At the Beike Clinic in Hangzhou, China, a modern-day Silk Road
brings in people from across the globe for stem cell treatment that
is unavailable in many countries, including the United States.
Some who have made the journey have seen groundbreaking results. For
others, the improvements have been more subtle. But for three Utah
families, it was a trip worth taking.
Tim and Maria Schmanski weren't expecting a miracle at the Beike
Clinic, and they didn't get one. But the improvements in their
daughter Tori are clearly visible.
Two years ago, a car wreck and near drowning left the Orem teen with
an anoxic brain injury. Since then she has not been able walk, talk
or eat by herself.
In January, Tori's parents brought her to the Beike Clinic, where
she underwent a month of treatment that included injections of more
than 50 million stem cells. After half a year -- doctors say the
full results take four to six months to show -- the changes are
sometimes small, but they are there.
Tim said Tori, now 16, can swallow and eat more easily, and is able
to eat on her own depending on the food. She is also more aware of
her surroundings than before. Several weeks ago, she spotted a jet
and followed it across the sky with her eyes.
"It sounds like a little thing, but when ... she sees a jet and
follows it, it's a good sign," Tim said.
Tim said he saw many patients at the Beike Clinic who experienced
dramatic improvements in conditions such as multiple sclerosis and
ataxia. Tori's condition, however, may be too severe for that. Tim
said it was one of the more severe cases that the clinic had seen.
"You've got to go with low expectations. There's no guarantees it
helps them. Some others it doesn't help as much," he said. "We
would've liked to have seen a miracle, but we didn't go over
expecting it."
Missy and Jed Ashton weren't expecting a miracle either, but the
results of their son's stem cell treatment have been significant.
Their son Travis was in a car wreck seven years ago that left him
with a traumatic brain injury. After a couple years he was able to
stop using the wheelchair he was confined to, but he was still
unable to talk and did not have the full function of many of his
muscles.
The Ashtons, of Highland, went to Hangzhou in June and returned
about a month ago. Travis, who turned 18 during the trip, seems to
have improved by leaps and bounds since then.
Though he still can't talk -- he communicates mostly through hand
gestures -- he has been able to move his tongue and lips more. His
vision has improved, as has the hearing in his right ear. His right
arm, which had been drawn up in an unnatural position since the
wreck, sits more relaxed. He can even drink water, which he was not
able to do before because of its thin consistency.
"That may not be a big deal to a lot of people, but ... he's
thrilled that he can drink water," Missy said.
The family is optimistic about the future. Travis hopes to be able
to speak again someday, and, like most teenagers, wants to drive
too. He exercises frequently, and will soon begin an intensive
physical therapy program that is similar to the one offered at the
Beike Clinic, which Missy said is hard to find in the United States.
Missy expects Travis to continue to show improvement while the
treatment's full effects emerge, and Travis hopes to fully exploit
the possibilities during that four- to six-month window.
"He gained some improvement, so I feel like it kind of has opened
the doors," Missy said. "Since the stem cells will grow for about
six months, we're going to hopefully take advantage of this time and
hopefully do as much therapy as possible."
Before she was in a bus crash in Egypt two years ago, Dena Gennerman
was a commercial airline pilot. But since that crash left her with
brain damage, she has been much like Tori, unable to walk, talk or
eat on her own.
Gennerman's parents took her to the Beike Clinic in early May and
stayed for about eight weeks. Bob Brehm, her father, said the
effects of the treatment are showing.
The 39-year-old woman's left side had always been "quite strong,"
Brehm said, but the right side was weak. Now the right side has
gained strength and she can walk, albeit with the help of a physical
therapist. She is more alert than before, and Brehm expects to see
more improvements as time goes on.
"They're minor improvements, but they're big improvements at our end
of the scale," said Brehm, a Park City resident. "I'm pleased with
it, and I'm anticipating we'll see more improvement.
Brehm is already planning to take his daughter back to Hangzhou late
this year or early next year. He said doctors told him that patients
often see more dramatic improvements after a second round of stem
cell treatment. The Ashtons are also thinking about making another
trip if Travis continues to show improvements. Tim Schmanski said he
is taking a wait-and-see approach to a second stint at the Beike
Clinic, but he and Maria are open to the possibility.
Tim keeps in touch with Brehm and the Ashtons, and all three
families communicate frequently with others across the country who
are in similar situations. Each time a family takes a first trip to
Hangzhou, they become a bank of information for people looking to go
themselves. Just as Tim advised Brehm and the Ashtons on what to
expect, they continue to spread the word to others.
And the word has been pretty encouraging so far.
For more information about the three cases, go to pray4tori.com,
travisashton.
Jeremy Duda can be reached at 344-2561 or jduda@....
This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.
http://www.heraldex
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CRAIG DILGER / Daily Herald Tori Schmanski(16) works with her speech
therapist, Meredyth Grover, and her grandmother Lois Harris. The
object of the exercise is to have Tori answer questions about what
ingredients should be included in her pudding using a touch pad.
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StemCells subscribers may also be interested in these sites:
Children's Neurobiological Solutions
http://www.CNSfoundation.org/
Cord Blood Registry
http://www.CordBlood.com/at.cgi?a=150123
The CNS Healing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNS_Healing
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