Jennifer Broadhurst

Age 44, U.S.A



Spinal Cord Injury C-6 incomplete

Condition Before Treatment



Jennifer's accident occurred in 1982, while she was attending her high school cheer leading practice. She explains, "I was flipping off somebody's back but did not make it all the way around and hit my chin on the mat," She suffered a C-6 spinal cord injury. After she went home she was not independent and had to rely on her mom to help her with her day-to-day life. Through traditional physical therapy she gradually learned how to live an independent life.

Describing her condition immediately before coming to China, she said "I had feeling all the way down my legs, like a light touch feeling. No fine motor skills in my hands. I can't tell hot and cold apart on my legs, and my sensation of pain is different, it's a feeling of pressure not pain."  

While traditional therapies had helped Jennifer to be independent, she was always searching for new treatments that would improve her quality of life. She explained her mindset about coming to China for stem cell treatment, "My first thought was that my injury is too old and they are not going to be able to help, but they said that that didn't matter. So of course that gives you all kinds of new hope."



Treatment in China

Jennifer received 6 umbilical cord stem cell injections and 2 autologous bone marrow stem cell injections. She also received physical therapy, occupational therapy, electric wave therapy, and acupuncture.




Condition After Treatment



After her first treatment Jennifer started to see some results. These continued to develop during her stay. She says "My very first treatment was through IV and that night I could start moving these fingers and the doctors were very happy to see that."

"I had hoped to get anything back in my hands, which I have... When they touch one part of your body and then they touch your face and they say "does this feel the same?" So that is lowering and I can feel my stomach muscles beginning to work. I think it is my upper stomach muscles. So that will help a lot with balance and trunk control and sitting up straighter and that is what I had hoped for."