USA, 6 years old

Check out Braden's video on Vimeo here or click Play on the graphic above

Condition

At the age of two, Braden was diagnosed with Spastic Quadriparetic Cerebral Palsy. He had little control over his arms and legs, also suffered from significant stiffness in his muscles. He could not open and close his hands, and his movements were erratic. Before coming for treatment, Braden rolled over, but it was unclear whether he could do this intentionally. In short, as his father stated, "Cognitively, Braden is very smart, he just has problems controlling movements."

Reason for Coming for Treatment

Braden's previous treatment included various types of physical therapy at hospitals throughout the US. As Braden's father explains, doctors in the US did not offer many options. "Everybody just says keep up the therapy, and hope for the best. So that's what we've been doing," he said. After months of research and discussion, Braden's parent's came to the conclusion,  "We can either continue life the way it is, just doing traditional PT, or we could actually take a giant step and try this."

Treatment in China

Braden received 6 umbilical cord blood stem cell injections (2 intravenously, 4 through lumbar puncture), and 2 autologous bone marrow injections (both lumbar puncture). He also received physical therapy, occupational therapy, electric wave therapy, and acupuncture.

Condition After Treatment

According to Braden's father, during the treatment Braden's involuntary movements decreased by about 50 percent. He also gained a limited ability to grip and pick up objects. His spasticity also decreased, allowing easier movement of his limbs. He began to be able to sit up by himself for short periods. His ability to roll over by himself increased to the point of rolling either direction on command, both front to back and back to front.

"No place else on earth can so many people from so many different cultural backgrounds gather in one place and get along so well. Everybody's here for the same purpose-- the hope to improve and get better."

"He's had more progress in the five weeks that we've been here than in the last two years of conventional therapy."

"It definitely worked well for Braden. We've had tremendous success, and we're definitely coming back."

-Aaron Frohman, father of Braden.