TREATMENT: Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Transplants, Cord Serum and Nerve Growth Factor combined with Rehabilitation Therapy.

START OF TREATMENT: 4 January, 2008

BEFORE THE TREATMENT: Will’s symptoms before he came to China stemmed from his diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy and Erb’s Palsy. He has a mixed type of Cerebral Palsy, which means that the tone in his muscles fluctuates from very high to very low. Doctors at the hospital in China also diagnosed him with ataxia because he had difficulty balancing and with coordinating his movement. Will could control some of his movements and was just starting to roll over before he came. However, these movements were quite slow and clumsy. His trunk muscles were too weak to hold himself upright and he would flop over and become distressed when sitting if no one was there to help him. While at home his parents had him doing physical therapy and he was working on standing. He could stand in a standing frame, but he had to lock his knees while doing this, so it was not a natural standing posture. Making it even more difficult for him to stand, the bottoms of his feet were very sensitive and he would pull them back at even a slight touch. His Erb’s Palsy affected his right arm, making him unable to control it. Consequently he had great difficulty rolling over because his arm would get caught underneath his body. Drooling and eating were also a problem because he could not control his jaw or tongue very well. He had started to make sounds, but they were limited in range for the same reasons. Will loved to interact and play with everybody and had a big infectious smile.

AFTER THE TREATMENT: After the stem cell treatments, Will’s mom, Nicole, and Grandmother, Irene, who accompanied him to China for his treatment, witnessed many advances in Will’s skills at a pace they had never seen before. Overall, his coordination and balance were greatly improved. He was able to reach out and grab things more accurately and more quickly than before. For instance, Irene had to watch out for her glasses because Will liked to pull them off her face and he became too fast for her to avoid his hand. His trunk muscles became stronger and he was able to hold himself sitting up for significant periods of time. If he started to fall over, he could use his hands and arms to brace himself and re-balance. Nicole said that this will give him more opportunities to interact with other people, allowing him to look them in the face instead of lying on his back all the time. After the treatment, Will was able to role over much more quickly than before. For instance, if you put him on his stomach he would immediately role to his back. His ability to stand also improved; he could stand without locking his knees and with minimal help from his mom. Also helping him to stand better, the bottom of his feet lost their extreme sensitivity to touch. His control of his mouth and his tongue improved greatly, resulting in a drastic reduction in his drooling and the ability to make new sounds. While in the hospital, Will started to mimic his mom while playing peek-a-boo, often by blowing raspberries at her. She believes this is the start of him learning to communicate. His wonderful smile stayed the same and with his new abilities, he will be able to play and interact with more people in new and more complex ways.

Will's mother talks about how he was before the trip

Will's improvements in balance and coordination

Will's improvements in rolling and weight bearing

Will's mother talks about how his communication has improved

Will and his mother show us his improvements

Will's grandmother talks about her experience in China