Christopher Reeve, or Super Man as we all knew him, would be proud. So would President Ronald Reagan, Michael J. Fox, and any parent with a child, or two - like we have - with Diabetes. We are! 238 of the 432 U.S. GOP-controlled House of Representatives who voted to support the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act and defy President Bush's veto threat are Super Men and Women in their own right. At least they are in the eyes and hearts of those who suffer from spinal injuries - as Reeve did, or Alzheimer's - as President Reagan did, or Parkinson's Disease - as Michael J. Fox does, or Diabetes - as millions of people in America and around the world do, today.

The U.S. bill will allow the National Institutes of Health (the NIH) to fund stem cell research using embryos from fertility clinics that would otherwise be discarded.

As the parent of two in vitro babies, we did not have the dilemma after one failed and two successful pregnancies of being required to decide where one or more of our remaining 20 embryos would go. We did not have that dilemma because Dr. Weckstein's in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinic in San Ramon, California used them all. However, if that choice were upon us today - with the knowledge that in seven years our two babies would be diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes - we would know exactly how we would want to use our remaining embryos. Those embryos could play a significant role in finding a cure for our insulin and pump dependent babies.

They could also help find the cause and prevention of juvenile diabetes and its complications.

A Personal Thank You To the 238 Who Voted in Favor of Further Research

Voting yes on Tuesday, May 24th 2005 in the U.S. House of Representatives were 187 Democrats, 50 Republicans and 1 Independent.

Thank you to the bill's chief Republican backer, Representative Michael N. Castle of Delaware.

Thank you to Diana DeGette D-Denver who co-championed this bill with Castle.

Thank you and congratulations to Representative Jim Langevin, Democrat of Rhode Island, who lives in a wheelchair because of a spinal cord injury.

Thank you to Representative Jo Ann Emerson, Republican of Missouri, who has redeemed herself in the eyes of a boy paralyzed in a car accident at the age of 16. Cody asked her to support embryonic stem cell studies. Previously, she refused. Today, Emerson can be a catalyst in supporting the recovery of Cody's paralysis and millions of other children and adults who can benefit from this approved embryonic stem cell research.

Thank you to the following Representatives who voted "yes" to keeping our hopes for many cures alive:

ALABAMA

Democrats -- Cramer, Y; Davis, Y.

ALASKA

Republicans -- Young, Y.

ARIZONA

Democrats -- Grijalva, Y; Pastor, Y.

Republicans -- Kolbe, Y.

ARKANSAS

Democrats -- Berry, Y; Ross, Y; Snyder, Y.

CALIFORNIA

Democrats -- Baca, Y; Becerra, Y; Berman, Y; Capps, Y; Cardoza, Y; Costa, Y; Davis, Y; Eshoo, Y; Farr, Y; Filner, Y; Harman, Y; Honda, Y; Lantos, Y; Lee, Y; Lofgren, Zoe, Y; Matsui, Y -- whose husband, longtime Sacramento Rep. Robert Matsui, died on New Year's Day of a rare bone marrow disorder; Miller, George, Y; Napolitano, Y; Pelosi, Y; Roybal-Allard, Y; Sanchez, Linda T., Y; Sanchez, Loretta, Y; Schiff, Y; Sherman, Y; Solis, Y; Stark, Y; Tauscher, Y; Thompson, Y; Waters, Y; Watson, Y; Waxman, Y; Woolsey, Y.

Republicans -- Bono, Y; Calvert, Y; Cox, N; Cunningham, Y; Dreier, Y; Issa, Y; Lewis, Y; McKeon, Y; Rohrabacher, Y; Thomas, Y.

COLORADO

Democrats -- DeGette, Y; Salazar, Y; Udall, Y.

CONNECTICUT

Democrats -- DeLauro, Y; Larson, Y.

Republicans -- Johnson, Y; Shays, Y; Simmons, Y.

DELAWARE

Republicans -- Castle, Y.

FLORIDA

Democrats -- Boyd, Y; Brown, Corrine, Y; Davis, Y; Hastings, Y; Meek, Y; Wasserman Schultz, Y; Wexler, Y.

Republicans -- Brown-Waite, Ginny, Y; Foley, Y; Mack, Y; Shaw, Y; Young, Y.

GEORGIA

Democrats -- Barrow, Y; Bishop, Y; Lewis, Y; McKinney, Y; Scott, Y.

HAWAII

Democrats -- Abercrombie, Y; Case, Y.

ILLINOIS

Democrats -- Bean, Y; Davis, Y; Emanuel, Y; Evans, Y; Gutierrez, Y; Jackson, Y; Rush, Y; Schakowsky, Y.

Republicans -- Biggert, Y; Kirk, Y.

INDIANA

Democrats -- Carson, Y; Visclosky, Y.

IOWA

Democrats -- Boswell, Y.

KANSAS

Democrats -- Moore, Y.

KENTUCKY

Democrats -- Chandler, Y.

LOUISIANA

Democrats -- Jefferson, Y; Melancon, Y.

MAINE

Democrats -- Allen, Y; Michaud, Y.

MARYLAND

Democrats -- Cardin, Y; Cummings, Y; Hoyer, Y; Ruppersberger, Y; Van Hollen, Y; Wynn, Y.

