Gabi has released a new short (5 minute) film about his experience during his third trip to China. Gabi returned to China for a third round of stem cell transplants in October, 2007. He stayed at the Xiaoshan Hospital in Hangzhou for six weeks receiving seven transplants via lumbar puncture. Following his stay in Hangzhou he moved to Shenzhen for two months of rehabilitation.

Check it out at YouTube and Vimeo . It's available in English and will soon be available in Romanian and Chinese (中文).

Read Gabi's previous patient experience here.

Gabi tells us that the movement and power in his hands has improved much. His triceps began to work again. He now has 100% feeling in his hands. He has started to move his fingers and two of his fingers have begun to sense pain (this is separate from 'touch' and a good thing for a quadriplegic!). He has sensation all the way to his feet and his touch/temperature mix is up to 70% of his body.

He can now contract his stomach muscles and stay seated at the edge of a bed without support. While seated he can pull his feet toward the bed. He can stand on his feet, supported, for 30-50 minutes a day.

Gabi continues to see improvement in his sensation of urine and stool, discerning the difference between the two, controlling his stool completely and having a seven to ten minute control over his urine.

Gabi also received a bone marrow transplant (BMT). He believes the BMT intensified sensation throughout his body, "like watering a flower," going "into all the places deep inside me." His motor responses felt much quicker following the BMT.

In January, 2008 Gabi had surgery to decompress his spine around C5-C6. During the surgery he received a direct transplantation of umbilical cord stem cells. Following this surgery the reflexes in his legs improved greatly giving him greater movement than before.

He stayed in China for a total of 11 months. He ended his stay receiving another four stem cell injections with rehabilitation in Qingdao.

Gabi tells us "I'm very confident that in the future I will have more improvements and I will be able to walk again by myself very soon."

Gabi recently worked with Ryan Blocher documenting his physical therapy in Qingdao and discussing his experience.

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Check out his new video (5 min) at YouTube and Vimeo . It's available in English and will soon be available in Romanian and Chinese (中文).

Read Gabi's previous patient experience here.