Obama Stem Cell Funding Holds Solace for Family of Great Du Quoin Broadcaster

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ The late WDQN broadcaster Gary Showalter shared a place in Du Quoin's journalism history with iconic people like the late Virgil Bishop.

In a word--he cared.

Gary died of Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS) on this reporter's birthday in December 1992, and like the community, I cried.

You may be for or you may be against stem cell research, but President Barack Obama's signing of a bill on Monday may at least hold some solace and validation for Gary's great life and for the families of others.

"We have thought about this," Gary's father, Gene Showalter said Tuesday after the Monday bill signing.

"Marianne (Gary's mother) and I are enthused and believe that it (the research) might have helped him," Gene said, had the timing been better. "I am sure that it is going to unlock some things. You look and look and you have hope. You hope it is sooner than later."

On Tuesday, the American ALS Association said the funding offers the hope shared by the Showalters.

The association commented:

"President Barack Obama's decision Monday to lift restrictions that have limited federal funding for embryonic stem cell research will significantly aid the search for the causes and cure of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

"The ALS Association believes that stem cell research is a rapidly-evolving field that holds the potential to provide benefit to people with ALS in the future. The continuing pursuit of stem cell research with appropriate scientific review and ethical guidelines directly furthers the mission of The ALS Association in finding a cure for and improving living with ALS."

The ALS Association directs and funds a range of stem cell research projects in the search for new discoveries and potential therapies for Lou Gehrig's disease."