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The Vitality of Awareness

Recently, I have been astounded at how much awareness of a disease has to do with the amount of research aimed at treating the disease.  I mentioned before how the awareness about Parkinson's Disease came through the work of famous faces like Muhammad Ali and Michael J. Fox.  If it weren't for individuals like them, Parkinson's treatment may not be as developed as it is today.  This idea is true for other diseases as well.  One such illness that I believe will receive a lot of attention now is Tetralogy of Fallot, a disease that Jimmy Kimmel's newborn son, William John, was diagnosed with just hours after his birth.  The fact that Kimmel opened up about a personal family situation in such an emotional way really resonated with me and, judging by its popularity on social media, many others.  Not only were well-wishes sent to the family, but donations towards the operation flooded in as well.  Here was a man, add to that a comedian, crying on live TV!  It was such an incredible thing to witness the love of Kimmel for his son and the concern he has for the future.  I can only speculate now that this will serve to increase concern toward newborn diseases and research in finding preventative methods so that future infants won't suffer from such complications.  This is just one more example of the vitality of awareness in leading to improving treatment strategies.






Kimmel, J. [Jimmy Kimmel Live]. (2017, May 1). Jimmy Kimmel reveals details of his son's birth & heart disease. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmWWoMcGmo0

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