Celebrities Struck Down By Accident, Illness Raise Everyone’s Awareness I Have A Personal Vendetta Against Genetic Heart Disease. It Almost Took The Life Of My Son John. And Every Time I Watched Little John Struggle With Activities Second Nature To Most Toddlers, Each Time He Emerged From One Of His Multiple Surgeries Hidden Behind An Array Of Tubes, Needles And Monitors, I Became That Much More Determined To See It Wiped Out. And I’ve Worked Every Single Day Since To Make It Happen.

Tuesday, July 04, 1995     Page: 6A

Celebrities struck down by accident, illness raise everyone’s awareness
   
I have a personal vendetta against genetic heart disease. It almost took
the life of my son John. And every time I watched little John struggle with
activities second nature to most toddlers, each time he emerged from one of
his multiple surgeries hidden behind an array of tubes, needles and monitors,
    I became that much more determined to see it wiped out. And I’ve worked
every single day since to make it happenThere was never any reason for me or
my family to know about genetic heart defects before little John. But now,
words such as patent ductus arteriosis roll off our tongues with minimal
effort.
   
Along with the many other gifts little John has brought to the world, he
has created a small legion of warriors against heart disease.
   
Celebrities who fall victim to medical catastrophe play a similar role to
little John but on a much larger scale. They help crack through the “it will
never happen to me” mentality most of us carry with us until tragedy strikes
close to home. They bring solace and inspiration to those who share their
afflictions. And they remind us what we have to lose by allowing anti-science
forces, such as the animal rights movement, to slow the pace of medical
progress.
   
For patient groups, celebrity victims provide a unique opportunity to
educate the public about the importance of their cause.
   
Christopher Reeve’s riding accident brought a flood of calls to the
National Spinal Cord Injury Association. Perhaps as a result of this increased
awareness, a treatment will be closer at hand.
   
There are those who express outrage at the advantages of celebrity status
in obtaining quality medical care. But I say this is a small price to pay for
what we ask of our celebrity “poster patients.”
   
At a time when they yearn for privacy, we demand access. At a time when
they may feel hopeless, we look to them for hope. They must be brave. They
must be strong. And they must gracefully accept their fate.
   
We need celebrity poster patients not only to focus the nation’s attention
on the importance of biomedical research, but also to remind us that behind
every Christopher Reeve there are thousands of little Johns. And they all need
our help.
   
John D. Aquilino
   
Fort Washington, Md.