A drive through Gifford Pinchot National Forest

Several months ago I met a much older Indian man at a conference on Cancer Research….many miles away from Seattle…. He sat in a rather formal brown suit with a striped shirt and tie, looking a bit out of place in contrast to the crowd of young scientists all around. I sat with him as he rested his feet and had small talk, "how are you enjoying the conference" "very well he said", which quickly turned to "what type of research do you do"? "Natural Products" he replied…a topic I rather enjoy as well... "tell me more" I thought….And 20 minutes later I had heard the most interesting story I almost didn't believe. "How could it be?" "How could I not know this?" "Really, I said?", "Yes," he said as he took out a small vial from his suit pocket with a worn typed label that read "Taxol".

Just about 2 hours South of Seattle in the Gifford Pinchot Forest is where billions and billions of dollars were "harvested". Taxol, the once wonder drug of cancer, still the first line of treatment that most physicians start with today was isolated from the bark of a rather unremarkable tree-the Pacific Yew as it sat unassumingly amongst a forest of giants. Not an unnamed bush or plant in some far away rain forest but here where's God's mark and Mother Nature's beauty and mystery are everywhere to be seen!

How lucky we are to be able to reach out and touch this. I won't ruin the story, it's one you should read if you are so inclined-a story that involves science, government, and conservationists, big pharmaceutical money, lawyers of course and….people fighting for their lives armed with nothing to even start a battle. And….. at least one scientists who never made a penny from his discovery who still works today in belief that he can find something new and better if he keeps looking in the forest. "Only mother nature could create something so complex" he said.

I thought I would share with all of you. So many people know someone who has been affected by this disease. Mother Nature truly can concoct some wicked, amazing things.

Not exactly rally topic although the drive through the forest was beautiful! And maybe my main message for all of you is to drive really, really careful when you're in the forest…

If you want to know more just send me an email



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/2014 01:08AM by Wannabe.

Great story!
Thanks for sharing.