Stories of Hope

Jeff Eisen’s brother, Tom, was diagnosed
with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 27

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Jeff Eisen

Brother has MS
When the "Helping Hand" needs one

My younger brother, Tom Eisen, is a graduate of Ladue High School (class of 1971) in suburban St. Louis and earned his degree in journalism from the University of Missouri in 1975. Upon graduation, he worked as a news writer and editor in St. Louis at KMOX radio and later at KTVI-TV. He subsequently became a news broadcaster in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he established a consumer report called "Tom Eisen, The Helping Hand." His feature segment was recognized by the U.S. Department of Consumer Affairs and he was summoned to the White House to receive an award for excellence in consumer reporting.

Tom also possessed a knack for sniffing out good stories. When two senators were appointed to the Agricultural Committee, though in their entire lives neither had ever set foot on a farm, their senatorial counterpart from Iowa made arrangements for them to secretly spend a couple of days living with Iowa farmers, learning the territory and getting up to speed. Tom got wind of the "secret," tracked down the location and arrived with a camera crew. He interviewed the senators, whom he had filmed shoveling manure and mending fences, and broke the story on the CBS Evening News.

It was quite a thrill to see my little brother introduced by Walter Cronkite.

Just as his career was accelerating, Tom was struck with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 27. As his disease progressed, his hands began to tremor and soon he could no longer hold a microphone steady. His speech began to slur. It was clear that his broadcasting days were numbered and it wasn't long before his career came to an abrupt halt. Tom's world had changed forever.

Over time, Tom's condition has continued to deteriorate. Now 55, his disease affects his cognitive skills, memory and motor skills. He is wheelchair bound and requires full-time care during his waking hours. There is, of course, no cure for Tom's Multiple Sclerosis. However, there is great promise in stem cell research for someday finding a cure for MS, as well as a great many other diseases.

Our family and friends have prayed for a cure for my brother for 28 years now and given the current effort of the Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, I can't help but think, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if that cure was found right here in Missouri, Tom's home state?"

Looking forward with much hope ...

Note: Jeff Eisen has his own website about stem cell research. Click to visit Jeff's site.
 

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