Logan Handwerk
24 July 2014
Kristin Messuri
English 015
You’re Going Where?
Mary Ruta was 17 years old and looking forward to ending her senior year of high
school. She was smart, talented and popular. Mary was heading off to Harvard in the fall in
pursuit of a premedical degree, but all that changed when she was diagnosed with stage 4
melanoma. It spread to her brain and lungs, and treatment could give her maybe an extra two
months. With denial running rampant she spent the next three days on the computer trying to
look up ways to cure cancer. She stumbled upon a doctor in Amsterdam that was offering a stem
cell treatment that could cure all stages of breast cancer, but is it safe? This question haunts the
minds of the terminally ill. Everyday, people are coerced into overseas stem cell treatments by
being given a false sense of hope.
Stem cell therapy is an extremely new and developing method of treatment around the
world. Scientists and doctors are still trying to figure out how to use stem cells safely and
effectively, but they do know for sure that they are rapidly dividing cells found in our bodies that
can turn into any other cell. For example, an experiment is occurring where stem cells from
human embryos are placed on the cornea of patients with poor vision (Brooks). This is purely an
experimental experiment, and it is taking place in the United States. The United States Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) has carefully reviewed the experiment and approved it as safe
because it can be monitored and removed easily due to its location on the cornea.
Unlike procedures that have been regulated by the FDA, there are many other countries
around the world with doctors performing stem cell treatments. Because the FDA does not
regulate these procedures, one is unable to ensure its safety. Still, people are coerced by promises
of false hope; we cannot blame them, though, because if a trip to Korea and a few thousand
could give us our lives back, who would not take it? Overseas doctors give a false sense of hope
to people that are suffering from terminal illnesses. They tell them that they can get their whole
lives back, maybe even better than before. Unfortunately, people are roped into these schemes
and tend to ignore the very long list of dangers and side effects.
In addition to these risky procedures, stem cells can have some valid, safe uses. In the
United States, the FDA regulates all stem cells because of their high level of danger if used
improperly. There is currently only one product approved by the FDA that contains stem cells,
but they are used in various procedures in the United States. For example, stem cells are found in
bone marrow, which often gets transplanted for leukemia patients (“FDA Warns About Stem
Cell Claims”). In this procedure, the newly introduced stem cells in the bone marrow regenerate
quickly and divide rapidly so that the old marrow is given a sort of kick-start. This procedure has
been around for many years, and is approved by the FDA.
There are many more scammers out there than one might think, though. People are much
more willing to believe someone when their life is on the line, so they hand over tens of
thousands of dollars for illegal treatments. One instance of this was in Houston, Texas, where
Lawrence Stowe advertised a cure for diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and
Parkinson’s. He charged one man fifty thousand dollars for his treatment involving stem cell
therapy and other unapproved drugs, but the man later died (Glenn). It can be extremely easy and
tempting to take advantage of people when they are in a fragile and vulnerable state, but it does
not make it right.
Overseas stem cell treatments are not only costly and risky, but they are extremely
dangerous. There is no regulation of stem cells outside of the United States, and there is simply
not enough knowledge to know if they are safe or not. Illegal stem cell therapies have taken the
lives, and entire life savings, of many people. A promise of hope is nothing compared to valuing
the short time one has left with their loved ones.
Works Cited
Brooks, Michael. "People Should Be Wary of Overseas Stem Cell Clinics Offering Cures." Stem
Cells. Jacqueline Langwith. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt.
from "Value of a Soft Cell." New Statesman (9 Dec. 2010). Opposing Viewpoints in
Context. Web. 24 July 2014.
Clemmitt, Marcia. "Stem Cell Research." CQ Researcher 1 Sept. 2006: 697-720. Web. 24 July
2014.
Edelstein, S. A., and L. P. Holmes. “Cellr4.” Cellr4. Verduci International LLC, 04 Feb. 2014.
Web. 23 July 2014.
“FDA Warns About Stem Cell Claims.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration. N.p., 06 Jan. 2012.
Web. 21 July 2014.
Glenn, Mike. "Houston Judge Sentences Man in Stem Cell Scheme Case."Houston Chronicle.
N.p., 02 May 2014. Web. 25 July 2014.
Zaidi, Shabih H. Ethics in Medicine. Switzerland: Springer International, 2014. Print.