REASON FOR COMING TO TREATMENT: Ella was born at full term. But she and her mother endured a difficult birth and both of them required resuscitation. Ella suffered a hypoxic brain injury due to lack of oxygen. During the first few months of her life, she suffered from frequent seizures and had very high fluctuating tone throughout her body. Three months later her seizures largely stopped with only slight relapses. Though she was developmentally delayed, she made steady progress in learning about the world and interacting with others. Her parents sought out the best treatment options available bringing Ella to the best physical therapy centers in the world. Even though she was an inquisitive and happy child, making some progress doing therapy, her parents wanted to give Ella the best chance to overcome her physical limitations. After talking with other parents who had brought their children to China for stem cell treatments, they decided it was the best choice for Ella as well.
TREATMENT: Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Transplants, Cord Serum and Nerve Growth Factor combined with Acupuncture and Rehabilitation Therapy.
BEFORE THE TREATMENT: Before coming to China for treatment, Ella's main problems were with the control of her body. She had high tone in her upper body and low tone in her lower body making it difficult for her to move around. She was unable to roll over or sit up on her own. Her movements tended to be erratic and uncontrolled, though she has learned to use her high tone to accomplish some tasks. For example, she was able to grasp objects placed at the end of her outstretched arms but was unable to grab something close to her body. Her right arm was worse than her left in this respect. Besides movement difficulties, Ella had some problems with eating and controlling her mouth and tongue. She could eat soft food by herself, but she dribbled and her tongue movement was limited. Her parents also felt her appetite was not as high as it should have been.
AFTER THE TREATMENT: While in China, Ella's parents said they observed experienced significant improvements in her condition. They stated the following: One of the first things they saw was a dramatic increase in her appetite. While eating her dribbling was reduced. As the treatments progressed, Ella's overall tone decreased especially in her right arm. She became more flexible, had a greater range of movement and started to 'kick around' the bed more than she ever done before. She began to roll on her own in the mornings--usually from her back to her side. Her parents also woke up one morning to find her sleeping on her side, which she had not been doing before the treatment. Her core strength also improved facilitating increased ability to sit and do assisted standing for longer times.
