Basnight's other battle

In addition to fighting the scourge of plastic bags that litter our coast, Sen. Marc Basnight has another battle on his hands.

Basnight was advised he had the as-yet unnamed disorder last year after a series of dizzy spells and spates of slurred speech prompted him to seek specialized medical attention, his spokesman, Schorr Johnson, said.

After a battery of tests, Basnight’s doctors were able to rule out more than 50 disorders such as strokes, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) before concluding that he suffers from a neuro-degenerative condition of the cerebellum, the rear portion of the brain.

According to Dr. Souvik Sen, a neurologist at the University of North Carolina Hospital and director of the UNC-Chapel Hill Medical School Stroke Center, the disease — which is similar to Parkinson’s — could affect Basnight’s abilities to speak, walk and maintain his balance within the next 10 to 20 years. But for now, he should be able to function as he has in the past, Sen said.

I wish Senator Basnight all the best. He's a good guy. And I hope this heartbreaking challenge will spur policy makers to get serious about the millions of North Carolinians who can't even begin to receive the kind of healthcare treatment he's getting.