Colorado Stem Cell Awareness Rally to Take Place in Denver, Colorado on June 13th, 2009

DENVER, June 10 /PRNewswire/ — Building on the momentum of their previous events, the Stem Cell Awareness Association (http://www.stemcellaware.com) will hold the sixth Stem Cell Awareness Rally in Denver, Colorado on June 13th, 2009. The group’s last event, in Punta Gorda, Florida, drew past and prospective patients, news media, U.S. physicians and specialists, as well as members of the public interested in learning more about stem cell treatment.

Carol Peterson (see http://www.cameronsmiracleofsight.com), who launched the association at the first event in July of 2007, summarized the mission of the association in four simple words, “Educated Freedom of Choice.” Carol explained, “Our group is mainly made up of patients who have experienced what is really available in other countries and while we don’t want to exert influence over other patients’ decisions, we do want to make them aware that what is available in the U.S. is not representative of what is available throughout the world.”

A key component of the rallies is for patients who have returned from treatment abroad to share their stories, both good and bad, with those in attendance.

One such patient is David Aldrich from Florida who is a spinal cord injury survivor and was legally blind before his treatment abroad. (http://stemcellschina.com/blog/david/)

“I am worn out from dealing with a medical establishment that does not provide me with the best treatment available and oftentimes tries to stop people like me from seeking treatment abroad under the guise of protecting me,” said Aldrich. “My short-term goal is to let people know that there is help available, no matter what your physician says. But my real goal is focused on bringing people together to figure out what can be done so I don’t have to go abroad for my next treatment.”

Shel Morse spoke at the fifth rally about the association’s mission and what it meant to her to see her sixteen-year-old daughter, Macie, get her driver’s permit after returning from treatment in China. Macie was treated in July 2008 and has ONH, a leading cause of blindness in children. The following is an excerpt of Shel’s speech:

“Macie’s journey to stem cells started when she turned 15 and asked for a driving permit. It wasn’t even an option with her current vision, not to mention the fact a vision teacher of hers had stated it was never going to be possible and we should just face reality. At that point I knew that it was my mission to let people know that they don’t necessarily have to live with the diagnosis their local doctors give them.

“Macie’s doctors not only criticized the companies we told them about but actively discouraged us from help overseas – help that they could not offer. The reason why I got behind this organization and decided to set up this event in Denver is because the patients need to join together to have a voice. Our medical society needs to get serious about real health care; we cannot rely on our current system – it is broken. U.S. doctors and scientists need to focus on doing what is necessary to help patients instead of their reputations and how they can make money.”

The sixth rally will continue to build the community as stem cell patients from across the U.S. and Canada are provided the opportunity to share their experiences with prospective patients. It will also provide an opportunity for doctors and medical specialists to not only connect with patients but also consider how stem cell technology can be successfully implemented in North American medical systems.

Complementing their Stem Cell Awareness events, the Stem Cell Awareness Association web site (http://www.stemcellaware.com) serves as a community forum where people can discuss stem cell therapies, policies, options and treatment experiences.

All patients who are considering stem cell treatments or have already had stem cell treatments are welcome to join the next Stem Cell Awareness Rally:

    Location: Denver, Colorado
    Place: Stella's Coffee House
    Date: June 13th, 2009
    Time: 2 pm

Please contact Shel Morse (rbikandi3@msn.com) or visit http://www.stemcellaware.com for more information about the event and Carol Peterson (carolptrsn@msn.com) for information on how you can get involved in the Stem Cell Awareness Association.

About the Stem Cell Awareness Association

The international Stem Cell Awareness Association focuses on increasing the public’s awareness of stem cell treatments available around the world. The association’s immediate goals are to help educate patients about the best treatment options available today and provide a forum for past patients to connect with people considering stem cell treatment and to help those that need treatment to raise money. The long-term goals are to encourage acceptance within the U.S. medical community of stem cell therapies currently only offered abroad and promote faster adoption of stem cell technology in the U.S.

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SOURCE Stem Cell Awareness Association