What's this? Alicia Keys, Roberta Flack, Mary Higgins Clark,
and more coming to Staten Island? The press release from the
Alzheimer's Foundation of Staten Island listed dozens more
celebrities coming here for the second annual Charity Celebrity
Softball Game at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George,
next to the ferry terminal. Melba Moore, Dr. Dre, Irene Cara,
Robbie Knievel, Linda Fiorentino, and too many more to list will
be here Sunday.
I contacted Robert DiMilia, who's on the foundation's board of
directors, just to make sure that those celebrities had
confirmed. He'd just gotten off the phone with the legendary Ms.
Flack, and yes, he said, they've all confirmed. The reason for
the delayed notice, he said, was the late confirmations.
I had attended last year's event, which had only a fraction of
the stars who are attending this year. I hope this year's
promised turnout results from the celebrities' appreciation of
the tremendous service that the foundation does for the victims
of the disease and their families.
Although I had made other plans for this Sunday, I changed them,
because of the deep debt my family owes to the foundation's local
chapter. I was the primary caregiver for my mother-in-law for the
four years before this dreadful disease ended her life. This is a
disease in which, as time passes, the victim's family suffers
more and more watching the drain on a loved one's mind.
The Alzheimer's Foundation provided us with all the adult diapers
and disposable bed pads we needed, free of charge. There were no
special forms to fill out, no certifications. It also had a
variety of medical equipment such as special bathing seats,
wheelchairs, and canes, which were lent to families for an
unspecified term.
The foundation also provides information on counseling, respite
programs, day-care assistance, and other services that are vital
to the mental health of caregivers.
Given my intimate experience with this horrific disease, why am I
not in favor of embryonic stem cell research? A president's
widow, Nancy Reagan, has pleaded for government funds for that
research. The Senate majority leader, William Frist, a physician,
has withdrawn his opposition. Yet President Bush, God bless his
soul, has promised to veto any such bill.
How clearly can I put my objection so that others can recognize
what's at stake here? Believe it or not, Hollywood has
unwittingly done that job for me. Unwisely marketed as a
thriller, the Ewan McGregor-Scarlett Johansson film "The
Island" is tanking at the box office. Had the studio brains
marketed it as a pro-life feature to the religious right, as Mel
Gibson did with "The Passion," it might have been a
blockbuster. Frankly, I don't think they knew that this
"Frankenstein"-type horror film was so relevant to
today's hot-button issue.
"The Island" is about cloning. Oh, no, you say,
embryonic stem cell research is not about cloning - and I say, I
have a bridge to sell you. Here are some facts that every
American needs to know about the issue. First, the research is
not banned. It is being conducted by private research foundations
everywhere. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute has 17 embryonic
stem cells available for researchers. Second, this research has
not produced any cures, period. So I have to ask, why should our
tax dollars go to morally objectionable research when they should
subsidize research using valid adult, umbilical, and placenta
stem cells, research that has already been immensely successful?
Embryos are potential human life, and some researchers want to
destroy them to create new cells that will generate healthy
tissue. Without going too much into the plot of the film, I can
tell you that its villains are using the same argument being used
today to promote embryonic stem cell research, namely, the
potential to cure disease. They agree with Peter Singer, the
Princeton professor of bioethics who said: "The crucial
moral question is not when human life begins, but when human life
reaches the point at which it merits protection."
In this futuristic film, the rich and powerful, who can afford to
have their aging organs replaced, are the ones who "merit
protection." Only someone wearing blinders would not
recognize the potential ethical crises that will result when
scientists play God.
In the meantime, while we wait for an ethical end to Alzheimer's,
come to Staten Island and join your favorite celebrities for this
very worthy cause. Tickets are only $10. Call 718-667-7110.