REASON FOR COMING TO TREATMENT: In 2002 Donald suffered from a fall and injury, which resulted in a lack of sensation in his legs and a lack of strength. In 2003 he was diagnosed with a herniation of T10-11 and underwent an operation to correct this problem. Unfortunately, the operation was not successful and left him in a worse state than he was before; his lower extremities were completely paralyzed. Since then he has done extensive physical therapy and has regained much of his ability to move and some sensations. However he was still unable to walk unaided. Before the injury Donald was an active member of his community both through his job and community organizations. After his injury he could only participate in these activities to a limited extant and could no longer go to work.
TREATMENT: Umbilical Cord Stem Cell and Nerve Growth Factor Injections with Rehabilitation Therapy.
START OF TREATMENT: November 27, 2007
See Donald's clips combined and subtitled into one video (and streaming) on Vimeo and YouTube.
BEFORE THE TREATMENT: Donald’s symptoms when he arrived at the hospital consisted of some paralysis and lack of sensation mostly in his lower extremities. He had regained most of the movement in his right leg, but movement in his left leg was still at a minimum. Weakness in his left hamstring and glutei made lifting this leg almost impossible and he had a left foot drop, meaning that it dragged when he tried to walk. Donald lacked sensation in some areas of his abdomen and he had incomplete sensation in his legs. In his right leg, he was unable to feel sharp objects, and he had only slightly better sensation in his left leg. In his feet, sensation was particularly poor, which added to his difficulty in walking because he could not feel the floor. As far as his mobility, when Donald first arrived he could not walk without the help of a cane or a walker. He could also only stand up for a short period of time. These problems were mainly due to his weakness and the lack of control of his left leg.
Initial interview of Donald when he arrived at the hospital: Donald discussing the history of his disease Donald discussing his current symptoms AFTER THE TREATMENT: After the completion of his treatment, Donald had experience several significant improvements that he felt would have a major impact on his standard of living. He regained the sensation throughout most of his abdomen, and the sensation in his legs also improved. Particularly important, the sensation on the bottom of his feet came back, helping him to walk without tripping. Most important to Donald was that he regained control and strength in his left leg. He was able to pick it up off the ground, for extended periods of time and was able to lift his foot and toes. All these improvements combined to help him be able to walk for significant distances and stand for long periods of time. Before the treatment, walking 20ft by himself would have taken great effort, but after the treatment he was able to walk distances of over 200ft without holding onto anything.
