It is absolutely critical for scientists to remove that white coat and safety goggles to show that they just ‘one of us’. This is the primary goal of taste of science: to bring scientists into the community to share their science, demystify complicated topics and tackle challenges associated with stigma in science.
The first event I helped to plan was about substance use and overdose. For me, this hit close to home. While it focused on opioid overdose, I grew up in a home where my mother was an alcoholic. Childhood was hard because addiction is a family disease. It was one of the hardest things to experience: to love your mother and always wonder why she could never just love you enough to stop. Addiction is never about that, though, and I was one of the lucky ones. My mother is still with me and sober to this day. I digress, however, but you’ll understand why shortly.
We, of course, invited our scientist, Dr. Charles France, at UT Health San Antonio. He has been working on a novel opioid receptor antagonist, soon to be in clinical trials, called MCAM that can prevent the effects from overdose longer than the standard treatment, Narcan. There is even evidence that it prevents the effects of a ‘high’ and could, potentially, function as a treatment. In addition to Dr. France, we invited Valarie McDonald, a substance abuse survivor turned advocate for sobriety and manager of the Freedom House for sober living. It was a true bridge between science and the community it serves. Valarie is only here today because of the scientific advancement of Narcan and continues to advocate for the advance of more life-saving treatments for those suffering with substance use disorder. Narcan saved her life, and MCAM, if effective in human trials, could do more.
But, let me tell you more about meeting her. I was emotional. The second I saw her, I collapsed into an emotional wreck. Addiction is hard for me to talk about, but here are two things coming together that I was passionate about: science and helping people. Her story resonated with me on a such a personal level. She lost custody of her daughter because of her addiction in addition to 4 years of her life. But she was here because someone cared enough about reversing opioid overdose in people that most often find to be hopeless and helpless. Wasted lives I’ve heard… these are lives with families, people who love them. It’s not a simple case of doing the right thing, and they are worth it. My mother will always be worth it.
That night scientists who spend days and nights perfecting treatments for people like her and my mom got to see why it matters so much. That night, we saw how science saves and heals. And guess what, my mother was there that night to share in that experience with me. It did not end there.
As I was packing up our sign-in and swag table, I overheard a conversation between Valarie and an audience member. They connected because this audience member has a close friend who is experiencing the trials and tribulations of addiction. Valarie did not hesitate; she gave the attendee her number and said she will find room for her in one of her sober living houses. Because we brought science and community together that night, someone’s life may have changed forever. And the thing about that is that it won’t just affect her friend’s life but also the people who care about that person who is struggling. I will never know for sure what happened, but it takes people never giving up. It takes a community. It takes the sharing of knowledge. That’s why organizations like taste of science matter. That’s why, despite not being a scientist myself, I want to support any effort to demystify science, support scientific communication and empower our communities to get involved with science because they are, after all, the consumers and beneficiaries of any and all scientific discoveries.
