stem cell treatment Archives - Stem Cell Institute

Stem Cell Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis – Wes Meadlock

Transcription from Telephone Interview with MS stem cell patient, Wes Meadlock.

I’ll start from the beginning and tell you what I know.

In 2011, I started feeling something was wrong, and went to a neurologist here in town, went to his MRIs, and all his little testing, and this and that, and he said, “You’ve either got Lyme’s disease or MS.” The reason they said Lyme disease is because we have a place deep in the woods, and we stay there a lot on the weekends for a couple of years, and I got a lot of tick bites. We went through the whole thing of MS or Lyme’s disease, so I was thinking, maybe that’s what I got?

I’m not quite normal but I’m pretty close, at 80-85% of being normal. …but compared to some other people I know who have MS that I’ve done some aquatic classes with, I am far superior to them. I really believe this stuff works.

In the meantime, my father’s wife has had cancer pretty bad a couple of times, and he knows a lot of people at U. of Alabama at Birmingham; a really good hospital. He said, “I know somebody up here who’s really good with MS, why don’t you come up here and have him test you.” So, I went up there in the fall of 2012 and he did his testing, and he was telling me, “You have MS.” He said he could get me into some clinical trials, and I was thinking, “I don’t like pharmaceutical drugs.” I said, “If I could find something else, some other way, I’m going to try it.” I’ve been doing a lot of Internet research and talked to a few other people who said you should try some stem cells, so I did that. I went to Panama the first time. I did the liposuction, and they tried to get 90 million cells from me, and they could only get 45 million. I’m rather thin and wasn’t in too good a health at the time. They said, “We’ll mix it with some umbilical cord to get you the 90 million, so you’ll get 45 of your own and 45 of umbilical, and I think that was a two week ordeal to get that treatment.

I came back home and was feeling so much better. At that particular point I was having a problem walking with my left leg not cooperating, so when I came back from there, I felt like I’d gotten a good bit better. So, I decided to go back the following year. 2013 was the first time I went, and in 2014 they said, “Do you want to do umbilical?” I said no I do not, so they said they’d try something else. It turned out to be the umbilical cord cells, and when I got done a doctor told me, “You should be good for three years.” That’s where I am now, and I decided in the last few months that I need to go back again. When I called they said they had an opening on March the 13th and I said, “Okay, I’ll take it.” I just felt like, basically I don’t do any other drug, and I do believe it helps. The only one I do now is Naltrexone. It’s a 4.5mg dose of that and it sure helps my coordination and my walking. I’m not quite normal but I’m pretty close, at 80-85% of being normal. That’s about where I am now.

I’m not 100% but compared to some other people I know who have MS that I’ve done some aquatic classes with, I am far superior to them. I really believe this stuff works.

When I went back the second time, I’ve noticed a lot of difference there, I’m a full believer that stuff pulled from your own fat, and I’m 62 years old, can’t be as good as umbilical cord stuff and the way they process it. When I first started this they did nothing like it in the states, but they’re doing the liposuction stuff now. I went to a doctor close by here and told him my story, and he was trying to sell his products so he was against my story, but I said, “You need to do a little more research, because what you’re saying isn’t true. I’m a true testament.”

After I talked to him and he fed me a big line of BS, and I said, “You don’t even know what you’re talking about. You do in a sense and you’re trying to sell your product, I understand that, but you’re not hitting the whole base, that’s for sure.”

jaytest 2017-03-09T22:54:05+00:00 March 9th, 2017|mesenchymal stem cells, Multiple Sclerosis, Multiple Sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, News, Patient Stories, Stem Cell Institute Panama, Stem Cell Therapy|

Stem cell treatment in Panama shows signs of hope for local Belle Fourche boy

By Karla J. Flack, Black Hills Pioneer

James Habeck and his mother Melissa

BELLE FOURCHE — Three-year old James Habeck and his family have returned from a medical trip to Panama. His mother Melissa Habeck said they are noticing signs of improvement as a result of the stem cell treatment James received at the Stem Cell Institute in Panama City, Panama.

Treatment is hoped to provide James with relief from some of the complications caused by his cerebral palsy and allow him to do things a toddler would normally be able to do such as talk, sit-up, walk, turn himself over in bed at night so he would have fewer sleeping issues, and use his hands and feet. Some with James’ condition have tight muscles, but James’ muscles are just limp.

Medical professionals told Melissa that the new stem cells would live actively in James for six months. During those six months of cell life, whatever James learns and the strength he gains should remain.

The Habecks returned to Belle Fourche June 7 and shortly thereafter James’ extensive line-up of therapy treatments began. He is on a fast track of learning and is currently undergoing speech, occupational, and physical therapies in both Rapid City and Belle Fourche.

