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P A T I E N T E X P E R I E N C E – B R A I N I N J U R Y
NAME: Adrian Blazevic
SEX: Male
COUNTRY: Australia
AGE: 21 years old
REASON FOR COMING FOR A 2nd TREATMENT: On February 2004 Adrian fell from a cliff 30 meters high while walking with his friends. His spine was not broken, but his brain was severely damaged. Adrian is wheelchair bound, non verbal and dependant in all his care. On December 2006 Adrian came to Beijing with his mother and brother, for his first stem cell treatment. During the 10 months that passed since his first stem cell injection, Adrian showed significant progress which led his family to the decision to return to Beijing for a second treatment.
DIAGNOSIS: Traumatic Brain Injury
BEGINNING OF 2nd TREATMENT: 10th August 2007
CONDITION BEFORE TREATMENT AND DURING THE 8 MONTHS FOLLOWING HIS 1ST TREATMENT:
See Videos: before1 , before2
During the 8 months that passed from Adrian’s first stem cell treatment, Adrian continued to show progress. He became increasingly stronger and his responses became faster. He started to have more facial expressions such as more movements in his mouth and better eye contact. In general, he appears to be responding to people better than before. His concentration has improved as well.
Before Adrian came to China for his first treatment, his therapist tried to have him practice a bicycle movement with his legs, which he was not able to do then. After Adrian came back from the treatment, the therapist tried the exercise again, and discovered Adrian was now able to do this movement, which is not a natural movement and demands certain strength of muscles and speed of response. Adrian can now exercise with special bicycle equipment at home on a regular basis.
AFTER TREATMENT:
See Videos: after1 , after PT
Within two months of Adrian’s second treatment, he clearly attained another level in his progress.
He has now gained more muscle strength, especially in his left leg, and can now walk (with assistance) a longer distance in a shorter amount of time.
Adrian can hold his head up longer, and his family and therapist started to position his chair in a straighter angle, while before his wheelchair had to be tilted backwards to support Adrian’s neck. Control of his own head, as noted by Adrian’s therapist, has a significant role in the ability to control the rest of his body. This makes this single improvement very significant in terms of Adrian’s progress.
The muscle tension in his upper limbs decreased and he is now able to straighten his arms in a wider angle than before, in a movement that previously caused him pain. He can also open his fingers a bit more now.
A neurological examination shows that Adrian is now able to turn his eye balls in a wider angel than before in all directions. This implies better eye contact and allows better communication.
Adrian’s family is looking forward to seeing more improvements in the months to follow and are planning to come back for a third treatment in the summer of 2008. 
The First Treatment in December 2006: REASON FOR COMING FOR TREATMENT: On February 2004 Adrian had fall from a cliff 30 meters high while walking with his friends. His spine was not broken, but his brain was damaged. Adrian is wheelchair bound, non verbal, eating through a feeding tube and dependant in all his care. Adrian is cognitive and communicat ive.
START OF TREATMENT: December 14, 2007
BEFORE THE TREATMENT:
See Videos: before1 , before2 , before3
Before the treatment Adrian had high spasms in all his muscles and especially in his hands and upper body. He used to hold his palms clenched and his arms locked up to his chest. He would hold his mouth open most of the time because his jaw was very tense.
Adrian could make two definable sounds that were recognized by his family as ‘yes’ and ‘no’. He had trouble sleeping and his mother would often give him sleeping pills. His body was very tense, he could not hold his upper body independently while sitting or during physical therapy, his face muscles were tense and allowed him very few facial movements or expressions.
AFTER THE TREATMENT:
See Videos: after1 , after2 , after3 , after4
After the first month of treatment Adrian’s most significant improvement was that his face muscles were much more relaxed and he had had more facial expressions. His jaws were looser and he was now able to hold his mouth closed while in a natural position. He was sleeping much better and didn’t use any sleeping pills. His muscles became more relaxed and stronger. He started to eat some solid food by mouth. His arms were getting less tight, and he held a more relaxed posture.
After 8 weeks of treatment Adrian looked more aware and awake. He could track and follow people much better with his eyes, the sounds he made were more clear and defined and he was able to make new sounds he did not do before. His arm movement had improved: he could now lift his arms higher and control them a little better. He could control his legs better and could carry more weight on them while exercising and walking, he could do few steps while being held from the back. When being held to a standing positing he could hold his upper body better than before. He could stand on his knees for a short while – an exercise he had never done before.
His skin color changed and looked healthier. Adrian had overall improvement.
Since his accident Adrian had gone through daily rehabilitation yet In the last half a year before the treatment Adrian had almost no improvements at all.
Adrian went back to Australia with his Family. They are hoping to come back for another treatment in 6 months.
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