple as tremor in the pinky (especially when good time r-n-r music is on) or as scarey as fullparalysis. My other systems range from loss of manual dexterity do to dyskensia,involuntary hand movements, to restless leg syndrome, to constant fatigue, poor to nobalance, muscle freezing , poor vocal control and sleeping disorders. I am writting this
letter in hopes of changing the hearts and minds who are against a potential cure that is inthe form of both adult and embryonic stem cell research. Rather than bore you with adebate of conception, or the science of said research let me till you of how Parkinson’s
has changed my life.

People say that were in living in the age of terrorism. But parkinsons is a terror that I deal with daily, and that terrorist constantly changes it’s tactics so that no two days are alone.
The scariest part of this disease is when you wake up in the morning stiff, as a board. A helllish form of living rigomortis. I can move my eyes but I have hard time swallowing, and I desperately what a drink of water. On some mornings I can’t do something as basic
as that. There is one thing worse than the paralysis however and that is when you have anaccident in your pants because your body wont loosen up before it’s too late.

But as I slowly move an appendage and regain muscle movement my dungeon likeexistence begins. I am forced to take pillls that cost in excess of 360 dollars if it wasnt for insure. These pills are miraprex, topomax, zolofft, and pro vigil to keep me awake.
Yes I need medicine for the medicine. Fighting the fatigue I than have a slow agonizing world of physical therapy, light house work, and naps I can’t even leave the house because I can no longer drive do to the fact that when I hopd the wheel my hands start to
shake violently. That is the extent of my existance. There are some days when my hands are so weak that I can’t with a spoon, or hold a pencil. And I often mistype words on the keyboard because my hands like to move on thier own. In short parkinson’s has robbed
me of my livelyhood and independence.

Now I know that there are people there that are readding this and our vehemtely opposedto the research and such is thier right. However why must I suffer for a belief system that isn’t mine? And let me look you square in the eyes why is a cell more important than me?
An embryo doesn’t have a nervous system, like I do, or a fully formed brain like me. The Embryo has no eyes, to see children go, hands to touch, heart to feel, or brain to think. An embryo cannot breathe or scream or cry. An embryo cannot love. And in embryo doesn’t
even eat. So how does an embryo have more rights than me? So again please tell me why an embryo is more important than I am. In short if a child, a living breathing child was trapped in a ware house with a slide felled off stem cells who would you choose to save and why? Me Ill chose the child any time.

Now if I haven’t changed your mind by this time I dont know if I ever will. But I emplore those that disagree with me , no I beg those that disagree with me, please do not use thisas a wedge issue and insult my patriotism and especially my religion. My body is shot,
my mind isn’t the greatest and all I have left is my belief in god to sustain me until a cureis discovered. So please at least listen to me and do my one small favor and dont brig this up in your churches. The right to practice reliigon applies to the disabled too. And I don't think that anyone especially a disabled person should choose between his politics, physical health, and spiritual well being. I don't think that Jesus would approve of keeping sick people out of his house do you?
Sincerly yours
Daniel Caithamer

and help you snap it to! Your personal story is very powerful.

The disease certainly hasn't robbed you of your brain power. Secondly, I don't think I'd change a thing, save for a couple of misspelled words. But that's easily correctable. Very good letter. It should get published if your local paper's editorial people have any sense at all.

I ran this thru ms works but my like i said my hands dont always do want my brain tells them too. :D

That may help.

Thanks :D

our various sites on handicapped-accessible workstations. Looks like a neat product. My dad has it too - but I don't know if he uses it.

She had a disorder resulting in progressive loss of manual dexterity, to the point that she could barely hit the space bar reliably.

She swore by the software and said that it made it possible for her to continue her work.

Hello! I am a human being.

My name is Daniel Caithamer and I am a thirty seven year old man who has been diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinsons Disease - specifically stage two parkinsons, which effects the body on both sides. YOPD is a crippling neurological disorder which can be something as simple as tremor in the pinky (especially when good time r-n-r music is on) or as scary as full paralysis. My other symptoms range from loss of manual dexterity due to dyskensia (involuntary hand movements), to restless leg syndrome, to constant fatigue, poor to no balance, muscle freezing , poor vocal control and sleeping disorders. I am writting this letter in hopes of changing the hearts and minds of those who are against a potential cure that is in the form of both adult and embryonic stem cell research. Rather than bore you with a debate of conception, or the science of said research let me tell you of how Parkinson’s
has changed my life.