This week he was fitted for a wheelchair and evaluated to see if an augmented and alternative communication device could help him communicate. If he can train his eyes to look at a particular item on the device his family will know what he is trying to communicate to them.

“They feel like he is stuck in his body, and that it is possible; he understands 75 percent of what I say to him,” Melissa said.
The Hebeck’s trip began May 31 and entailed an hour flight to Denver and six hours from Denver to Panama. James had never flown but he did well with the flights.

Melissa asked doctors why hospitals in the U.S. don’t offer the treatment James needs. The answer was FDA (Food and Drug Administration) regulations.

A Southlake, Texas, center recently opened. The extent of services offered is not being released at this time. [Note: This statement is not accurate. The Riordan-McKenna Institute in Southlake, Texas treats orthopedic conditions such as knee injuries and arthritis and rotator cuff injuries with a combination of bone marrow aspirate concentrate and AlphaGEMS amniotic membrane product. More information can be found at www.rmiclinic.com]

The Habecks met an athletic coach who was receiving stem cell treatment in Panama for multiple sclerosis. He said he was walking with a walker prior to his treatments. A filming crew was with him documenting his progress as he no longer has to use a walker after undergoing multiple stem cell treatments.

Melissa said staff at the Stem Cell Institute said a number of autistic patients come there for treatment. Heart failure, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, spinal cord injury, and autoimmune diseases are also treated at the institute.
James had stem cells that were extracted from donated umbilical cords injected intravenously into his arms. The injections went fine some days but other days were problematic because his veins would rupture and the medical team would have to find a new vein. Melissa said by the end of the week both her and James were crying, but the staff was excellent in dealing with it.

“They were using a butterfly needle to access the veins but collapsing veins were still an issue and James was getting tired of getting poked with needles,” she said.

Melissa said she has been in contact with individuals who tried stem cell treatments that were not successful. She said people who had their own cells taken and then transferred back into their bodies told her their treatments were unsuccessful. She also said some who had gone to other countries and did the spinal stem cell procedures said those results weren’t positive. Melissa said she feels very positive about James’ treatment.

He has a special walker that he can use if someone pushes it for him.

“He took off by himself in his walker after treatment,” Melissa said.

He has also started trying to use his arms and legs to stabilize himself. He has more neck control and is trying to use his neck to raise his head. He has also shown improvement in efforts to gain eye contact with those who are talking to him. He has to fight for control as his eyes both stray separate ways.

Melissa said that when James was younger he tried to walk but then stopped trying; then he tried to sit. She was told that often times people with cerebral palsy have to abandon one thing to learn something else. Treatment will hopefully allow for a number of items to be learned and motor skills to be tackled simultaneously.

“He cried when they took the iPad from his sight on the plane and when the augmented and alternative communication device was taken from him,” Melissa said. This type of expression in connection with wanting something has not been something he was able to do in the past. She was happy he cried to have it back.

The Belle Fourche community rallied around the Habecks with a fundraiser March 22 wherein $20,000 was raised for James to have the stem cell treatment. Belle Fourche Police Chief Scott Jones and Belle Fourche Fire Chief Kip Marshall were taped to a building while raising funds and businesses donated door prizes. The Naja Shriners clowns helped raise funds Danielle Butler, James’ caregiver, organized the fundraiser. Many people joined together to help James. Melissa said she couldn’t believe it when it became possible for them to go for treatment.

jaytest 2015-06-23T16:16:39+00:00 June 23rd, 2015|Autism, Autism, News, Patient Stories, Riordan-McKenna Institute, Southlake, Stem Cell Institute Panama, Stem Cell Therapy|

Autistic Woodbridge boy making strides after stem cell treatment in Panama

By Suzanne Russell of myCentralJersey.com

Stem Cell Therapy Patient, Anthony Guerriero

WOODBRIDGE – John Guerriero has seen amazing improvements in his son, Anthony, since he underwent stem-cell treatment for his autism in December.

“It’s been life changing, and not just for Anthony,” said Guerriero.

He said his 7-year-old boy, a first-grade student at Matthew Jago School No. 28 in Woodbridge, is eating more foods, communicating more and in general is healthier and more comfortable in his skin.

“The best improvement is his connection with his brother and sister,” said Guerriero, who also has a son, Giovanni, 8, and daughter, Isabella, 5. “He didn’t have a relationship before with his brother. He was off in his own world. Now they are best friends. The three of them are inseparable.”

But with the stem-cell treatment lasting only about eight months before the body flushes it out of Anthony’s system, the family is preparing to return to Panama on June 29 for his next treatment.

