Source:Lincolntimes News

Christmas has come a little early for Andrew Dellinger, a single father, and his 4-year-old daughter, Madison, who live in Denver.

All he wanted was for his daughter was to see the world in a whole new way — literally. Madison was diagnosed at four months old with septo optic dysplasia, along with the associated condition of optic nerve hypolasia. By clinical standards, she is completely blind.

However, that is slowly changing.

Andrew, Madison and his mother, April Warren, recently spent a month in China, where Madison received stem-cell treatment from Beike Biotechnologies.

After several treatments, Madison saw a clock, but thought it was a button, and was able to see that a clothes hamper, a picture and a suitcase has been moved in her hospital room.

“We were in shock,” Dellinger said of seeing his daughter’s vision improve for the first time. “It was a good feeling. Just knowing she even got that small of an improvement made it every bit worthwhile.”

Dellinger has seen Madison’s reaction to the shiny, brightly-lit Christmas tree at his father’s home. She never showed much reaction to the decorations in the past.

“She just sits and stares at the Christmas tree at my dad’s house,” Dellinger said. “She is just in a daze with it and this is the first time she’s ever seen it.”

But getting to the point of improvement was a tough journey. Madison’s treatment consisted of four 30-minute intravenous (IV) therapy and four six-hour lumbar punctures over a month-long period of time.

“The puncture is a small incision on the back and stem cells are injected,” Dellinger said. “The difference is it goes straight to your brain through the spinal fluid as opposed to the bloodstream with the IV injections.”

Overall, Dellinger said his daughter did very well with the treatment. Doctors expect the treatment to take effect in a year, but Dellinger has already seen improvement.

“There is not a set percentage or standard as far as how much sight she will get back, but so far, hers seems to be a successful case,” he said.

Dellinger and his family do exercises with Madison on a daily basis to keep her optical nerve stimulated. The exercises also help Madison rely more on her eyes instead of her hands.

“Through the research we’ve done, the stem-cell treatment was the only route we could take,” Dellinger said.

“People made it as comfortable as they could. They were very accommodating and caring people.”

Dellinger said the trip to China would not have been possible without the community’s help. Several organizations hosted fundraisers to help pay for the treatment, which cost more than $35,000.

“That is what made it a reality,” Dellinger said of the community’s efforts. “I am just kind of at a loss for words. I am just really grateful. I don’t know how I could ever repay it to show my gratitude. Thank you is just not enough.”

To learn more about Madison’s trip and follow her progress, visit www.
stemcelschina.com/blog/
madisondellinger.