People say that we're living in the age of terrorism. But Parkinsons is a terror that I deal with daily, and that terrorist constantly changes it’s tactics so that no two days are the same.
The scariest part of this disease is when you wake up in the morning stiff as a board. A hellish form of living rigor mortis. I can move my eyes but I have a hard time swallowing, and I desperately want a drink of water. On some mornings I can’t do something as basic
as that. There is one thing worse than the paralysis however, and that is when you have an accident in your pants because your body won't loosen up before it’s too late.

But as I slowly move an appendage and regain muscle movement my dungeon-like existence begins. I am forced to take pills that cost in excess of $360/month if it wasn't for insurance. These pills are Miraprex, Topomax, Zoloft, and Pro Vigil to keep me awake.
Yes I need medicine for the medicine. Fighting the fatigue, I then have a slow agonizing world of physical therapy, light housework, and naps. I can’t even leave the house because I can no longer drive due to the fact that when I hold the wheel, my hands start to
shake violently. That is the extent of my existance. There are some days when my hands are so weak that I can’t eat with a spoon, or hold a pencil. And I often mis-type words on the keyboard because my hands like to move on their own. In short Parkinson’s has robbed
me of my livelihood and independence.

Now I know that there are people out there that are reading this and are vehemently opposed to the research and such is their right. However why must I suffer for a belief system that isn’t mine? And, let me look you square in the eyes, why is a cell more important than me?

An embryo doesn’t have a nervous system, like I do, or a fully formed brain, like I do. An embryo has no eyes to see children go, hands to touch, heart to feel, or brain to think. An embryo cannot breathe or scream or cry. An embryo cannot love. And an embryo doesn’t even eat. So how does an embryo have more rights than me? In short if you had a child, a living breathing child, who was trapped in a warehouse and a slide filled with stem cells which would you choose to save and why? Me - I'd chose the child any time.

Now if I haven’t changed your mind by this time, I dont know if I ever will. But I implore those that disagree with me, no, I beg those that disagree with me, please do not use this as a wedge issue and insult my patriotism and especially my religion. My body is shot,
my mind isn’t the greatest and all I have left is my belief in God to sustain me until a cure is discovered. So please at least listen to me and do me one small favor and dont bring this up in your churches. The right to practice religion applies to the disabled too. And I don't think that anyone, especially a disabled person should be forced to choose between his politics, physical health, and spiritual well being. I don't think that Jesus would approve of keeping sick people out of his house do you?
Sincerly yours
Daniel Caithamer

I've posted a corrected version below. Just copy and paste as needed.





Hello, I am a human being,

My name is Daniel Caithamer and I am a thirty seven year old man who was diagnosed with young onset parkinsons, specifically stage two parkinsons which affects the body both sides. YOPD is a crippling neurological disorder which can be something as simple as tremor in the pinky (especially when good time r-n-r music is on) or as scarey as full paralysis. My other systems range from loss of manual dexterity do to dyskensia, involuntary hand movements, to restless leg syndrome, to constant fatigue, poor to no balance, muscle freezing , poor vocal control and sleeping disorders. I am writing this letter in hopes of changing the hearts and minds who are against a potential cure that is in the form of both adult and embryonic stem cell research. Rather than bore you with a debate of conception, or the science of said research let me till you of how Parkinson’s has changed my life.

People say that we’re living in the age of terrorism. But parkinsons is a terror that I deal with daily, and that terrorist constantly changes it’s tactics so that no two days are alike. The scariest part of this disease is when you wake up in the morning stiff as a board. A helllish form of living rigomortis. I can move my eyes but I have hard time swallowing, and I desperately want a drink of water. On some mornings I can’t do something as basic as that. There is one thing worse than the paralysis however and that is when you have an accident in your pants because your body won’t loosen up before it’s too late.