Mayor’s Fluke Tournament

And helping them pay for the treatment, which is not covered by insurance, is the Mayor John E. McCormac Fluke Tournament on June 20 at the Sewaren Boat Launch. The event is organized by Woodbridge Police Officer Al Dudas, a 25-year veteran of the police department, and Police Capt. Robert Brady, assisted by Lt. Joseph Velez.

Dudas, a fisherman, said the mayor approached him nine years ago about holding a fishing tournament to raise money for kids with cancer and other medical conditions.

“When the money goes to a kid from town where we can see the improvement, it makes it that much more special,” said McCormac, who estimates that about $100,000 has been raised for families over the years.

Dudas said he goes to local stores and businesses to get donations for door prizes for the fishermen, as well as donations for the family. This year, the hall and catering also were donated.

Anthony Guerriero, two months after stem cell therapy in Panama

At a captain’s meeting June 19 at the Avenel Knights of Columbus on Morrisey Avenue, a car dealer was scheduled to display trucks to haul boats and the New Jersey State Police was set to display a boat before a boatload of toys was presented to the three Guerriero children, along with about $15,000 for the family to use toward the $25,000 cost of travel, hotel and Anthony’s stem-cell treatment in Panama.

“When you see the faces of the kids and parents, it’s all worth it,” Dudas said.

And starting at 6 a.m. June 20, about 50 boats will participate in the fluke tournament, with $1,000 going to the fisherman who catches the largest fish. Last year, a fisherman reeled in a 13-pounder. Smaller prizes are awarded for the second-, third- and fourth-place finishers as well as the junior angler.

Sharon Aleszczyk, who, along with her husband, has volunteered to oversee the weighing of the fish, said the tournament is special to her.

“It’s close to my heart. They do so much for these families,” she said.

Guerriero said it’s great to have so much support from the community.

Autism diagnosis at age 2

Anthony was developing normally up until about 18 months old. Guerriero said his son used to talk, and walked before his first birthday. But at age 2, he was diagnosed with autism and retreated into his own world.

“He didn’t know who he was and who we were. He was mute for two years. It was difficult,” said Guerriero, who started researching autism and his son’s sudden loss of function.

His son underwent numerous tests and treatments before the family discovered stem-cell treatment. He said the treatment is so expensive that the family thought they would only be able to try it if they won the lottery.

The treatment is not approved in the U.S., although some clinical trials are underway, Guerriero said.

“But everyone chipped in money to send him there,” said Guerriero, adding that the change in his son was almost immediate.

He said his son’s skin was suddenly much softer, like he had found the fountain of youth.

“It was crazy. We were pretty encouraged,” said Guerriero, adding that the positive changes continued when they arrived back home, where his son was suddenly asking for different foods. He said Anthony had previously been so limited in the foods he would eat because of the pain he was in. He said his son now eats about 66 foods, mostly organic with no preservatives.

“He’s put on so much weight and filled out. He’s so healthy,” he said.

His behavior also has changed. Before the treatment, Guerriero said, his son suffered from major hyperactivity, climbing, bouncing, jumping, even walking on counter tops.

“He was not comfortable in his own skin,” said Guerriero, adding that the inflammation in his son’s brain and stomach played havoc on his body.

Since the treatment, Anthony hasn’t inappropriately climbed on things once.

“He’s done normal stuff as a boy. He’s super calm now,” said Guerriero, who hopes that with his son’s continued progress he will one day be able to verbalize the difference in how he felt before and after the treatment. “Now he’s talking to us and his siblings. He’s engaging with the whole family. It’s such an amazing journey. We see new things every single day.”

Guerriero said Anthony greets his mother, Jeannine, when she comes home, and he loves snuggling with her.

“They have that bond back,” he said.

Tax deductible donations for Anthony’s stem cell treatment can be directed to http://www.gofundme.com/unstoppableanthony.

If you are interested in following Anthony’s journey or would like to contact the Guerriero family with any questions about the procedure, go to https://www.facebook.com/UnstoppableAnthonyStemCellJourney.

jaytest 2015-06-23T15:41:04+00:00 June 23rd, 2015|Autism, Autism, News, Patient Stories, Stem Cell Therapy|

PBS to Feature Stem Cell Therapy at Stem Cell Institute and Medistem Labs Panama in TV Special

PBS is in Panama this week filming Stem Cell Institute’s clinic, staff and patients. Yesterday, they toured Medistem Labs Panama. Here are a few pictures taken by Dr. Riordan at the lab. Watch for this special to air on PBS this fall.

