Danny Heumann's Story

Danny Heumann with his wife, Lynn, and their daughter, Kate

by Danny Heumann
Ann Arbor, Mich.

My future was forever changed Aug. 13, 1985, when I was an 18-year-old summer camp counselor in upstate New York . I was a backseat passenger in a car traveling with three other camp counselors. The driver of the car was speeding around a curve and lost control. He was killed and the two other passengers walked out without a scratch. There were no drugs or alcohol involved.

At the hospital, I was diagnosed as a T-6 paraplegic, with no movement or sensation from the chest down. I have not been able to walk or feel the lower half of my body since the night of my accident. The accident occurred two weeks before I was set to begin my freshman year at Syracuse University . After intensive care with pneumonia, surgery to stabilize my broken back, two months of inpatient rehabilitation and dealing with the many secondary complications (that continue today) associated with spinal cord injury, I started Syracuse . I graduated from Syracuse 's Newhouse School of Public Communications in 1991. After working to lobby legislators in Washington , DC for increased federal funding for neurological research at the National Institute for Health, I decided to go to law school. I attended the Washington College of Law at American University and graduated with my JD in 1998.

After my accident, my parents, along with relatives and friends established The Daniel Heumann Fund for Spinal Cord Research which has raised $5 million for basic scientific research in this country and around the world.

Being involved with research, I know how difficult it is for medical science to find cures for the many diseases and disabilities that plague the citizens of our state and country. I want to do the things for my family that able-bodied husbands and fathers take for granted everyday.

Nothing will or can deter me from calling on the Michigan Legislature to lift the state's ban on embryonic stem cell research. We need to allow our scientists to do this research in an ethical manner.

Furthermore, letting our scientists pursue Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) is the key to potentially unlocking the chains that now handcuff Michigan 's researchers. The only way this research can be deemed successful is if we allow our scientists to create patient-specific stem cells that can be immune from rejection, since the cells will come directly from the patient. As a result of this research, we could be the first state to create diverse stem cell lines that will benefit all members of society. For example, to help African American children and adults who suffer from Sickle Cell Anemia and Type 1 Diabetes.

I agree with those who say Michigan will need to strengthen its ban on human reproductive cloning. I disagree, however, with those who say embryonic stem cell research is not pro-life. This research represents the true pro-life position because it could save human lives and eliminate human suffering.

Three decades ago, in vitro fertilization for couples who could not have children was dismissed by some legislators and religious groups and leaders in Michigan as repugnant. Now, this science is commonplace.

Today, the IVF process is a frequently used procedure for couples who are having infertility issues. I should know: My wife and I used IVF to successfully conceive our now 3 1/2 year-old daughter, Kate. As her father, I want to make sure that if my daughter gets a rare disease or suffers a spinal cord injury that she would not die or suffer as I have for the last 22 years.

My philosophy in life is that I live for today, but I hope for tomorrow. Let's give hope to the thousands of Michigan citizens who suffer from diseases and disabilities.

Danny Heumann is the one of the founding board members of Michigan Citizens for Stem Cell Research and Cures. For more information about Danny, please visit www.heumannlycapable.com.