But as I slowly move an appendage and regain muscle movement my dungeon-like existence begins. I am forced to take pills that cost in excess of 360 dollars if it wasn’t for insurance. These pills are miraprex, topomax, zolofft, and pro vigil to keep me awake. Yes I need medicine for the medicine. Fighting the fatigue I then have a slow agonizing world of physical therapy, light house work, and naps. I can’t even leave the house because I can no longer drive due to the fact that when I hold the wheel my hands start to shake violently. That is the extent of my existence. There are some days when my hands are so weak that I can’t eat with a spoon, or hold a pencil. And I often mistype words on the keyboard because my hands like to move on their own. In short, parkinson’s has robbed me of my livelihood and independence.

Now I know that there are people there that are reading this are vehemently opposed to the research and such is their right. However why must I suffer for a belief system that isn’t mine? And let me look you square in the eyes: why is a cell more important than me? An embryo doesn’t have a nervous system, like I do, or a fully formed brain like me. The Embryo has no eyes, to see children go, hands to touch, heart to feel, or brain to think. An embryo cannot breathe or scream or cry. An embryo cannot love. And in embryo doesn’t even eat. So how does an embryo have more rights than me? So again please tell me why an embryo is more important than I am. In short, if a child, a living breathing child was trapped in a ware house with a slide full of stem cells who would you choose to save and why? Me, I’ll chose the child any time.

Now if I haven’t changed your mind by this time I don’t know if I ever will. But I implore those that disagree with me , no I beg those that disagree with me, please do not use this as a wedge issue and insult my patriotism and especially my religion. My body is shot, my mind isn’t the greatest and all I have left is my belief in god to sustain me until a cure is discovered. So please at least listen to me and do my one small favor and don’t brig this up in your churches. The right to practice religion applies to the disabled too. And I don't think that anyone especially a disabled person should choose between his politics, physical health, and spiritual well being. I don't think that Jesus would approve of keeping sick people out of his house do you?

Sincerely yours
Daniel Caithamer

I am saving this now and I will fire it off to the herald tomarrow. Thank you.

Here is a second draft--tightened up some sentences and fixed a couple more typos. Very excellent article. What is the word count limitation?

________


Hello, I am a human being.

My name is Daniel Caithamer and I am a thirty seven year old man diagnosed with young onset Parkinson’s, specifically stage two Parkinson’s which affects the body both sides. YOPD is a crippling neurological disorder which can be something as simple as tremor in the pinky (especially when good time r-n-r music is on) or as scary as full paralysis. My other symptoms include loss of manual dexterity due to dyskensia (involuntary hand movements), restless leg syndrome, constant fatigue, poor balance, muscle freezing , poor vocal control and sleeping disorders.

I write this letter hoping to changing the hearts and minds of those against a potential cure for Parkinson’s in the form of adult and embryonic stem cell research. Rather than bore you with a conception debate, or the science of said research, let me till you how Parkinson’s changed my life.

People say that we’re living in the age of terrorism, but Parkinson’s is a terror I deal with daily, one that constantly changes tactics so that no two days are alike. The scariest part of this disease is when you wake up in the morning stiff as a board, a hellish form of living rigor mortis. I can move my eyes but have a hard time swallowing, and I desperately want a drink of water. Worse than the paralysis, is having an accident because your body won’t loosen up to walk to the bathroom.

As I slowly move appendages and regain muscle movement, my dungeon-like existence begins. I take pills that would cost in excess of $360 if not for insurance: miraprex, topomax, zolofft, and pro vigil (to keep me awake from the other medication’s side effects). Yes I need medicine for the medicine. Fighting the fatigue I have a slow agonizing world of physical therapy, light housework, and naps. I can’t leave the house because I cannot drive—when I hold the wheel my hands start to shake violently. There are some days when my hands are so weak that I can’t eat with a spoon, or hold a pencil. I often mistype words on the keyboard because my hands like to move on their own. In short, Parkinson’s has robbed me of my livelihood and independence. That is the extent of my existence.

Now I know that there are people reading this who are vehemently opposed to stem cell research and such is their right; however why must I suffer for a belief system that isn’t mine? And let me look you square in the eyes: why is a cell more important than me? An embryo doesn’t have a nervous system, like I do, or a fully formed brain like me. An embryo has no eyes, hands to touch, heart to feel, or brain to think. An embryo cannot breathe or scream or cry. An embryo cannot love. So how does an embryo have more rights than me? Again, please tell me why an embryo is more important than I am? In short, if a child, a living breathing child, was trapped in a burning warehouse with a slide of stem cells who would you choose to save and why? Me, I’ll choose the child every time.

