" I was bowled over. They didn't have patients who were totally paralyzed and then get up and walk. But there were people who couldn't hold objects, and then they could after the operation. "
Subtitled interview and surgery video from Jeff Crowe's stem cell transplants via lumbar puncture. Shot in Qingdao, China. Play the video by clicking the Start button on the image above. Included home videos courtesy of the Crowe family.
At the age of 33, Jeff was diagnosed with Ataxia SCA-1, an hereditary form of the disease.
Condition Prior to Treatment
Prior to coming for treatment in 2008, Jeff had lost many of his gross motor functions. His wife Leslie said, "He couldn't write anymore… I mean everything was just getting too much for him." Jeff said, "I couldn't walk up the stairs anymore without a lot of assistance. Had the double vision, couldn't write well, couldn't talk."
Treatment in China
Jeff went to China for adult stem cell treatments in the summer of 2008. He returned for a second round of treatments in the summer of 2010. During his second treatment, he received 8 umbilical cord blood stem cell packets via IV and lumbar puncture.
Condition Following Treatment
During Jeff's treatment in 2008, he says, "It was like immediately. I mean one or two treatments. And I was just a different person." Jeff says, "I could stand… on one foot. I couldn't do that before. I couldn't even raise my foot off the ground." Jeff's wife Leslie said, "His double vision was gone. He was able to see at a distance. He was able to read up close."
Jeff's improvements stayed for approximately a year and a half before he regressed to his previous state. He decided to return to China for a second round of therapy in 2010.
During Jeff's treatment in 2010, he said, "This time, more fine motor than gross motor… This time, I've felt like I can just do small things a lot easier than I could before. Brushing my teeth and picking little things up… the vision is vastly improved."
Leslie said, "We don't know for sure if this is helping the length of his life. But it's obvious it helps his quality of life."
Reuben was the Tan's sixth child. He was born a healthy baby boy, but as he grew older his parent's began to notice that his walking and motor skills were delayed. He was eventually diagnosed with non-hereditary cerebellar ataxia, perhaps the result of an injury in the womb.
As a result of his condition Reuben had very poor balance and was unable to walk without aid. He also had poor motor control and suffered from frequent trembling. Because of these symptoms he had trouble with daily tasks such as sitting up by himself.
At home in the Philippines, Reuben's parents tried both traditional and alternative treatments for him. But besides physical therapy, they found nothing that helped. His mom, Maricris, tells us that "the conventional doctors said that there is nothing they can do anymore. 'Just bring him to a therapist', that's what they told us. So we were having therapy every day. Someone was coming to the house to do exercises with him.
"We even went to an alternative doctor. Because they said that they suspect lead or mercury or something like that. They gave him so many herbal medicines, which we religiously gave him. I really admire this child because he is very cooperative when it comes to taking medicine and everything. But nothing happened, so we found that it is not the problem."
When Maricris first found out about stem cells as a potential treatment for Reuben, her ethics conflicted with the use of embryonic stem cells on her child. However, further research led her to discover that non-embryonic donated umbilical cord stem cells were available in China which she could safely give her son which did not conflict with her beliefs.
Treatment in China
Reuben received 6 umbilical cord blood stem cell injections along with physical therapy, occupational therapy, electric wave therapy, and acupuncture.
Condition after treatment
After receiving adult stem cell treatment, Reuben quickly started experiencing changes in his condition. One of the first things his parents noticed was that his shaking was reduced and he was able to easily sit up by himself.
The most dramatic change was the improvement in his walking ability. He is now able to walk with no help for extended periods of time. His mother explains, "now he can walk by himself. You saw him yourself, you saw him a while ago he was walking. Although not yet so stable. He is like a little baby now. You know a little baby from crawling to start standing up and then a few steps. Sometimes he falls, but compared to before he is really better."
Overall, she is convinced that Reuben's stem cell treatment will be a positive for their whole family saying "it will definitely affect us all. Because we really love this boy so much. The whole family, he is the apple of our eye. It will affect us all. When we go back, there are so many friends and family waiting for him to come back home. They are waiting for the good news."
If you would like more information about stem cell therapies available today in China please contact us here.
Martin Was diagnosed with Ataxia in
his early twenties after he was having trouble with writing and walking
backwards. He had formerly been an accomplished athlete but after his
diagnosis all that changed. He explains,
"I mean I could walk, on level
ground. On grounds where you don't have to pick your feet up all the
time. But there was no jogging, no hopping or anything like that. I
used to do all that stuff when I was in high school"
If you can't see the picture above or are having trouble viewing the video please click here for some common problems.
Since being diagnosed, Martin continued to seek treatment. He tried
a few medications, but none of them were effective in slowing the
progress
of ataxia. During the last few years, he was not being given any new
treatment options.
When he heard that his cousin's
daughter
had come to china to receive stem cell treatment, he contacted patient representatives in China and decided to come as soon as possible.
Treatment in China
Martin received 6 umbilical cord blood
stem cell injections. He also received physical therapy, occupational
therapy, electric wave therapy, and acupuncture.
Condition After Treatment
Martin was one of the first patients
to come to the St. Michael's Hospital in Shanghai for treatment. Though
coming from rural Iowa to one of the biggest cities in the world was
a bit of a shock, he quickly adjusted. He also found that the side walks
in Shanghai were a good indicator of his ability to walk and balance.
He explains,
"All the sidewalks here are pavers,
so it is a little bit different than walking on smooth concrete. That
would have been a little more difficult before, because it is all
uneven,
but I have no problem with it now. I can tell just by walking around
that I walk more fluidly, and I don't drag my feet which is really
nice."
His family back home also noticed some
differences,
"People I talk to back home, on
the computer, they can already tell there is a noticeable difference
in my speech. I'm not trying so hard to say the right things. Making
so much of an effort."
He also has advice for anyone else
thinking about treatment,
"I would definitely strongly try
to persuade them to come to China. I just don't think they are going
to have other chances, say with just prescription drugs. Whether it
be in the states or wherever. So I would come to China again in a
heartbeat."
Check out Brian's video on Vimeo here or by playing the video below.
If you can't see the picture above or are having difficulty playing the video, please click here for an explanation of some common problems.
Reason for Coming for Treatment
Brian and his family are very familiar with Ataxia having watched it claim over 30 lives in the past 150 years. Brian’s immediate family has been particularly hard hit with all four siblings and their mother carrying the hereditary condition. Ataxia is an “orphaned” condition, to use the pharmaceutical industry term for any condition not meriting research. There is no medication for it. But for Brian and his family, Ataxia is a real disease with significant quality-of-life impairments.
With two children of his own—and a 50% chance of passing the condition to them—Brian saw it as his responsibility to do everything he could for them and for future generations with the condition. Brian came to China for adult stem cell transplants in 2006 and again in 2007.
Treatment During First Visit
One IV and three spinal umbilical cord stem cell transplants with nerve growth factor. Acupuncture, wave and physical therapy.
