Fonte:The Ledger    

Veja o blog do Gryphon para ver como ele está lidando com o tratamento.

Apesar da recente mudança com relação à política concernente às terapias com células tronco nos Estados Unidos, duas famílias da Califórnia se dirigiram à China visto que eles buscam tratamento para a Paralisia Cerebral de seus filhos. Tanto os pais de Gryphon Klomp, que não consegue andar ou segurar uma colher, e de Brooke Schmidt-Jordan tem esperança qie a experiência médica no exterior ajude a melhorar a qualidade de vida de seus filhos de dois anos de idade.

“Eu estou muito frustrada que precisou Obama assumir o poder para que os cientistas pudessem ao menos olhar os tratamentos com células tronco”, diz Jennifer Schmidt. “Os Estados Unidos estão 20 anos atrás da China.”

Visto que os tratamentos com células tronco foram abolidos na administração de George Bush, médicos estrangeiros, incluindo aqueles no hospital parceiro da Beike Biotechnology em Hangzhou, China, impulsionaram a ciência a um novo nível. O primeiro uso de células tronco da Beike aconteceu em 2001. Com testes clínicos ainda necessários nos Estados Unidos, as famílias não estão dispostas a esperar enquanto seus filhos sofrem.

“Why would I wait five years to help him?” Michael Klomp said.

Currently there is a study underway at Duke University using umbilical cord stem cells to treat cerebral palsy in children but Gryphon was ineligible as his family did not, or was not instructed to, save his cord blood when he was born. The study has not been released but anecdotal reports have suggested that improvements were observed in some of the children.

“We’re very excited for them and we’d be excited to see what the outcomes were,” Jamie Marrish, executive director of Cerebral Palsy of Central California, said.

Marrish added that she supports families seeking alternate treatments.

In terms of Gryphon Klomp’s treatment, he traveled to Hongzhou in early May to start six weeks of stem cell therapy. Jennifer Schmidt would like her daughter to start treatments in July.
 
Despite the lack of experience within the United States there are some in the medical community who are cautiously optimistic about the procedures the Klomp and Schmidt families are pursuing especially in consideration of the fact that the Beike stem cells are cord stem cells and not the more controversial embryonic variety.
 
"The use of [cord]stem cells is probably not as risky as embryonic stem cells would be," Dr. David Pleasure, director of the Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine in Sacramento, said adding that he felt that the treatments could prove therapeutic.
 
"[The effect] depends on what is causing the cerebral palsy." Pleasure said.
 
On their road to China both families have encountered doubters and out and out cynics but the hope of a brighter future for their children pushes them on.
 
 "It's a chance I am willing to take," Schmidt said.