If I haven’t changed your mind by this time I don’t think I ever will. But I ask those who disagree with me, no I beg those that disagree with me, please do not use this as a wedge issue and insult my patriotism and especially my religion. My body is shot, my mind isn’t the greatest and all I have left is my belief in God to sustain me until a cure is discovered.
Respect me and grant me one favor: don’t brig this up in your churches. The right to practice religion applies to the disabled too. I don't think that anyone, especially a disabled person should choose between his politics, physical health, and spiritual well being. I don't think that Jesus would approve of keeping sick people out of his house do you?

I've reworked the wording, etc., and broken up the paragraphs-- newspapers use short paragraphs, and they're often more effective.

Hope this helps.
====================================
Hello. I am a human being; my name is Daniel Caithamer.

I am a thirty-seven-year-old man diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson's Disease, specifically stage two Parkinson's, which affects both sides of the body.

YOPD is a crippling neurological disorder that can be as minor as a tremor in the little finger or as severe as full paralysis. My symptoms range from loss of manual dexterity due to dyskensia,to involuntary hand movements, restless leg syndrome, constant fatigue, poor to no balance, muscle freezing, poor vocal control and sleeping disorders.

I am writing this letter to those who oppose developing a cure for Parkinson's through adult and embryonic stem cell research. Let me describe how Parkinson’s has changed my life.

People say that we live in the age of terrorism. Parkinson's is a terrorist that I deal with daily; it constantly changes its tactics so that no two of my days are alike.

The scariest part of this disease is when I wake up in the morning stiff as a board, a helllish form of living rigor mortis. I can move my eyes but I have trouble swallowing, and some mornings I can’t do something as basic as getting a drink of water.

There is one thing worse than the paralysis, however. That is when I have an accident in my pants because my body won't loosen up before it’s too late.

But as I slowly move an appendage and regain muscle movement, my dungeon-like existence begins. I must take drugs that would cost me more than 360 dollars if not for insurance. These are Miraprex, Topomax, Zoloft, and Pro Vigil to keep me awake. Yes, I need medicine for the medicine.

Fighting the fatigue, I enter a slow, agonizing world of physical therapy, light housework, and naps. I can’t leave my house because I can no longer drive; when I try to hold the steering wheel my hands shake violently. That is the extent of my existence.

Some days my hands are so weak that I can’t eat with a spoon or write with a pencil. I often mistype words on the computer keyboard because my hands move on their own.

In short, Parkinson’s has robbed me of my livelihood and independence.

I know that some people reading this are vehemently opposed to stem cell research; such is their right. However, why must I suffer for a belief system that isn’t mine? And let me look you square in the eyes and ask you this:

Why is a single cell more important than me?

An embryo doesn’t have a nervous system or a fully formed brain. I do. An embryo has no eyes to see children playing, no hands to touch, no heart to feel, no brain to think.

An embryo cannot breathe or scream or cry. An embryo cannot love. An embryo cannot even eat. So how does an embryo have more rights than me?

Please tell me why an embryo is more important than I am.

If a child, a living breathing child, was trapped in a burning warehouse with a slide full of stem cells, who would you save and why? I'll chose the child any time.

If I haven’t changed your mind by this time I doubt that I ever will. But I implore those who disagree with me, I beg those who disagree with me, please do not use this as a wedge issue and insult my patriotism and especially my religion.

My body is shot, my mind isn’t the greatest, and all I have left is my belief in God to sustain me until a cure is discovered. So please at least do me one small favor: don't bring this up in your churches. The right to practice religion applies to the disabled, too.

I don't believe that anyone, especially a disabled person, should have to choose between his politics, his physical health, and his spiritual well being.

I don't believe that Jesus would approve of keeping sick people out of his house. Do you?

Sincerely yours,

Daniel Caithamer

For onr it's "due to" not "do to" & a few other changes different than the other.

