Yesterday, Brad and I went to a forum on human embryonic stem (ES) cells that was open to the public. At the reception afterward, we met a woman with breast cancer that was being treated by one of the organizers of the event. I had a nice chat with her; she was very interested in my research and the story of how I got to where I am. I have never worked with human ES cells, but I have worked with mouse ES cells, and studied the influence of steroid hormones (such as estrogen) on tumors. Her tumor is responsive to anti-hormone therapy, so we talked about that and her growing interest in the research science leading up to treatment.
I really felt a renewed sense of purpose after talking to her. Sometimes research can get very tedious and I have a tendency to get bogged down in details. I had forgotten how nice it was to talk to someone who wanted to hear about science without being afraid that I was boring her or worse-that she thought my work was unimportant or "funny". Well, since my current research involves dissecting out fruit fly testes to study germline stem cells, it can be amusing-but that doesn't make it any less important. I don't mind joking about it if I know that the other party is laughing with me and not at me.
Yesterday's brief encounter meant a lot to me and I felt recharged today and ready to face the next challenge.
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2 comments:
Aunt Therese,
It is always nice when someone understands your line of work, but when it effects their life and the lives of many others, it must give you a tremendous sense of purpose that many of us could only imagine. Keep up the great work.
KD
Thanks, Kyle :)
I guess everyone just needs a little boost of encouragement now and then.
My current research may have clinical applications in the future, but is more basic science right now.
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