I thought this was interesting, especially since we were just talking about
what has been gained from the space program.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Joy~
http://www.geocities.com/joy0823
Currently Reading: "1st to Die" by James Patterson
Last Movie Seen: "Charlie's Angels" - 4 out of 5 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron Baalke" <[log in to unmask]>
Newsgroups:
alt.support.skin-diseases,alt.support.mult-sclerosis,alt.support.cerebral-pa
lsy,alt.support.spina-bifida
Sent: Friday, April 20, 2001 11:55 AM
Subject: NASA And HED Foundation Provide Child's First Opportunity To Enjoy
Spring
> Michael Braukus
> Headquarters, Washington, DC April 20, 2001
> (Phone: 202/358-1979)
>
> Beth Nischik
> Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
> (Phone: 281/483-5111)
>
> RELEASE: 01-78
>
> NASA AND HED FOUNDATION PROVIDE
> CHILD'S FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO ENJOY SPRING
>
> For eight years, a Texas boy has lived his life in darkened
> rooms, his body not able to tolerate direct sunlight. Even
> bright indoor light endangers his delicate skin and can raise
> his body temperature to deadly levels. However, on April 23,
> Cardi Hicks gets to do something he's never done before --
> play outside.
>
> Hicks, who lives in Magnolia, about an hour outside of
> Houston, suffers from four rare skin diseases that force him
> to stay out of the Sun and its potentially harmful ultraviolet
> light.
>
> That all changes Monday, with the help of technology from
> NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC), Houston, TX, and the
> Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia (HED) Foundation and Related
> Disorders, Hampton, VA. Cardi will receive a special UV-
> protection suit that was developed from space-based
> technology. The suit allows him to go outside protected from
> harmful light.
>
> The protective suit includes a white jacket, pants, gloves and
> headgear, including goggles. The external garments protect the
> child's sensitive skin from more than 99.9 percent of the
> Sun's hazardous UV rays.
>
> Underneath the protective Earth-bound spacesuit, the child
> wears a small cooling support system, necessary because full-
> body UV suits can get warm. The cooling unit has no moving
> parts, using four gel packs in a vest-like garment. The gel
> packs can supply cooling for two to four hours and can be
> recharged in a refrigerator in about 30 minutes.
>
> Through an agreement with JSC's Office of Technology Transfer
> and Commercialization, NASA and the HED organization have
> worked together since 1997 providing suits to children who
> need them. The suits are designed to cost under $2,000 and are
> now available in various colors. With the suits many families,
> after years of having to deal with the restrictions of a
> child's condition, can live more normal lives.
>
> The organization began in 1986, when HED foundation founder
> and president Sarah Moody sought help from NASA's Langley
> Research Center, Hampton, VA, in finding a cooling garment for
> her nephew, who suffered from HED. Victims of HED lack sweat
> glands, which can lead to heat stroke, heat exhaustion and
> even death. The foundation also provides cooling garments to
> children with Multiple Sclerosis, Spina Bifida, Cerebral Palsy
> and other disorders.
>
> In 1997, JSC, seeking a broader use for spacesuit technology,
> offered Moody the concept for the UV-protection garment and a
> fashion model donated money to the foundation. Word spread and
> more donations came from other sources.
>
> The first three suits distributed were prototypes provided by
> NASA. The foundation has provided more than 15 additional UV
> suits. Cardi and his family will receive the special suit at
> 10:30 a.m. EDT in Room 201 at Regents Park, Houston, TX.
>
> For more information, contact the HED Foundation at Box 9421,
> Hampton, VA, 23670, or on the Internet at:
>
> http://www.hedfoundation.org
>
> -end-
>
> Note to Editors: Reporters who want to attend the UV suit-
> presentation event should contact Beth Nischik at the JSC
> newsroom on 281/483-5111 for additional details.
>
|
