" You cannot have only stem cells without rehab, and you cannot have rehab without stem cells. Only together, you cannot do something wonderful without the other. "
VISION-IMPAIRED sisters Moana and Leilani Faasisila have returned from China where they had therapy to improve their sight - with promising results.
The Quakers Hill girls, aged seven and five, were born with Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis - while they were still in the womb their retinas were already deteriorating due to a missing protein.
Leilani has no depth perception and can only see colours that are vibrant. Moana can only see bright light and shadow.
Their only hope of improving their sight was stem cell therapy in China - at a cost of $38,000.
Through the support of the Rouse Hill Renegades rugby union team and the Ettamogah Hotel, the community dug deep at a cocktail fundraiser in February and in March the family of six travelled to China so the girls could receive treatment.
The girls’ treatment consisted of three intravenous injections, three spinal injections of donated cord blood, acupuncture, acupressure and electrowave therapy.
Mum Honi Faasisila said: “While we were there we noticed very subtle differences in Leilani’s vision.
Lachlan has been diagnosed with autism. He goes to a special school in Australia for children with behavioral disabilities. Last year Lachlan received adult stem cells to treat symptoms associated with autism. For a month Lachlan and his mother lived at the Chengyang People's Hospital where he received treatment.
The treatments are not meant to be a cure for autism. Medical science has yet to fully understand the causes of the disorder let alone discover drugs to correct it. Today, treatments seek to improve patients' quality of life as they endure their disability.
Read his full Patient Experience from Qingdao here. Can't see the video? Click here.
It took two months for Macie’s family to put her on a plane after learning that there was a treatment available for Optic Nerve Hypoplasia. All the way to the airport, a television crew pushed the family back telling them not to leave. It was 2008 and treating Optic Nerve Hypoplasia with adult stem cells was still a new treatment.
Macie’s mother was under a lot of pressure. She had a teenager who wanted to drive.
But Macie’s not the only one with news. There are others. Christian of St Augustine, FL has been in the news recently following his trip to China for stem cells. Christian too has a severe visual disorder. The press writes “his mom calls her son a miracle and the community her saving grace,” thanking them for making the trip possible.
Mick's Blog Covers Ataxia Journey
Begun by Mick's caregiver, Don, six days before their journey to China for treatment of Mick's Ataxia mid-July with current updates after their return home, this is a great insider's look at a month's treatment in a Chinese hospital. First-hand experience like this can be invaluable when figuring out how to prep meals and manage life away from home.
We even hear he's doing better than he arrived in China. That's some great news.
After a motorcycling accident, Brandon's spine was injured in the C4-6 range. From Riverside, California, he traveled to Shijiazhuang, China to receive IV and lumbar injections of donated umbilical cord blood stem cells and his own bone marrow stem cells.
Check out the video for Brandon's story, some views of physical therapy in China and Brandon playing catch again. The treatment required a lot of work from him but he felt it was worth it saying "you just have to get up and do it... once you get that frame of mind, anything can happen."
Patients with spinal cord injuries have been traveling to China from all over the world for the past six years. Treatment typically involves a regimen of lumbar injections side-by-side with a range of therapies to help the cells get to their targets. Whether sub-acute or chronic, patients' report symptomatic relief and improvement in their quality of life.
Click the link here or click on the pic below to check out The StemCellsChina SCI Channel at Vimeo for more videos.
Michaela's father, Cchris, would ask Michaela this question in relation to her posture. Was she relaxed? Was she holding her head up high? Michaela has Secondary Dystonia, a condition prompted by a difficult premature birth. Her muscles don't cooperate with her, tense and locked up.
She has received two cycles of stem cell transplants now. She and her father sat for interviews near the end of her second treatment. They also gave us home videos they had shot before and after her first treatment. You can watch those clips in the interview video above. We were struck by the new range of motion she displayed in the walker in 2010 against the stiff 2008 footage.
Head over to her full patient experience here for more information about her condition and her progress today.