jaytest 2015-06-02T16:36:37+00:00 June 2nd, 2015|Medistem Labs Panama, News, Stem Cell Institute Panama|

Duchenne’s Patient Ryan Benton Discusses His Experience with Stem Cell Therapy

Ryan Benton is the first patient in the United States to receive human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell therapy for Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy. The US FDA granted Ryan this trial under compassionate use. Ryan first began treatments at the Stem Cell Institute in Panama before being able to receive treatments in his hometown of Wichita, Kansas.

jaytest 2015-02-17T00:59:43+00:00 February 17th, 2015|Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, News, Stem Cell Research|

Copa Airlines Magazine Features Stem Cell Therapy at the Stem Cell Institute in Panama

jaytest 2014-11-24T22:42:14+00:00 November 24th, 2014|Copa Airlines Magazine, Neil Riordan Phd, News, Stem Cell Research, Stem Cell Therapy|

Regina man returns from Panama after stem cell treatment

Glen Nelson says procedure appears to be working
By Eric Anderson, CBC News Posted: Nov 05, 2014

View Original Story

Glen Nelson works out five times a week at the YMCA in north Regina

With every bicep curl and chest press, Glen Nelson pushes himself closer to his goal of walking again.

The former University of Regina basketball star was paralyzed last November after undergoing back surgery.

In September, Nelson travelled to Panama to receive stem cell treatments. In four weeks, he received more than 520 million stem cells.

“I really realized this was my only chance to get healthy. I had to go in there positive and wanting to fight everyday. By the end of the four weeks, I was totally exhausted mentally and physically,” Nelson said.

Since undergoing the treatments, Nelson has felt pain in his lower back. However, his doctors tell him that is a good sign. The stem cells are designed to create new nerve pathways in his spinal chord.

As his body tries to heal itself, Nelson continues to stay in shape. He works out at the YMCA five days a week.

“The weights help alleviate some of the pain and get me through the day. It also helps get my aggression out. This is the toughest challenge I’ve ever had, so I’ve got to be quite focused on it.”

Regina’s basketball community is coming together this weekend to help raise money for Nelson’s Panama expenses. On Friday night, there is a cabaret at The Lazy Owl on the University of Regina campus. Tickets are 20 dollars.

jaytest 2014-11-07T20:06:21+00:00 November 7th, 2014|News|

Stem cell therapy aims to help Nelson on road to recovery

Stem-cell treatment needs time
By Ian Hamilton, The Leader-Post

View Original Article

Glen Nelson has returned from Panama with more than just memories.

The former University of Regina Cougars basketball star is back in the Queen City with a renewed sense of optimism that he’s on the road to recovery.

Nelson, 57, had back surgery Nov. 27, but awoke from the procedure paralyzed from the mid-chest down. A four-week regimen of stem cell therapy that he recently completed in Panama City has given Nelson a boost.

“The evidence is there that the stem cells are doing their business and the cells in the area of my spinal cord are making some detours (around the faulty area),” he said Wednesday.

“I’ve got this different feeling in my body with regards to pain. I can feel that some body functions are happening and I have different sensations in my body that I haven’t had in the last 11 months.”

Nelson headed for Panama City in late September, eager to diminish the pain he has felt in his back since his surgery. But before his treatments at the stem-cell clinic began, Nelson had to go through an evaluation process of sorts.

“One of the doctors said to me, ‘You’ve got to get your head in the right space. You have to be positive. You have to really believe in this,’ and I just started laughing at her,” Nelson recalled. “I said, ‘Sister, you’re preaching to the choir. You have no idea who you’re dealing with.’

“Once they got to know me, they were excited that I was so positive. Some of the people who go in there have their doubts, but I believe this is my chance.”

Nelson’s treatment included workouts at a local gym every morning, with sessions targeting his upper body on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and his legs on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

He received injections of stem cells into the lumbar area of his back or intravenously into an arm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons.

The majority of the sessions involved donated umbilical-cord stem cells, while the last two sessions added stem cells cultivated from Nelson’s bone marrow. Over the course of the four weeks, he received around 520 million stem cells.

Now it’s up to his body. “They can’t say for sure what’s going to happen (as a result of the injections) because it’s so individual,” Nelson said. “Typically what they say happens is if you work your butt off, have a good head on your shoulders and follow a good diet, you’ll see some significant changes in your situation within four to six months.

“My situation hopefully would be, No. 1, take away the majority of the pain and, No. 2, start moving (sensation) down throughout my body.”

Things started changing even when Nelson was in Panama.

“I started to feel a difference in how my body was feeling,” he said. “Then when I got home, I had three or four days of pretty intense pain in my back but it wasn’t the same pain that I’d been suffering since last Nov. 27 when the accident occurred.

