Source: Standard Journal

LEWISBURG  — After a whirlwind trip to China and back for stem cell treatments last month, a 3-year-old girl from Lewisburg is already showing improvements to the symptoms of a complex vision disorder.

Heather Schutt, who suffers from Optic Nerve Hypoplasia, or ONH, was able to receive an innovative form of treatment in China thanks to the many fundraisers her family organized and community members supported. Heather’s mother, Sarah Schutt, and her great-grandmother, Nancy Erb, accompanied her to Chengyang People’s Hospital in Quingdao, China, from June 17 to July 19, where she received six IV treatments over four weeks. Heather was also scheduled to receive spinal transfusions, but was unable to undergo these once she arrived at the hospital.

“They couldn’t do the spinal treatment because they couldn’t sedate her with her hormone issues,” explained Sarah.

In addition to ONH and a seizure disorder, Sarah said, Heather suffers from an underactive pituitary and receives replacement hormones.


But Sarah had no complaints about this unforeseen complication; in fact, she said the trip made her feel grateful that Heather has so few problems compared to those faced by other children with ONH.

“A lot of the other children had more than just the eye issues and the hormone issues,” she said.

Some children with ONH have trouble growing and a much smaller than the average size for their ages, while others have brain damage.

For the first time, Sarah was also able to meet families who experience the same challenges she and Heather face together. With help from on-site translators, families were able to schedule weekend bus trips to the city and get out of the hospital for a while, which Heather looked forward to tremendously.

“She didn’t want to sit still,” Sarah said.

While the Schutts didn’t get a chance to experience much Chinese culture, they did get to explore a little bit when they had free time.

“I fed Heather with chopsticks,” Sarah said, laughing.

After Heather’s treatments, she received a combination of massage therapy, massage acupressure, ear point treatment and wave therapy before returning home. Sarah said the changes Heather has been exhibiting have been exciting to see.

“We have seen some eye improvement,” she said. “Lately she’s been locating smaller objects at a farther distance.”

While Heather used to stick her hands out and blindly feel for objects, she can now confidently grab objects with one hand. Sarah said Heather’s communication skills have also improved.

“The only time she would put two words together before was when she said ‘I love you’,” Sarah said.

Now Heather can put together short sentences, and is pronouncing words better.

“It could take six months to a year for (the stem cell treatments) to take the full effect,” Sarah added.

Soon Heather will be enrolled in day care, and Sarah expects to see even more improvements in her daughter.

“She’ll get more therapy and more one-on-one time with other children,” she said.

Thanks to several community fundraisers, the family was able to pay for the treatment. In addition, the local group Coming Together for a cause held a benefit for Heather that still has leftover funds. Sarah said the group has decided to save the extra money so that if Heather chooses to go back to China when she’s a bit older to have the spinal transfusion, she will be able to do so.

In addition, the Schutt family is planning a second annual Haunted Hayride. Sarah said she would like to continue this tradition each year, and when Heather no longer needs the funds the event will benefit another child. This year’s hayride will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 22 and 23, 29 and 30. Sarah added that she is looking for volunteers and vendors for the event, which will be held at the West End Fairgrounds. For more information, visit myspace.com/stemcells4heather.

Staff Writer Amanda Alexander can be reached at 570-742-9671 or e-mail Cette adresse email est protégée contre les robots des spammeurs, vous devez activer Javascript pour la voir. .