Giulia Rodrigues da Silva

Age 3, Brazil



Septo-Optic Dysplasia (SOD)



Watch her video on Vimeo here.

Condition Before Treatment



Giulia was born with Septo-optic dysplasia, a congenital condition that is caused by the under development of the optic nerve and the septum. Because of this condition she was blind. Despite her lack of sight, Giulia was a happy and healthy child who loved talking with her mother and singing.



Though her parents looked for treatment options in Brazil their doctors were unable to offer any. Giulia's mother, Elizabeth, explains, "In Brazil we found no treatments for optic nerve problems The doctors said that we should work to improve her mobility so that she could walk, to do a few things, but as regards to her vision, no, nothing at all... One day we moved to Salvador, Bahia, and we found a family, Manuela's mother, Luciana. They were doing a fundraiser to come to China."



Manuela had Optic nerve hypoplasia, a condition related to SOD, and they were planning on coming to China for therapy. After the two families met they decided to come for treatment together.



Treatment in China

Giulia received 5 umbilical cord blood stem cell injections. She also received physical therapy, occupational therapy, electric wave therapy, and acupuncture.




Condition After Treatment



While they were in China, Giulia's mother saw a gradual change in her daughter's condition, She explains, "the first time was here in the bedroom, I was playing with her I positioned a toy in front of her and she grabbed the toy. I was very happy, but I was wary because I didn't know if this was just her playing, or if she really did it. Later we went to walk and she said she was feeling the 'flavor' of the sun, and this greatly moved me."



When asked if she had any advice for patients and their families who are thinking about coming to China for treatment, she said this, "It's hard for me to advise someone, but what I have to say is that this is for real. This is not a lie, this is for real. At the beginning I thought, 'China?, what will I do in China?, What do they have in China? China is so weird, everything they do is so different.' However, today I am here at this hospital, watching some incredible things that only God could explain."