¦ September 21, 2005
THE MOUSE AND THE RACER
Spinal Cord Injured Might Walk with Senate Help

Newest scientific discovery raises hopes,
Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation urges further funding



HENDERSON, Nev. – A mouse in Palo Alto, Calif., has raised new hopes for a quadriplegic former race car driver and current team owner in the Nevada desert.



Sam Schmidt, a leader among spinal cord injured for scientific research and quality of life funding, said a new experiment with mice at a California research center has brought new encouragement to him and hundreds of thousands of others.



“Our feeling has always been with enough research, stem cells could be used to help those with spinal cord injuries, as well as other nerve related disorders,” said Schmidt, founder of the international Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation (www.samschmidt.org).



“This is additional proof that we need more research in this area, and we need the funding that can only come from the federal government,” Schmidt said.



The Sept. 27 edition of The Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences described a procedure in which human stem cells were injected into mice with severe spinal cord injuries. The mice regained much of their ability to walk normally after receiving the injections.



“With a bill in front of the U. S. Senate right now that would greatly increase federal funding of this research, we could take this particular discovery, as well as others over the past few years, and cure someone like myself,” Schmidt said. “Exhibiting these kinds of scientific breakthroughs, it shows stem cell research holds an incredible amount of possibilities for many diseases and afflictions.”



The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation is one of the major forces promoting passage of the bill currently in the U.S. Senate that would increase federal funding of stem cell research. The bill is expected to come up within the next few weeks. It extends funding to research on embryonic stem cell lines that were not in existence in 2001, when an executive order limiting such research was issued.



“In order to fully advance the science, scientists need to expand both the number of stem cell lines available and the funds for this critical research. If the bill doesn’t pass it will be a tragedy – the news being announced this week is great evidence of that. There are technologies that are promising that are not being pursued by talented and ethical scientists because of ideological and financial constraints,” Schmidt said.



“One of the most exciting areas of this particular discovery is it could enable us to move embryonic stem cell research from the debate halls and legislative arenas to the laboratories where it needs to be,” he continued. “The potential for me to walk again . . . for ALS and Parkinson’s to be cured . . . for cures to be found for a myriad of diseases and afflictions of young children . . . way too much is at stake to make this a political battle.



“You can be pro-life and support embryonic stem cell research. The discoveries being announced this week certainly prove that.



“We need this bill passed by the U.S. Senate, and we strongly encourage President Bush to reconsider and sign it into law. We don’t want him to look at the bill as much as we encourage him to look into the eyes of the millions of people whose lives will be greatly improved by this research. We would like him to look into the eyes of children who have diseases that could be cured, and to look into the eyes of the families who are watching loved ones suffer from Alzheimer’s or ALS or Parkinson’s.



Schmidt of Las Vegas, Nev., is founder of the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation (www.samschmidt.org), which helps individuals overcome spinal cord injuries and other neurological disorders by funding scientific research, medical treatment, rehabilitation and technological advances. This research also benefits stroke victims and people diagnosed with ALS, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. SSPF also addresses quality of life issues benefiting people with paralysis and other disabilities through its Day At The Races program, and works tirelessly promoting advocacy concerns.



The 41-year-old was injured during a race car driving car in testing at Orlando, Fla., in January, 2000. A winning driver in the IRL circuit, Schmidt formed Sam Schmidt Motorsports, which fielded the #70 entry of driver Richie Hearn in this year’s Indianapolis 500. He also owns three full-time entries in the IRL’s developmental Menards Infiniti Pro Series, which runs this week at Watkins Glen, N.Y. The team, currently second in the championship points battle, dominated the 2004 series championship with nine poles and six race victories.



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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:


Williams Company of America, Inc. (704) 660-0796 www.williamscompany.com

Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation (317) 236-9999 www.samschmidt.org

SAM SCHMIDT IS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS. PLEASE CONTACT RICHARD N. (CHIP) WILLIAMS AT (704) 660-0796.