Kansas’ leaders in DC must fund life-changing stem cell research | Opinion

Brent Donelan | 12.10.25

My son, Patrick, wanted to go to culinary school to learn to be a chef. 

But at the age of 10, he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited disease of the retina. Within a decade, he was blind. He had to abandon his career goals and learn to navigate the world in a different way.

Now 38, Patrick competes as a weightlifter and works in a gym, doing laundry and other chores. He has a cane to walk around Olathe, where he and I both live, and caregivers to help him prepare his meals, plan and clean his apartment. His life is much more restricted than he would like.

Patrick dreams of regaining his sight. In decades past, that would have been a pipe dream. Now, there is hope that stem cells can be used to restore vision to some people who are blind. Patrick might be one of them.

But that can happen only if the federal government continues to fund medical research conducted by scientists across the United States. Every year, Congress appropriates money to the National Institutes of Health, which is the largest funder of biomedical research in the world.

Because of that investment, the U.S. is the global leader in medical discovery and innovations.

Now, medical research is at risk. Unless the federal government commits to robust funding for this important, life-altering work, scientists will not be able to identify new cures and treatments to help people like Patrick live more fulfilling lives. They also will lose ground in developing treatments for such intractable diseases as cancer, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and more. Kansas’ delegation in Congress must champion this research.

Scientists at the University of Iowa, where Patrick is a patient, and researchers elsewhere in the U.S. are experimenting with adult stem cells to determine whether they could be implanted in the eyes of people like Patrick to restore some or all of their sight. Researchers removed skin cells from Patrick’s arm and converted them into stem cells, then implanted them in pigs. The results seem promising. The next step is to conduct clinical trials in humans.

Patrick wants his life back. He wants to do more interesting work as a personal trainer or even a chef. He wants to drive a car. He wants to see his 18-year-old brother, who was born after Patrick lost most of his sight.

Patrick is strong. He holds the Kansas state record for powerlifting among non-disabled people and is the former world record holder among blind athletes. He has competed in the Special Olympics, the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes, USA Weightlifting, USA Powerlifting and the U.S. Powerlifting Association, where he set records for squat (501.55 pounds), deadlift (523.59 pounds) and total weight (1,344.8 pounds).

The only thing he has not been able to beat is retinitis pigmentosa. For that, he needs the help of science.

There are millions of Americans like Patrick who live with conditions that challenge or, worse, destroy their lives. In the past century, scientific research has helped treat and even cure some of our deadliest diseases. Additional breakthroughs might be imminent. The United States can continue to pioneer treatments that make a real difference in the quality and length of people’s lives, as long as we keep investing, consistently and vigorously, in medical research.

Brent Donelan is a solutions consultant for a cloud-based software company in Olathe.