Stem Cell Research Speech Outline

Thesis:

Stem Cell research in Parkinson’s disease has been proven difficult due to political and scientific setbacks, but is a promising and effective treatment with those suffering from the disease. This disease has impacted my family in many ways. My father’s father passed away from pneumonia secondary to Parkinson’s Disease in May of 2017, and my mother’s mother is currently battling the disease now. Both have displayed different symptoms throughout their illness, which just shows you how tricky this disease can be. While, Parkinson’s disease isn’t necessarily fatal, the complications that arise are what makes it the 14th cause of death in the United States per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Parkinson’s Foundation).

What is Parkinson’s Disease?

To really understand Parkinson’s Disease and the Stem Cell research being done about it, it is important to know what Parkinson’s disease is. Parkinson’s is a degenerative debilitating disease that is caused by a lack of dopamine producing cells in the brain. This area is called the substantia nigra, and it is located right above the brain stem. The symptoms of

I believe that the use of Stem Cells to treat this disease would have an impact on a tremendous amount of lives. As of now, there are approximately over 1 million people worldwide who suffer daily and on average these people spend $2,500 a year on treatment, that isn’t guaranteed to have an impact on their daily lives. I can’t imagine how frustrating it must be to not be able to do normal, everyday things such as write a letter, hold a fork, or walk to the bathroom, all because the tremors are so bad, or because your balance is thrown off. If there was a way to replace the neurons in the brain that aren’t working to help subside the symptoms, the outcome would be huge. I truly hope that one day the funding will be there continuously, and the research will never have to be on