cross-posting
I think there are some members on this list from Minnesota. I figured if
they hadn’t seen the following I’d do a favor and post this for convenience.
Poster Jan
Subject: [IP] Bill in MN leg-Islet Cell Transplants
Just received this month’s Diabetes Forecast and it has an article on
Islet Cell Transplants and it mentions Dr. Hering from the U of Minn. I
heard him speak on Feb. 14 about his research and how close they are to
success with this.
There is a bill in the Minn. state legislature (still in committee,
senate bill #3317, House bill #3384), that the MN chapter of JDF is
sponsoring, for a 10 million dollar funding for Islet Cell Transplants. This
is for Dr. Hering’s transplant research program. This money will be coming
out of the
Tobacco Settlement Lawsuit Trust Fund interest, the interest part of the
lawsuit
ONLY. This WILL NOT raise your taxes. Right now they can only do 10
transplants a year, if this bill is passed they can do 50 a year. Without
this money it will take 10 years to do this research instead of 2 years.
I am encouraging everyone in the state of Minnesota to write their Minn.
state senator and Minn. state rep. (the ones that work at the state
capital in St. Paul) about this bill and ask for the full 10 million
dollars. You or your child don’t have to have diabetes to write on behalf of
this bill, you only have to live in the state of Minn. If you have a child
with
diabetes, and live in the state of Minn., tell your state senator and state
rep. what a day is like for your child, and send their picture with it. The
picture
gives them a face to look at. This NEEDS to be done NOW. To find out who
your senator or rep. is in the Minn. legislature, the web site is
www.leg.state.mn.us go to General Information, then Precinct Finder. They
will be voting on this bill in committee SOON. We need all the help we can
get. My husband and I both went to see our senator and rep. on this issue
last Monday.
Deborah mom to Eve 12.5
Dxed 5/3/96 pumping 5/21/99