“When I started having pain in Panama, the doctor got excited. She said, ‘That means the stem cells are doing their job.’ Us old-school guys, it’s no pain, no gain, right? That’s the case with stem cells. You have to hurt before you heal.”

Nelson said he had burning nerve pain in his buttocks and the back of his legs before he left for Panama. Now, he said that sensation has been replaced by a numbness akin to a limb after it has been slept on.

“All my pain is nervegenerated, so I feel that (the stem-cell therapy) is waking up my spinal cord,” Nelson said. “Through a lot of meditation, I see my body changing.

“I don’t see (numbness) as a step back at all. I’m moving forward with it.”

Since returning from Panama on Oct. 18, Nelson has started going to the First Steps Spinal Cord Injury Wellness Centre. The facility tries to help people who have suffered spinal cord injuries increase function and regain mobility.

Nelson said he learned in Panama that nerves, like muscles, atrophy when they’re not worked.

That led to a discovery during one of his first visits to First Steps.

“When we put on some electronic pads to send signals to my leg muscles to get some contractions going, nothing happened,” Nelson said. “The therapist was pretty sure it was because the nerves had atrophied so dramatically.

“It took probably three sessions before I started to get little twitches and then my toes started wiggling and my hamstrings and quads had very small contractions. I’ve got to continue with that process.”

He also plans to continue his daily workouts at the YMCA. On Nov. 14, he’s to take possession of his new condo – a move he hopes will help him regain some independence.

A new wheelchair should help him with the process of reacquiring his driver’s licence and the installation of hand controls in his vehicle will get him back on the road.

He’s to return to Panama for another two-week session in four to six months, but in the meantime, he’ll let the stem cells do their thing.

“People say, ‘What’s your hope?’ Well, it’s not my hope, it’s my know – I know that this is going to work,” Nelson said. “I believe 100 per cent in it and the proof has already started. At an early stage of the treatment, things are happening so I can’t wait to see myself in four to six months …

“I know it’s going to diminish the pain. Then, if I were to look long term, it’s certainly my goal to be up and going again in some form on my feet. I’m claustrophobic in this chair.” Regina’s basketball community is looking to help Nelson by holding a fundraising cabaret after the Cougars men’s and women’s games Nov. 7. The event, which also is to feature a silent auction, is to be held at the Owl.

Tickets cost $20 ($10 for students) and are available at Original Joe’s, Just Volleyball or at the door.

jaytest 2014-11-07T19:33:47+00:00 November 7th, 2014|News|

Stem Cell Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis: Kelley Wilson

April 17, 2013

I grew up no stranger to Multiple Sclerosis as my father was diagnosed in 1970 at the age of 30 – I was in the 5th grade.

I watched my father deteriorate through the years progressing from walking with a cane, spring assist in his shoes to lift the toe, to hand crutches, his inability to control his bladder and bowels, to being permanently bound to a wheel chair by 1979. Building all sorts of ramps, elevators and installing van lifts so that he could be able to get around by himself. He is still alive and wearing out electric wheel chairs to this day.

I had a few problems with my eyes in 1981, which they tested me for MS knowing my father’s history, but everything at that time came up negative (no MRIs used at that time). I then had a problems with my eyes & speech (blurry & slurring – which dissipated that day) in the summer of 2003, which the doctors preliminary diagnosis was a mild stroke, but then the test began. The outcome came on November 10th, 2003 from my neurologists – you have MS. This just about devastated me having watched the progression (walking to not walking, loss of bowel & bladder control, and loss of mobility & arms, etc.).

Well, they started me on Betaseron, and then the fun began. The first nine (9) months on Betaseron was a roller-coaster of emotions, periods of not having any concentration, and not being able to remember how to do little things that I’ve done for twenty some-odd years. Thank “GOD” for my loving wife (Kim) for getting me through this time..

After making it through the first nine months, things settled, but the MS progressed. Legs burning, legs jerking, walking becoming difficult, hands trembling, lots of floaters in my eyes and twitching. Continued my appointments with my neurologists and as things progressed, more meds prescribed.

In April of 2009, they conducted more test including an Evoke Potential (hooked me up to electrodes and actually got me to levitate off of a table when the zapped me) and more MRIs, etc. These test resulted in a diagnosis of Myasthenia Gravis in conjunction with the MS. More meds prescribed.