Republicans -- Gilchrest, Y.

MASSACHUSETTS

Democrats -- Capuano, Y; Delahunt, Y; Frank, Y; Lynch, Y; Markey, Y; McGovern, Y; Meehan, Y; Neal, Y; Olver, Y; Tierney, Y.

MICHIGAN

Democrats -- Conyers, Y; Dingell, Y; Kilpatrick, Y; Levin, Y.

Republicans -- Schwarz, Y; Upton, Y.

MINNESOTA

Democrats -- McCollum, Y; Sabo, Y.

Republicans -- Ramstad, Y.

MISSISSIPPI

Democrats -- Thompson, Y.

MISSOURI

Democrats -- Carnahan, Y; Clay, Y; Cleaver, Y; Skelton, Y.

Republicans -- Emerson, Y; Graves, N; Hulshof, N.

NEVADA

Democrats -- Berkley, Y.

Republicans -- Gibbons, Y; Porter, Y.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Republicans -- Bass, Y; Bradley, Y.

NEW JERSEY

Democrats -- Andrews, Y; Holt, Y; Menendez, Y; Pallone, Y; Pascrell, Y; Payne, Y; Rothman, Y.

Republicans -- Frelinghuysen, Y.

NEW MEXICO

Democrats -- Udall, Y.

Republicans -- Wilson, Y.

NEW YORK

Democrats -- Ackerman, Y; Bishop, Y; Crowley, Y; Engel, Y; Higgins, Y; Hinchey, Y; Israel, Y; Lowey, Y; Maloney, Y; McCarthy, Y; McNulty, Y; Meeks, Y; Nadler, Y; Owens, Y; Rangel, Y; Serrano, Y; Slaughter, Y; Towns, Y; Velazquez, Y; Weiner, Y.

Republicans -- Boehlert, Y; Fossella, Y; Kelly, Y; Sweeney, Y.

NORTH CAROLINA

Democrats -- Butterfield, Y; Etheridge, Y; Miller, Y; Price, Y; Watt, Y.

Republicans -- Coble, Y.

NORTH DAKOTA

Democrats -- Pomeroy, Y.

OHIO

Democrats -- Brown, Y; Jones, Y; Kucinich, Y; Ryan, Y; Strickland, Y.

Republicans -- LaTourette, Y; Pryce, Y; Regula, Y.

OKLAHOMA

Democrats -- Boren, Y.

OREGON

Democrats -- Blumenauer, Y; DeFazio, Y; Hooley, Y; Wu, Y.

Republicans -- Walden, Y.

PENNSYLVANIA

Democrats -- Brady, Y; Doyle, Y; Fattah, Y; Kanjorski, Y; Murtha, Y; Schwartz, Y.

Republicans -- Dent, Y; Gerlach, Y; Platts, Y.

RHODE ISLAND

Democrats -- Kennedy, Y; Langevin, Y.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Democrats -- Clyburn, Y; Spratt, Y.

SOUTH DAKOTA

Democrats -- Herseth, Y.

TENNESSEE

Democrats -- Cooper, Y; Ford, Y; Gordon, Y; Tanner, Y.

TEXAS

Democrats -- Cuellar, Y; Doggett, Y; Edwards, Y; Gonzalez, Y; Green, Al, Y; Green, Gene, Y; Hinojosa, Y; Jackson-Lee, Y; Johnson, E.B., Y; Ortiz, Y; Reyes, Y.

Republicans -- Barton, Y; Granger, Y.

UTAH

Democrats -- Matheson, Y.

VERMONT

Independent -- Sanders, Y.

VIRGINIA

Democrats -- Boucher, Y; Moran, Y; Scott, Y.

Republicans -- Davis, Tom, Y.

WASHINGTON

Democrats -- Baird, Y; Dicks, Y; Inslee, Y; Larsen, Y; McDermott, Y; Smith, Y.

WEST VIRGINIA

Republicans -- Capito, Y.

WISCONSIN

Democrats -- Baldwin, Y; Kind, Y; Moore, Y; Obey, Y.

Well done!

Thank you also to Nancy and Ron Reagan and all those who got on the phone or sent emails to encourage a vote in favor of further research.

Thank you to Bob Klein who spearheaded California's Save Lives with Stem Cells Prop 71.

Thank you to all those who contributed to the record $1.6 million raised two weeks ago at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) event in San Francisco, which also honored Bob's undying efforts.

A Passionate, Dedicated Diabetes Doctor, Jeff Bluestone, Ph.D.

Thank you especially to people such as Dr. Jeffrey Bluestone, Stephen E. Gitelman, M.D. at UCSF and Dr. Saleh Adi at California Pacific, who have dedicated their lives to diabetes research and the care of children.

Thank you to Debby, the mother of Emma who was diagnosed with diabetes in 2001, for sharing an interesting four-part series on the role stem cell research is taking in other parts of the world:

For a definition of stem cells and embryonic research, go to:

This one's for Chris, Nancy's Ronnie, Michael, Bob's son, our Jessie and Niki, and all those before us and in front of us, whose lives are a testimony to the challenge and opportunities ahead.

Inspire & Be Inspired.

Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful, "defying all odds" living!

~ Jennifer Carolyn King, Rugged Elegance, LLC