Yesterday the world lost a great man, one who I owe a great debt of gratitude, even though I had never met him. See, this special person is the one that essentially made my family (and countless others) possible. In 1978 (the year I was born, oddly enough), this man, along with a colleague, developed IVF. They didn't know if it was possible, but they believed in trying to make it happen and miraculously enough, they did.
I obviously am not the only one that thought this was a wonderful development in this field. Edwards, along with his colleague Dr. Patrick Steptoe, were awarded the Nobel Prize in 2010 (technically the award went to just Edwards as Dr. Steptoe had already died and prizes are not awarded posthumously). They were criticized for their work, accused of playing God, and at one point, Edwards himself took a step back to make sure this was the right thing to do. Fortunately he came to the conclusion that it was and his research and advances in the science continued.
So, on behalf of the millions of people he has helped (and will continue to help in the years to come), I thank you.
(For the full article on Dr. Edwards' passing, please click this link from the NY Times.)
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