abstracts.md (2691B)
1 # Abstracts 2 3 <time id="post-date">1978-01-01</time> 4 5 <p id="post-excerpt"> 6 Text of the post-excerpt goes here. 7 </p> 8 9 ## Heading 10 11 >The assurance of a complete and irrevocable break 12 >with everything which beclouds the past 13 >lies in a true and courageous comprehension 14 >of its full consequences. 15 > 16 > — Alexander Tvardovsky, editor of *Novy Mir*. 17 Foreward to *One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich* by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. 1963. 18 19 On the night of December 2nd, 2018, I was too angry to sleep. 20 I'm not easy to ruffle 21 (one of my cofellows dubbed me "Beau 'Cool-as-a-Cucumber' Hilton" - 22 I have many faults, but easy ruffleability is not among them), 23 and I have narcolepsy, 24 so I can count the number of nights I've spent both angry and sleepless on a single finger. 25 26 That afternoon I was reflecting on the plenary session 27 given by Dr Leon Tshilolo 28 at the American Society of Hematology 60th Annual Meeting, 29 where he presented data on the use of hydroxyurea 30 in sickle cell disease 31 in Africa. 32 It was a beautiful talk, 33 a major advance in the field of hematology, 34 and a wakeup call. 35 36 Hydroxyurea is an inexpensive drug that makes a huge difference 37 for many folks with sickle cell disease, 38 and has been used for decades. 39 The majority of people with sickle cell disease live in Sub-Saharan Africa. 40 (The paper that accompanied Dr Tshilolo's talk, 41 which was published in The New England Journal of Medicine 42 roughly one month later, 43 began with the characteristically understated: 44 "Hydroxyurea is an effective treatment for sickle cell anemia, 45 but few studies have been conducted in sub-Saharan Africa, 46 where the burden is greatest.") 47 This study deserved to be the plenary session. 48 Unlike ever-more-expensive targeted therapies 49 that benefit a few with rare diseases 50 (I do not disparage these drugs, far from it, 51 but the contrast is poignant), 52 this is a cheap therapy that can benefit millions. 53 Recognizing the incredible scientific, 54 political, and financial maneuvering 55 that led to this study and its positive outcomes, 56 as the day went on my initial elation 57 turned to depression, 58 then to anger. 59 That this study happened at all is a triumph, 60 that it took this long to happen is a tragedy. 61 62 So I sat in my hotel room, 63 furious, 64 imagining, 65 lost. 66 67 I was trained as an anthropologist 68 and activist 69 at the same time I was trained as a scientist, 70 and here was a disturbing revelation 71 that seemed to fit squarely in my Venn Diagram, 72 but what I could do about it, 73 how I could make a difference, 74 how I could even know where to start, 75 escaped me. 76 Eventually the sun surprised me, 77 and the next day took me 78 (thankfully, 79 there were some less-electrifying talks 80 to sleep through later that day). 81 82