" For ninety-nine percent of the patients, for them the most important is to have small improvements, and many improvements. Not one big improvement, because if you stay and wait, and wait, and wait for the big, the biggest improvement, nothing will come to you right away. "
TREATMENT: Umbilical Cord Stem Cell and Nerve Growth Factor Injections with Rehabilitation Therapy.
REASON FOR COMING TO TREATMENT: Alex was diagnosed with ataxia last fall and since then has been progressively worsening. His ataxia has drastically affected his quality of life in that short time. Formerly a marathon runner, after his diagnosis he could not walk for more than a short time before needing a rest. His difficulties with balance made it difficult to get around and do simple tasks. His speech was also made worse by the ataxia, and made communicating with other people became a chore.
(If you would like to watch the videos with the most dramatic improvement, look at the September 7 video walking video and the September 12 video and compare them to the September 23 videos of walking and the October 2 videos.)
See Alex's clips combined and subtitled into one video (and streaming) on Vimeo and YouTube.
BEFORE THE TREATMENT: Alex had difficulty balancing and walking. When walking he had to concentrate on every step and keep his eyes straight forward or else he would stumble. His balance also caused him problems when walking up and down stairs, picking up small objects and drinking from a glass. Furthermore his speech was slurred, which he described as sounding “drunk”. He also had problems with double vision, which made it even more difficult to walk and get around.
EARLY IMPROVEMENTS: Less than two weeks into the treatment Alex started to feel improvements. The biggest thing which he noticed was that his balance was better and he could walk much more smoothly. He also had increased energy.
AFTER THE TREATMENT: By the end of his trip to China, Alex had seen tremendous improvement in his condition, his balance greatly improved and able to walk almost as smoothly as before he had ataxia. For example he was able to walk backwards and was able to climb stairs without holding onto the handrail. He could also jump without stumbling and walk on his tiptoes. His energy and stamina were greatly increased; he was able to go out shopping with his wife for over two hours without taking a break. His double vision went away completely witch also aided him in his walking. The slurring in his speech greatly decreased, which Alex’s children noticed when talking to him over the phone. In his final interview he said, “The stem cells have worked for me. It’s like I turned a new page in my life. I am now able to all the things I could do before”.