My name is Daniel Caithamer and I am a thirty seven year old man who was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson’s, specifically stage two Parkinson’s which affects the body both sides. YOPD is a crippling neurological disorder which can be something as simple as tremor in the pinky (especially when good time r-n-r music is on) or as scary as full paralysis. My other systems range from loss of manual dexterity due to dyskensia, involuntary hand movements, to restless leg syndrome, to constant fatigue, poor to no balance, muscle freezing , poor vocal control and sleeping disorders. I am writing this
letter in hopes of changing the hearts and minds that are against a potential cure that is in the form of both adult and embryonic stem cell research. Rather than bore you with a debate of conception, or the science of said research let me till you of how Parkinson’s
has changed my life.

People say that were in living in the age of terrorism. But Parkinson’s is a terror that I deal with daily, and that terrorist constantly changes its tactics so that no two days are alone.
The scariest part of this disease is when you wake up in the morning stiff, as a board. A hellish form of living rigor mortis. I can move my eyes but I have a hard time swallowing, and I desperately want a drink of water. On some mornings I can’t do something as basic as that. There is one thing worse than the paralysis however and that is when you have an accident in your pants because your body won’t loosen up before it’s too late.

But as I slowly move an appendage and regain muscle movement my dungeon-like existence begins. I am forced to take pills that would cost in excess of 360 dollars if it weren’t for insurance. These pills are miraprex, topomax, zolofft, and pro vigil to keep me awake.
Yes I need medicine for the medicine. Fighting the fatigue I then have a slow agonizing world of physical therapy, light house work, and naps I can’t even leave the house because I can no longer drive due to the fact that when I hold the wheel my hands start to
shake violently. That is the extent of my existence. There are some days when my hands are so weak that I can’t eat with a spoon, or hold a pencil. And I often mistype words on the keyboard because my hands like to move on their own. In short Parkinson’s has robbed me of my livelihood and independence.

Now I know that there are people there that are reading this and are vehemently opposed to the research and such is their right. However why must I suffer for a belief system that isn’t mine? And let me look you square in the eyes why is a cell more important than me?
An embryo doesn’t have a nervous system, like I do, or a fully formed brain like me. The Embryo has no eyes, to see children go, hands to touch, heart to feel, or brain to think. An embryo cannot breathe or scream or cry. An embryo cannot love. And in embryo doesn’t
even eat. So how does an embryo have more rights than me? So again please tell me why an embryo is more important than I am. In short if a child, a living breathing child was trapped in a warehouse with a slide filled with stem cells who would you choose to save and why? Me, I'll choose the child any time.

Now if I haven’t changed your mind by this time I don’t know if I ever will. But I implore those that disagree with me, no I beg those that disagree with me, please do not use this as a wedge issue and insult my patriotism and especially my religion. My body is shot, my mind isn’t the greatest and all I have left is my belief in god to sustain me until a cure is discovered. So please at least listen to me and do me one small favor and don’t bring this up in your churches. The right to practice religion applies to the disabled too. And I don't think that anyone especially a disabled person should choose between his politics, physical health, and spiritual well being. I don't think that Jesus would approve of keeping sick people out of his house do you?
Sincerely yours
Daniel Caithamer

My name is Daniel Caithamer and I am a thirty seven year old man who was diagnosedwith young onset Parkinson’s, specifically stage two Parkinson’s which affects the body bi laterally. YOPD is a crippling neurological disorder which can be something as simple as tremor in the pinky or as scary as full paralysis. Other symptons range from
loss of dexterity due to dyskensia, involuntary hand movements, restless leg syndrome, constant fatigue, poor to no balance, muscle freezing , poor vocal control and sleeping disorders. These myriad symptoms are from one neuroligical disease. There are thousands of other illness that stem cell could cure such as Diabetes, ALs, and that can begone in but a few years..

Another nerve wracking thing is that PD functions in such a way that no two days are alike. Here is what I go thru during the course of one day.. The scariest part of this diseaseis when you wake up in the morning frozen. It’s a kind of like having waking rigor
mortis. I. On some mornings I can’t do something as basic as drink a glass of water without assistance.. There is one thing worse than the paralysis however and that is whenyou have an accident in your pants because your body won’t loosen up before it’s too late.
Slowly I start to move and and regain muscle control and am able to move an hour afterwaking. My next part in the day is too take my perscriptions.. These pills are miraprex,topomax, zolofft, and pro-vigil.. I then have a slow agonizing world of physical therapy,
light house work, and naps to endure while fighting fatigue and depression.
Parkinson’s is alot more than stifness. I hate the way my hands shake.Some days my hands are so weak that I can’t eat with a spoon, or hold a pencil. I often mistype words on the keyboard because my hands like to move on their own. And I have problemsdialling the phone and using the atm. I can no longer drive a car due to violent tremors in my hands.. Inshort Parkinson’s has robbed me of my livelihood and independence.

