NAME: Paul Thomas Flynn
AGE: 43
COUNTRY: USA
DIAGNOSIS: Ataxia III (Machado-Joseph Disease). Paul has hereditary ataxia which he inherited from his maternal family.
REASON FOR COMING TO TREATMENT: Paul's condition has resulted in both physical and mental impairment. The primary concern is his physical abilities: When standing, he is very unsteady, and requires something to assist him balance. Due to his poor balance, walking had become increasingly difficult.
TREATMENT: 6 Umbilical Cord Stem Cell and Nerve Growth Factor Injections with Rehabilitation Therapy.
START OF TREATMENT: 14 August 2007
BEFORE THE TREATMENT: At 43, Paul had entered into the middle stages of the disease, and his motor coordination was significantly impaired. He had a gated walk, and found it very difficult to lift his legs when moving, tending instead to move his legs in a circular motion above the floor. He complained that when standing, not only his balance, but his spacial awareness was also affected - he would be unable to predict in which way he might fall, so rather than put his foot out to steady himself, he would have to hold onto an object. He also suffered from frequent double vision and slurred his speech.
WATCH VIDEOS OF PAUL DURING THE TREATMENT:
AFTER THE TREATMENT: The main improvement to Paul's condition was in his ability to balance. This is apparent in the videos of him balancing on a mobile platform in the early stages of treatment and in the assorted tests he underwent in the later stages - he seems a lot more composed after the treatment. Perhaps most importantly for Paul, his walking improved in both technique and speed. This is also visible in the videos of him walking during and after treatment. In the final interview, Paul acknowledges an improvement in his slurring, citing statements by his son, who accompanied him to China, and his wife who he spoke to by telephone in the U.S.
WATCH VIDEOS OF PAUL AFTER THE TREATMENT:
AFTER FIRST TRIP TO CHINA:
After arriving back in America, Paul felt quite tired from jet lag for about one week. But after he readjusted to American time he regained all his prior improvements from China and his Ataxia symptoms continued to diminish. His wife, who had not accompanied him to China, primarily noticed that his speech was clearer than and not as forced as before. He also noticed other little differences in his day to day life. For instance when he dropped his keys, he was able to pick them up by himself. Also, previous to the treatment he was afraid to walk in crowds because he could not stop himself if a child ran in front of him. After the treatment, he was more confident going out because his balance and control of his legs had improved.
Paul came back to Hangzhou in early October, accompanying his brother, Robert, who also has MJD and decided to do a second round of stem cell treatments. Usually the Beike doctors suggest waiting until there has been some regression in the condition but Paul decided he wanted to improve upon the improvements he had already made.
Videos of Paul when he arrived back in Hangzhou At the end of his second trip to China, Paul felt he had experienced significant improvements. Most notably he was able to squat down by himself and jump on his own which was something he had not been able to do for a long time. He explained that he was not able to jump before because he was not able to properly coordinate his muscles and his balance was poor. He felt most of his improvements during the last week of his treatment. He said that the Lumbar puncture procedure was tiring but after having a good rest, he could feel that he was even better than before each injection. Videos of Paul when he had finished the second round of treatments Videos of Paul attempting to squat and jump when he first arrived in China
(Note he is not able to squat with out assistance and that he can barely get off the ground when jumping, even though he is holding onto parallel bars.)
After the second visit he was able to squat and jump with no assistance and without holding on to anything.   |
