P A T I E N T E X P E R I E N C E – S C I

NAME: Mihaela Monica Radu

COUNTRY: Romania

AGE: 33

DIAGNOSIS: Syringomyelia (2001), T10 Complete Spinal Cord Injury (1998)

REASON FOR COMING FOR TREATMENT: She could not move her legs. Her doctors told her that she only had six months to live due to a problem with her spinal cord.

TREATMENT: Umbilical cord stem cell and nerve growth factor injections with rehabilitation therapy.

START OF TREATMENT: May 9, 2006

See Monica's clips combined and subtitled into one video (and streaming) on Vimeo.

Can't see the videos? Click here for information.

BEFORE THE TREATMENT:

Videos: History1, History2

She could not move her legs and she had no feeling below the injury site. Her upper body was strong but there was some lack of sensation.

AFTER THE TREATMENT: (October 12th interview on her return for treatment a second time)

See Videos: After1, After2, After3, After4, After5, After6, After7

When Monica returned home, she returned to her old rehabilitation routine and found that she could do many new things. The most exciting is that she could move both legs when in a standing position with her right leg being slightly stronger than her left. Her knees are much stronger now but she can only make steps if she has something to fix her knees in place. Before the treatment when she would stand in the standing machine, she would need to have the straps very tight. However, now she can stand with the straps loose and she feels she can control her balance. She could not move her legs at all since her first injury eight years ago. She can now feel if her legs are cold if she forgets to put a blanket on at night which is was an improvement from no feeling whatsoever. However, this improvement in sensation only happened during the first month of treatment. It did not continue to improve on her return home. Her muscle spasms are less and she can now control the spasms to make her legs move. She can not move her legs yet when in a sitting position. In general, she does not get as tired as easily as before and she does not have the aching in her bones (in her back) like she used to have when getting away from rehabilitation. She regained some sensation in her arms that she did not have before, which are now responsive to touch, heat and cold, and pain. She cannot move her toes.