LUCY

I sit in the lobby of my apartment building because it's too cold to go outside.
I spread out on a low, round sofa and watch the tenants coming home from work.
I read about Stem Cells.

I find human biology fascinating but as I read, I'm alarmed at how little we know.
(We don't really understand how RNA directs DNA (I guess).

I've never paid attention to medical research.
I'd vaguely heard of the Genome project and Stem Cell treatment.
I assumed we were living in the age of "The Jetsons".

We're not.

There is much to be learned. And what occurred to me after getting through a third "Stem Cells for Dummies" is that in seventy-five years, we'll have it all figured out. People won't die from disease. In a hundred years, people will be appalled that people died from cancer or ALS.  Stem cells and gene therapy will change everything.

(The Bush Administration greatly slowed the progress for stem cell research. People will die because of Bush's religious convictions. I'm not interested in politicizing - but I despise Bush for halting stem cell research because he cozied up to Billy Graham.

* (I just read in "Stem Cells for Dummies" that Billy Graham has Parkinson's, another fatal neurological disease).

* (Bush didn't stop stem cell research. He actually allowed it to begin. But only with existing stem cells.
Most of these stem cells were ineffectual, too sick or too old? He also greatly restricted federal funding for research. Obama, overturned this in March of 2009.
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Obama's move overturns an order signed by President Bush in 2001 that barred the National Institutes of Health from funding research on embryonic stem cells beyond using 60 cell lines that existed at that time.

Obama also signed a presidential memorandum establishing greater independence for federal science policies and programs.

"In recent years, when it comes to stem cell research, rather than furthering discovery, our government has forced what I believe is a false choice between sound science and moral values,"Obama said at the White House.

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After reading for a couple of hours,  I try to stand up, but I can't. I can't get up from the lobby sofa. I can't find the strength.

Spiro (my doorman) has taken me on as his responsibility. Spiro is a miracle of human energy. (The New York Times should do a profile on him). He stands by the sofa waiting to assist, my walker at the ready, but no matter how hard I try, I cannot stand up.

Spiro places the palm of his hand on my heart and says with his crazy Albanian accent,

"It's okay."

I shake my head in disbelief.

"No, it's good! Take your time. I'm here. No worries from me."

And I can't help but grin. How is it that I can't get up from this sofa, but last week I could?
It's like some kind of gag. I'm Lucy in the freezer.

After much effort, my upper arms throbbing from overuse, I stand up.