There will always be people who disagree with me based on religious beliefs. I must ask you, however, doesn’t the right to practice religion also apply to me also? Why must I suffer
for a belief system that isn’t mine? I personally feel that cell isn’t human until the nervoussystem forms and the brain cell connects. How dare I suffer for this piece of a microscopic drop of goo. Can you honestly tell me how a celll is considered human while
thousands of disabled are treated as things best thrown away.An embryo doesn’t have a nervous system,or a fully formed brain . The Embryo has noeyes, to see, hands to touch, heart to feel, or a brain to think with. An embryo cannot breathe or scream or cry.or love. I think any human life is precious and I think that this following example proves my point. Imagine a living breathing child who was trapped ina warehouse fire with a slide filled with stem cells. Who would you choose to save and why? Me, I'll choose the child without hesitation..

The constitutiotion says that I have the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. It also gaurantees me the right to practice any religion I wish as it applies to you. However Ithink no ones god religion or government should inject this creuliy into peoples lives.Finally I would also emplore leaders in any house of worship that intends to use ssr asa wedge issue to strongly reconsider..The disabled have rights too and I think it that Jesus would frown on forcing those with disabilites to chose between thier god, governmentand physical condition. Hopefully. by now you’ll agree with me.

Sincerely yours
Daniel Caithamer

There is a three hundred word limit according to the paper i want to use. www.dailyherald.com. I appologize for the abrupt departure my hands froze.

I'll have a pared-down 300-word version for you by morning. Please consider reviewing it before you send anything to the herald.

Thank you for sharing your article and the details of your personal struggle. What you face daily is beyond anything I've yet faced in my life, and the fact that you have the courage and energy to post here in good humor is, frankly, humbling.

on the draft. Didn't mean to step on you.

We're working toward the same common good. If Daniel can glean something useful from our effort, then how can either of us have stepped on the other?

But thank you for the apology all the same! :hi:

Thank you for the kind words. I just wish i could write well. I am an emotional writer not a very good one. Thanks for doing that for me btw i appreciate it immmensley. It's time we fought back against the right.

but so far I've only gotten down to 537. Here's what I have so far, based on a previous revision posted above.

Hello, I am a human being.

My name is Daniel Caithamer. I am a 37 year old man with young onset Parkinson’s, a crippling neurological disorder which can be something as simple as a tremor in the pinky or as scary as full paralysis. My other symptoms include loss of manual dexterity due to involuntary hand movements, restless leg syndrome, constant fatigue, poor balance, muscle freezing, poor vocal control and sleeping disorders.

I hope that hearing about how Parkinson’s has changed my life will change the hearts and minds of those who oppose a potential cure for Parkinson’s through adult and embryonic stem cell research.

People say that we’re living in the age of terrorism, but Parkinson’s is a terror I deal with daily, one that constantly changes tactics so that no two days are alike. The scariest part of this disease is when I wake up in the morning stiff as a board, a hellish, living rigor mortis. I can move my eyes but have a hard time swallowing, and I desperately want a drink of water. Worse than the paralysis is having an accident because my body won’t loosen up to walk to the bathroom.

As I slowly regain muscle movement, my dungeon-like existence begins. I take pills that would cost in excess of $360 if not for insurance. Fighting the fatigue, I have a slow agonizing world of physical therapy, light housework, and naps. I can’t leave the house because I cannot drive—when I hold the wheel my hands start to shake violently. There are some days when my hands are so weak that I can’t eat with a spoon, or hold a pencil. I often mistype words on the keyboard because my hands like to move on their own. In short, Parkinson’s has robbed me of my livelihood and independence.