In the fall of 2011, walking was very difficult, writing was a joke (if someone other than myself was reading it), having lots of bladder and bowel issues (everything seemed to be leaking) and if I had to travel with my job, I had be chauffeured, as I couldn’t make the trips by myself. Hot weather made me wilt like a cut flower out of water. With all of this going on with my body, the neurologists ordered up another batch of test and then concluded that Betaseron had out lived its effectiveness and I was changed to Copaxon.

After a month of Copaxon, I was having whelps and redness appear at the injections site, which I called the folks at Copaxon and my neurologists and explained what was happening. Both told me it just took a little while for my body to adjust and they would go away. Another month passed and I was doing the injections in my thigh, when the swelling and inflammation became so bad I couldn’t hardly put on my jeans and could hardly walk, so I marched down to my neurologists and sat in her office until she could see me. She took one look at the sites and said that I was allergic to Copaxon, and changed the meds to Avonex – oh joy. I had to undergo 21 days of steroid treatment prior to beginning Avonex.

It’s now February of 2012 and things are not getting any noticeably better, or slowing down, and I’m getting fed up and not looking forward to what I have seen with my father.. I keep taking the meds and start investigating my options.

A friend had mention to my wife about stem cell therapy that they had heard about down in Costa Rica. We researched it and found it in Panama, started checking it out and we liked what we read..

I submitted the initial applications in late March and received approval in April (just 7 days later). Just so happened that The Stem Cell Institute – Panama was having a seminar that month in Gilbert, AZ, so we signed up and flew to Phoenix (we wanted a little more comfort factor). We were very impressed & actually was able to talk with the doctors (Neil Riordan and Dr. Paz Rodriguez) and go over everything (also met one person that had been through the treatment that had a spinal cord injury, one that has MS and both where doing pretty good, as their stories were documented on film and a part of the presentation) .

The seminar was very good and we were sold on the fact that we had made the right decision. .

After arriving back home, we submitted for a treatment to get in the queue’ (which we were told would take as long as 5 months to find an opening), and received notification that it would be on May 14th, 2012, so we confirmed the reservations and began preparing for our trip.

At this time I had quit smoking and the current list of drugs was as follows:

Amantadine: 100mg (2 tablets in AM)
Effexor: 75mg (1 tablet daily)
Zanaflex: 4mg (1/2 in AM & 1 at night)
Plavix: 75mg (once daily)
Crestor: 5mg (1 tablet at night)
Mestinon: 60mg (1 tablet in 4 times daily)
Mirapex: 0.125 mg (30 minutes before bedtime)
Ampyra :10mg (1 tablet in am & 1 tablet in PM
Avonex: 30mcg injection (once a week)

A week prior to our trip to Panama I had a regularly schedule appointment with my neurologists and at the end of the office visit I informed her of my intentions of going to Panama. I did not receive any negative response, she just want to make sure of the procedure that was going to be conducted and where the stem cells were coming from. She also relayed that she was an investigator for stem cell research for the State of Texas.

Here’s a log of the adventure to Panama. Anxiety is high

5/13 (Sunday):
Flew to Panama from Amarillo. Left Amarillo at 9:30AM & arrived in Panama at 7:30PM (had a little trouble with my legs from Houston to Panama – spasms). We were met by Stem Cell Institute (SCI) representative at the airport & walked though customs, like you have never seen. Escorted through and express line at customs, escorted us to a lounge and then they went to go retrieve our luggage. SCI had transportation set up from the airport to your hotel, via private courier.

5/14 (Monday):
Picked up at the hotel by SCI and taken to the SCI office & met with 3 doctors and had blood taken (11 vials). All the doctors were great (Dr. Rodriguez, Dr, Hernandez and Dr. Bowen) and explained everything in great detail. Discussed the surgery (mini-liposuction the next morning). The stem cells were harvested from my own body – no umbilical cord cells utilized. SCI driver took us back to the hotel.

5/15 (Tuesday):
Picked up by SCI and taken to the hospital @ 8:00AM. A little anxious about the facilities that we were going to, but when we drove up the signage on the building read “Hospital Punta Pacifica, affiliated with John Hopkins Medicine International”.- no more worries. I was met at the door by Dr. Bowen (from Stem Cell), admitted to hospital and surgery @ 10:00am, out of surgery recovery by 12:15pm, given pain pills & antibiotics, Dr. Bowen was in surgery & with me throughout the procedure. The plastic surgeon that performed the procedure was from the States. SCI driver takes us back to the hotel. Took only one pain pill for the entire time. Have to wear a girdle (Velcro & elastic) for twenty-one days.

5/16 (Wednesday):
SCI picks us up at 9:30AM for 10:00am appointment for physical therapy. Stretching exercises and a small work out. Driver takes us back to hotel.

5/17 (Thursday):
Same as yesterday

5/18 (Friday):
Same as yesterday.

