Goodness, it is time for things to settle down now. The fundraiser went well, with about 150 people in attendance enjoying the music and bidding wars, we raised over $6000.

The last few weeks have been filled with a lot of happenings besides the fundraiser. They removed 6 foot of my intestine, because there were 42 ulcers in a 5½-foot span caused by the C-Diff. Then, I took a hard fall last weekend and dislocated 3 ribs under the left shoulder blade, the bruising and inflammation just won’t let me get comfortable to rest, just sitting back in the chair or laying on my back is more than even I can handle. We are working on this daily to get things back to normal, but the pain that comes with it is just almost too much. Please keep in prayer that this will heal quickly. Also, I go for the MRI on the 23rd to see if the C7 vertebra has healed any from the accident in July. The fall this last weekend has irritated it for sure so will have to wait to see what the doctor says about it all. I really have been wearing my seat belt on my chair, but the fall was when I was trying to transfer and the new air mattress on my bed slipped. Another prayer request would be that this pressure sore on my right hip area that is taking its sweet time to heal. Right now I can’t lie on my stomach, back or either side, how do I get comfortable to sleep? Any ideas?

Now I would like to address a few things. Why go to China, if it is not an approved treatment in the United States, it must not be ready or safe. (I have searched high and low for something in the USA and there just isn’t anything) Ok, I know that just because this treatment is not approved in the USA doesn’t mean that it is not safe. I wouldn’t go through all this if I hadn’t researched it to the max. I don’t feel that I am to sit back and just deal with the cards that are dealt, am I? Are we not to seek out help and treatment for whatever illness we are stricken with. There are risks, but so does many treatments here in the USA, what about people with cancer, they have the option of chemotherapy, radiation both of which break the body down before you are able to see the healing part of the process. The medications used for many aliments are researched and tested here in the US as well as other parts of the world. Just because the Retinal stem cell transplant I am going for is not approved in the USA yet, doesn’t mean that it is done illegally, or unsafe. Yes, China is open about their abortion practices, but that doesn’t mean that that is the only place they get the stem cells for research. You can’t use embryonic stem cells for the research when you are having a retinal stem cell transplant. It just isn’t possible. There are more kinds of stem cells to use for research than embryonic.

I know I am going to a place that has practiced the use of embryonic stem cells, how do I feel about that. First let me say that I don’t think what I am doing is immoral or unethical. Just because I am seeking treatment to stop the pain I deal with daily, or to fight for each day just to be able to function on a small level. I am human and I will continue to search for something that works. Will I cross the line and go for embryonic stem cells. NO! Just because there is or has been practice of stem cell research on aborted babies doesn’t mean that I support their actions. It doesn’t mean that I co-done them in anyway. I know that if I didn’t do business with any company that supports abortion, homosexuality, and/or fetal stem cell research, I would be confined to my home. I have done just that this week, I have researched what the companies we deal with on a daily basis support (without our knowledge for the most part). The following are in the top 250 supporting companies nationwide of abortion, homosexuality.

Pepsi Co, Coco-cola Co, Wachovia, Gap, Bank of America, Sears, Ford, Toyota, Wells Fargo, Walgreen’s, UPS, Time Warner, Visa, Starbucks, Reynolds, Progressive, Prudential Financial, Pillsbury, Nike, Microsoft Corp, MasterCard, Macy's, Kimberly Clark, Kaiser Permanente, Johnson & Johnson, JC Penney Co, JP Morgan, Intel Corp, Honeywell International, Hewitt Packard, Dell, Fannie Mae, Sallie Mae, Ebay, Dow Chemical, Continental Airlines, United airlines, Clorox Co, Citi Group, Charles Schwab, Chevron, Carmax, Capital One, Borders, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, AT&T, AllState, American Express Co, Unilever, Whole foods, Walt Disney, Adobe Systems, Target, Home Depot... and this is to name just a few of them.

It is the every day companies we do business with that send our money to support issues that we as Christians don’t believe in or support. Does that make it right or wrong for us to patronize them? So how is that different from me going to China for help? I know my money is going there for treatment, but that still doesn’t mean that I support all their practices. I am striving for a better quality of life here on earth. I don’t know of anyone who is told that they or a loved one have a fatal disease and quits looking for treatment. I’m no different. Does it mean that if I shop at Sears, Macy’s, JC Penney’s or Home Depot that I approve of who they send funds to and support? NO, does it mean that I’m doing something unethical or immoral? NO. I am just someone who is searching for treatment. I know that not everyone will be supportive of my decisions, but before you cast out that stone and look at that judgment ballot, please look inside and think about what you’d do if it were you, your child, or a family member.

Who knows, maybe in the future, we will have the opportunity here in the USA to use adult stem cells for more research and treatments. We don’t know when that will be, but for now, I will continue to seek the money for my trip to China and get the treatment there. Until then, I am at peace with my decision of this treatment, and am keeping the Lord in the forefront of it all.

There will be another fundraiser in the works very soon so keep watching for those details.
Blessings to all,
Pamela