Richard Schlueter, diagnosed with aggressive cancer, faced a delay in his experimental cell therapy due to staff cuts at the NIH. This administrative decision caused significant stress for him and his wife Michelle, as crucial lab personnel were let go, extending treatment preparation from three to four weeks to eight to ten weeks. This situation reflects broader concerns about how staffing reductions at NIH are affecting patient care and biomedical research, as raised by NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, who downplayed the staff concerns regarding the agency's direction.
Richard's therapy was in a freezer, nearly ready to go. All along, they had been told the final step of preparation takes three to four weeks.
Each termination was being reviewed, and some workers were reinstated, but the Schlueters had a front-row seat to the effects of the job losses.
Collection
[
|
...
]