5/19 (Saturday):
Took a tour to the rainforest & the lake on the top of the canal. Saw, sloths, monkeys, butterflies coatis, toucan & crocodiles (all in the wild) – (gone 6 hours)

5/20 (Sunday):
Took a tour to the waterfall and zoo. (gone 7 hours)

5/21 (Monday): SCI picks us up at 9:30AM for 10:00am appointment for physical therapy. Last day of physical therapy. Diver takes us back to hotel. Kim found a casino at the Sheraton Inn & we went for a little while.

5/22 (Tuesday):
Took a tour through the Panama Canal Locks & up to the lake. We met a couple of others folks at the motel that evening that were down from the States to have the treatment. One gentleman had come down for his second set of treatments and was expounding as to how great his progress had been, and was hoping that with this set that he could be able to walk without a cane. His first set of treatments was about eight months prior. Ok, now I’m getting very anxious.

5/23 (Wednesday):
SCI picks us up at 9:30AM for 10:00am appointment to receive 1st infusion of stem cells. Received 20cc which took about 15 minutes, once I got back to the examination room. . Driver took me back to the hotel – back before 10:30AM. After lunch, Kim asked if I was feeling any effect from the first treatment and I barked back that it takes months for the effects to take place (sorry that I made that comment). Kim had inquired and found another casino, so we took a trip to the Wyndum Casino. After about 2 hours (at about 8:00PM) I noticed that I wasn’t limping, or staggering, dragging my foot, or any of that other good stuff – I went to find Kim. Found Kim & asked her what she thought about my walking and she was really surprised.

5/24 (Thursday):
SCI picks us up at 10:15AM for 10:30am appointment to receive 2nd infusion of stem cells. Told the Dr. (Randy Bowen) about my walking and he was very surprised. I also relayed that the floaties that I have had in my eyes are diminishing, the tingling in my hands is diminishing & my feet don’t feel like they are on fire, bladder control is doing better. Driver took me back to the hotel. Had lunch and then started just messing around and found that I could balance on one leg (either leg) with my hands in my pockets (been quite a while since I was able to balance like that, even without my hands in my pockets) Went to the casino for a little while.

5/25 (Friday):
SCI picks us up at 9:30AM for 10:00am appointment to receive 3rd infusion of stem cells from the Dr. (Hernandez) & he said that he had heard from Dr. Bowen about my results, so I showed him the balance act which he was very impressed with. Both He & Dr. Bowen stated that I was fortunate to have results so quickly, but should continue receiving more results up to at least 6 months. They asked that I keep them apprised of any and all progress. Received pack of documentation covering everything that was done by SCI (complete blood analysis & certification of 6.6*E7 >75% viable stem cells). They also apprised me that they have retained 50% of the stem cells harvested for utilization at a future date – which is only a one week trip. Dr. Hernandez said that I could start decreasing my medications gradually. (Driver took me back to the hotel. Off we go to the Wynndum Casino for a couple of hours. Walking is getting better.

5/26 (Saturday):
Tired today, slept until 11:45AM, then went to grab lunch, laid back down at 1:30PM and slept until 4:30PM. Went and grabbed a few beers at the hotels bar. I haven’t been able to walk, or see like this in 6 years.

5/27 (Sunday):
SCI Driver pick us up at 7:00AM and assisted through the line at the airport. Arrived back in Amarillo at 8:00PM. Had a little trouble with my legs (Spasms) from Houston to Amarillo, but nothing like it had been for the past 5 years.

5/28 (Monday):
Went to the shop & office – didn’t do much. Had supper with our daughters and they couldn’t believe how I was walking. My wife insisted that I show them the balancing act. Girdle & levis, don’t go together very well.

The facilities and doctors are really great. Very professional, very clean, very informative and they help you with anything that you need.

With the results that I was seeing in the first week, I stopped taking a lot of my meds.

On June 16th we took a trip and drove to Ft. Smith, AR (444 miles) to attend a barbeque cook for my friends. Amazingly I had no spasms or leg jerks on the trip over or back, and I tolerated the heat exceedingly well. The only meds that I was still taking at this juncture was Zanaflex and Effexor.

In mid-July I was sleeping like a rock and awakening maybe just once an evening. No more one hour sleeps and then run to the bathroom – no more leg jerks – no more spasms. I had also traveled to one my friends ranch and was out in +97° weather and had no problems.

The first part of August, Kim had purchased a guided fly fishing float trip in Oregon. Ok, now I’m a little skeptical, but here I go. We fished for five days out of boats, floating down the rivers with fly rods. You had to stand up in the boats that were moving with the currents and going through rough water. Amazingly, I never lost my balance. Life is good. Completely off of ALL meds.

