Tuesday 8 January 2013

Quiet day

Ken started a new job this week! He was actually hired on Christmas Eve, but he didn't start until yesterday - he's now the CFO for a public oil and gas services company. He spent 3 1/2 months home with me and it is strange to have him back to work.

Carmen and Chloe went back to school yesterday, and Steven is back in classes today, so it is just Jaclyn and I. And she got her wisdom teeth out yesterday and is spending today sleeping. She feels just fine, no pain, but this is how she looks:



And her cheeks have swollen a little more since this picture I think!
(We are all enjoying it - so funny!)

At Jaclyn's age stem cells can be harvested from the pulp of teeth, which is super fascinating. We shipped her teeth off to StemSave in Massachusetts where they will extract and save her stem cells, and according to my FedEx tracking number they were delivered this morning despite the fact that I'm pretty sure I dated my signature on the customs form as 2012 by accident. I read somewhere (probably the StemSave website) that there are 80 diseases currently treatable with adult stem cells, but none yet treated with embryonic stem cells.

Okay, I just checked that and I did see it on the StemSave site here, but the number of diseases currently approved for human application is actually 73, including:

  • Parkinson's Disease
  • Brain Injuries
  • Heart Disease
  • Diabetes
  • Arthritis
  • Muscular dystrophy
  • Leukemia
  • Crohn's disease
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Neimann-Pick Type C
  • Periodontal Disease
  • Sports Injuries

So it's a form of biological health insurance, and like all insurance, the best insurance is the insurance you never use.

Sadly, there is still no cure for the common cold, and as a result I'm taking it just as easy this morning as Jaclyn is.

3 comments:

Sister Jaclyn Olson said...

Steven is on the record saying "This is the greatest thing ever." haha

Kelly said...

Yea for Ken! That's great news!

When I saw this picture of Jaclyn on Facebook, I thought for sure it was photoshopped. Ouch! Hope she's doing better!

That is fascinating about the stem cells. I'm curious how they would help treat diabetes. Probably only if you developed it after the stem cells were harvested?

Natalie said...

Chipmunk cheeks are a right of passage, Jaclyn wears them well!
I'm trying to think if I can spare any teeth, that sounds like good insurance to have! ;-)