" The staff at Beike in Xiao Shan Zhejiang hospital are world class. All of the doctors, nurses, and therapy staff were very caring, helpful, and took very good care of our son while were there. We are very grateful to have such a good experience. "
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.