After arriving back from Oregon, I had a scheduled appointment with my neurologist. I informed her that I was totally off all of my meds, which she raised an eyebrow upon, then she ran me through the paces for balance, strength, eyes, and walking. She seemed impressed but didn’t say a whole lot, but what she said I really loved. I was discharged from all follow-ups and associated test until such time as I felt that I needed to see her.

The Stem Cell Institute still calls periodically (and sends questionnaires) to check on my conditions and inquire if I need anything additional, which is great. I have very few doctors, or clinics, that have ever called to check on me.

At the writing of this, I am one month from my one year anniversary of the treatment and I cannot express what a change in life it has been. I’m no longer in pain. I’m not irritable. I’m happy. I can walk. I don’t have to worry where the restrooms are located. I can jog (if I wanted too). I can work outside in the summer. My family and friends are astonished with my progress. It is like you rolled the life clock back twenty years.

If this procedure was available fifteen years ago, my father would not have had a say. I would have loaded him on a plane and he would have gone to Panama,

I strongly recommend this procedure and The Stem Cell Institute. They and their staff treat you like a king and you become part of their family. It is life changing Thank “GOD” for the pioneers in medicine.

Anyone reading this that would like to discuss my progress, or any of the above, may feel free to contact me at (Number available upon request to all approved applicants).

Sincerely,

Kelley R. Wilson.

jaytest 2013-04-26T19:23:19+00:00 April 26th, 2013|Multiple Sclerosis, Multiple Sclerosis, News, Patient Stories, Stem Cell Therapy|

Stem Cell Treatments for Cerebral Palsy – Mary Washington’s Story

Sarah Washington and her daughter Mary. Mary is 2 years old and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was 4 months old. She was first treated at the Stem Cell Institute in Panama using human umbilical cord-derived stem cells. Mary received these stem cells intravenously over the course of 4 days. Her first treatment was in September of 2012. This interview was recorded in March 2013 at the clinic while she was there for a second round of treatments.

What kind of improvements have you noticed?

Overall, in general, what we noticed was, her upper body, she’s very stiff. She’s spastic in her legs and her arms and she has low tone in her trunk. In her upper body, we noticed a pretty significant improvement. Her range of motion, she couldn’t lift her arms over her before and now she can do that on both sides easily. And her hands, she was in tight little fists most of the time, whereas now if she is in a fist it’s very loose. But most of the time she kind of has her hands relaxed. That was a big improvement for us; small but significant for our family.

Her vision has improved, not necessarily distance but as far as like what I think as seeing details. So she would be able to tell the difference between you and me if we didn’t say anything. Whereas before, I don’t think she could do that. She would rely on smell and hearing more than her vision. Now she uses her vision a lot more. So that’s been an improvement that we’ve seen.
She is more involved in the world around her. [She] wants to be more involved in the world around her so that’s good. She has definitely, she doesn’t say, “mama, dada, ba, ba” yet but she definitely is making more vocalizations, making more sounds and trying to experiment with her voice, which is a positive thing.

She is trying different ways of communicating versus just screaming which is what she did before because that is all she knew how to do. And now, she is kind of fussing or sometimes she’ll just kind of like, yell and stop and wait for me to answer her instead of just going from “zero” to “scream”. So her communication has improved as well.

One thing that we were not expecting that we were pleased about is an improvement in her seizures. That wasn’t even something that we had even, I don’t know. I guess it just didn’t occur to us that maybe this would be helpful with that but before we came the first time in September she had been sick and we actually had to delay our trip twice because she had bronchialitis. She was just having a really hard time. And she was having a lot of seizures. We had to add a new seizure medicine to try to get them under control and she was having 6 or 7 short myotonic jerks every day. The first time we were here, by about Thursday, which was like day three of treatment, of stem cells we noticed that she hadn’t had a seizure that day. Whereas before, she was having 6 or 7 a day. And so, that was one thing. It was surprising but it was a nice surprise that those have improved since we’ve been here. She will still have breakthrough seizures every now and then when she’s sick, teething but she, we haven’t gone back to that, where she was having them on a regular basis. So that’s good. That’s been a good improvement.

Since we’ve been here this time, I haven’t really seen anything where I could say, “Oh, I think that’s the stem cells.” yet but I do know that last time it did take a couple of weeks for us to notice, you know, or to really pinpoint and say, “Yes, we think that is the stem cells. There’s no way she could have done that before.” So, and all of our therapists agree that her range of motion and her upper body for sure, and her vision would not have been the way they were without coming here.