Child who received stem cells from aborted fetus on way home

[WhiteTara]

wow. This is quite a story, and a miracle for this little boy.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/16215833.htm

SAN FRANCISCO - Daniel Kerner's parents knew the experimental brain surgery was risky, but without it the 6-year-old surely would die.

Last month in Portland, Ore., doctors for the first time transplanted stem cells from aborted fetuses into his head in a desperate bid to reverse, or at least slow, a rare genetic disorder called Batten disease. The so-far incurable condition normally results in blindness and paralysis before death.

Doctors don't know if the neural stem cells taken from fetuses - donated to a nonprofit medical foundation by women aborting early-stage pregnancies - will save Daniel's life. But the boy has sufficiently recovered from his 8-hour surgery to be expected to return to his Orange County, Calif., home Friday. The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah begins that night.

"We don't think that is a coincidence," said Marcus Kerner, who said a deep faith in Judaism and long hours of prayer prompted the family to volunteer Daniel for the risky procedure. Daniel was diagnosed two years ago and has since lost the ability to walk and talk. Daniel is the first volunteer of an experiment that plans to operate on five more afflicted children over the next year.

"He was a little boy who was basically waiting to die, now he's waiting to get better," said Kerner. He said Daniel recently called him "Dad" for the first time in two years.

[petronius]

1. I wonder if the fundies will picket his house and scream at him and his parents

when they go outside? Maybe they'll tell him he's going to hell for baby-murder...

[zreosumgame]

2. no matter what else, good luck kid, you deserve a chance...

[J Miles]

3. Stem cells DO NOT come from fetuses

They come from embryos.

[jillan]

4. I am praying that the Dems get things moving on stem cells

Someone I love very, very much could possibly be cured by stem cells that come from the placenta.

Stem cell research is Pro-Life. Dammit **!

That is a wonderful story about that little boy :)

[Vidar]

5. I wish him well.

[annabanana]

6. The article doesn't say

how he's doing. I wish him the very best, but the article leaves me hungry for some basic information.

[tblue37]

7. I have noticed that to be typical of most news stories these days.

I teach writing classes in college, and one of the things that many young students have trouble with is getting outside their own heads and figuring out what their readers need to know. They know the stuff they are writing about, so it doesn't occur to them that their readers don't unless they tell them.

I always tell my students that if they raise questions in their readers' mind, then they should at least try to address those questions, but it is hard for them to understand that they have even raised questions.

But those are college freshmen and sophomores. By the time someone is a reporter, he should already know that his stories should have actual information in them. It's called basic reporting!