I know that some people are vehemently opposed to stem cell research and such is their right; however, why must I suffer for a belief system that isn’t mine? And may I ask: why is a group of cells more important than me? It doesn’t have a nervous system like I do, or a fully formed brain like me. It has no eyes to see, hands to touch, heart to feel, or brain to think. It cannot breathe or scream or cry. It cannot love. But I can. If a living, breathing child and a slide of stem cells were trapped in a burning warehouse, who would you choose to save and why?

If I haven’t changed your mind with this letter, I probably never will. But I beg those that disagree with me, please don’t use this as a wedge issue and insult my patriotism and especially my religion. My body is shot, my mind isn’t the greatest and all I have left is my belief in God to sustain me until a cure is discovered. Respect me and my beliefs and don’t bring this up in your churches. The right to practice religion applies to the disabled too. I don't think that anyone should choose between his politics, physical health, and spiritual well-being. I don't think that Jesus would approve of keeping sick people out of his house, do you?

I was tired of playing deffense with this crowd.

about wishing you were a good writer. But what you call your "emotional" writing is very touching, and that makes the letter very effective and it comes across as from the heart. I think that's why I had a hard time getting it down below 500-something words: so much of it is just so powerful and I didn't want to take that away. I also didn't know what you felt was most important to keep, so I won't make any more revisions unless you say so. You should be able to trim it from here, though.

I've got to get back to a paper I'm trying to write tonight, but feel free to PM me, and keep up the good fight. Your post is a timely reminder for me that this is another reason to fight the radical right, a reason that I have to confess I most often overlook, since I'm not personally affected by such a disease. From now on I'll work harder for this cause.

First, a few notes:

Despite your disorder, you type better than a bunch of people I work with. Make of that what you will…

Since I reduced the text by more than half, I rearranged the remainder in what I hope is a rhetorically satisfying way. Some of the original text was mildly repetitive. That's not a problem in a work of the original length, but with a 300-word limit, one has to be laconic!

I referred to your condition simply as "Parkinson's" rather than Stage II Parkinson's, because the layman doesn't know one from the other, and your argument applies equally to the various forms of the disease.

I removed the terrorist reference because that will simply incite jerks who fly off the handle at any mention of the T-word and who would attempt to distract from your point.

I omit the part about the accident in one's pants because it's somewhat off-tone and may, to an unscrupulous reader, impart an undue air of comedy to the piece.

I also omit the early reference to adult stem cells because that issue is not revisited in the piece. Your argument hinges upon the nature of embryonic life versus a fully-formed life, so the mention of adult stem cells doesn't aid your effort.

I eliminated your closing question about Jesus because it seemed too confrontational with little chance of payoff. If anyone is to be swayed by your argument, your sharp questioning of their faith can only reinforce their stubbornness.

***text begins –- 296 words***

I am thirty-seven years old and suffer from Parkinson's. Rather than debate the science behind stem cell research, I'd like to tell you how this disease has altered my life.

Think of it as an enemy that endlessly changes tactics. Its weapons include faulty balance, motor dysfunction, poor vocal control, fatigue, and sleeping disorders. It can result in trembling fingers or full paralysis. Sometimes I wake in something like rigor mortis; I can open my eyes but can't move or speak.

I face agonizing physical therapy every day, plus a regimen of pills that can cost almost $400. I can’t leave my house because I can no longer drive. I often mistype because I can't control my hands. Sometimes I can’t even hold a spoon or a pencil. Parkinson’s has stolen my livelihood and independence.

Some believe that an embryo is a fully realized human life, but why must I suffer for their beliefs? An embryo has no nervous system or functional brain. It can't breathe or scream or cry. It has no eyes to see, hands to touch, or heart to love. Please explain why an embryo is more worthy of life than me.

Please don't question my patriotism or my faith, and don't politicize this debate in your churches. The right to practice religion includes the disabled, too. You are free to disagree with me, but I beg you not to exploit this issue. My body is shot, my mind isn’t the greatest, and until a cure is discovered, only my faith in God sustains me. No one should have to choose between and health and faith.

If a child were trapped in a burning warehouse with a slide full of stem cells, which would you save? I'd save the child.

Sincerely,
Daniel Caithamer


***text ends –- 296 words***

I hope that this is helpful. Please use or discard as much of it as you wish.

I ask only that you follow-up with a link if your letter is published!

I will certainly print the link if and when its publshed. Thanks again.