Matthew’s SOD Blog

Our China Journey – New Friends and Daily Miracles

November 18th, 2009

Our trip to China turned out to be more than we could have ever imagined, from the new technology of stem cell treatment to the new friends we made from around the world. We were among many different families of various cultural backgrounds all seeking the same thing, hope for a better future.  We met families from all across the world, and all of them with amazing stories.  I was particularly touched by one Mom, trying to improve life for her young daughter, Yusrah.  They had lived in Houston, Texas for several years and spoke very good English, but were now living back home, in the small country of Oman. An Arabic country where the language is Farsi, she was determined to have her daughter’s first language be English, so her daughter would be able to speak for herself when necessary and be able to obtain the help she would need in her life.  Because of this they spoke English in their home. Mom wore the traditional clothing with a brightly colored head scarf.  As Matt and Yusrah shared an IV treatment time, we spoke directly for nearly one hour. On the stemcellschina.com website right now is Yusrah’s story.  Born with Cerebral Palsy and living with diminished vision caused by optic nerve atrophy, and struggling with very poor motor skills, she now rejoices in success from the treatment.  

 Also, from Farsi speaking Libya was a family, man and wife, and a brother.  The woman wore the traditional black berka all the time, with only her eyes visible. Her husband was there for treatment and was in a wheelchair.  The brother did all the talking as the woman was very submissive, and only after two or three weeks, did she begin to make eye contact with people and would then nod. When going out she always walked several steps behind, unless she was pushing the wheelchair. I always tried to be friendly and acknowledge everyone; unfortunately these people were hard to converse with.  Kris did have a limited conversation with the brother at one point, but mostly we got the feeling they didn’t like Americans very much. They had a Chinese Farsi speaking interpreter, who also spoke no English, so other than a nod or general greeting, conversations didn’t happen.

Another Muslim family from Jordan was there for treatment for their mother, who was becoming blind.  Her daughter and son were there with her. They used the same Chinese Farsi speaking interpreter as the Libya family. Matt and I traveled downtown to the Eye Institute of Qingdao with this family and their interpreter.  The older woman was having trouble maneuvering in and out of the vehicle, the stairs at the clinic, and later after dilation of the eyes, seeing the curb as we walked back to the vehicle.  The men did not assist this woman, at least until the daughter shouted for assistance, as the mom began to fall.  It was very hard for Matt and I to watch this, we wanted to help, but stayed out of their situation, as we understand this is their culture, where the men are dominant and the women do the work.

Aside from these Arab countries, we people from Romania.  Very limited English was spoken, but usually one person in the family could converse.  Christoff, 39 years old, from Romania, was there for Multiple Sclerosis.  He arrived with two arm crutches, and gained so much strength while there; on the day he departed he was able to walk out without using them.  He was an inspiration to all, always upbeat and positive, and he worked very hard with all his Physical Therapy and Acupuncture, never missing a treatment.  We went on several outing with him and his wife, and enjoyed their company immensely. Another Romanian family, a teenage girl was there with her mom, and she spoke fair English.  She was being treated for Spinal Dystrophy, and was such a loving girl, always playing with the little kids. She would give them wheelchair rides, which they loved!

We became very close to a mother, June and her daughter Nanna, from Switzerland.  We roomed next door to each other.  Nanna was being treated for vision also, so we had lots in common.  We helped June practice her English, as it was rusty.   Nanna is having great success in doubling her distance vision and slowing down her Nystagmus (shaky eye syndrome).

We met so many people from the United States, and became close to them all.  We loved our little Rayanna, a small child of 4, with the biggest personality I’ve ever met!  She filled the room with love and joy.  Her disability, Spinal Muscular Dystrophy, didn’t stop her from getting around.  She would say to me when Matt was in the room in bed, “Let’s go see Matt”, or “Take me to see Matt”.  She had to be carried when not in her chair, so I’d scoop her up and off we’d go. Matt always loved her visits. By the end of Rayanna’s time in China, she had gained complete upper body strength, and was walking down the hall on her knees pushing a small stroller.  She had never done this before, and would exclaim, “I’m fixing to go visit the nurses” at the nurses station that was close by. She had gained enough strength in her thighs and hips to do this. Her lower legs would probably never support her weight, but her mom, Ronda, felt especially excited about this improvement.

Kyle from Louisiana, arrived at the Qingdao airport the same day we did, and we shared the trip to the hospital with him and his mom and grandma.  We immediately bonded with them.  Kris and Kyle took to each other quickly, playing cards and visiting.  He was a wonderful kid, from Louisiana, also with Spinal Muscular Dystrophy. He had a strong southern accent and was so much fun to listen to. He was very sad when Kris had to leave, as they had spent so much time together and became great buddies.  From the treatments he gained enough strength to roll over on the bed, sit up and reach into the cabinet and get the brownies, which he had been told he couldn’t have until after dinner! His mom, Trish, was hard pressed to scold him, as he hadn’t rolled over and sat up on his own for more than half of his eleven years.

 We met little Vianca, with her mom and Grandma from Denver. She was nine months old and not progressing like infants should.  She had never rolled over, or sat up, or crawled and was not verbalizing.  She had diminished vision. After several treatments, she began to wake up.  Her mom said, “I can’t get her to sleep” and we all believed she was so excited about all the new things she was discovering, she didn’t want to sleep anymore!  She soon rolled over, and when placed in her stroller she would play with toys endlessly, never fussing, with the ability to now track toys and reach for them. Toward the end of our stay in China, we went out to dinner with several families to a local restaurant, Mom laid Vianca down in the stroller, hoping she would sleep – but she had a different idea, she sat up and wanted to “see” what was going on.  All of us there witnessed this action, and what a joy, a miracle right before our eyes. This was her first time to ever sit up on her own.

Lawrence from Texas was there also this summer, and his story is written on the stem cell website. It was very exciting the day he came back from a walk and said he saw flowers for the first time in their vivid colors of red and blue. He is continuing to gain more sight.  He was there with his mom and sister.  His sister Amani has a disease where she grows no hair; she received two treatments, and was very hopeful when she sprouted two hairs, one on her head and one on her arm.   

 We met Kyle Knopes, a teenager from Wisconsin, with his brother, Andrew and mom, Penny, there to help with the care giving.  Andrew would give his brother Kyle the usually teasing and troubles that come from an older brother, but if something was wrong, Andrew was always the first one there to protect and help – a true brotherly bond.  Andrew is studying to become a male nurse and wants to work with disabled children.  Kyle just wants to have relief from joint pain and other problems caused by his Spinal Muscular Dystrophy. He told us how he now was much more comfortable following his treatments and that he was now able to open his right hand. He could also roll over and sit up in bed, which he says he hadn’t been able to do since he was very young.

 Kit from Oklahoma, injured as a teenager in a car accident, was back for his 2^nd series of treatments for his spinal injury.  He had so much improvement from the 1^st series of treatments in 2008, he came back for more! His story in listed on stemcellschina.com website.

These stories go on and on.  I’ve tried to share the most revealing or exciting ones we witnessed.  But, there are many more, it would take weeks to share each and every one. The bottom line, the definitive answer too many people’s prayers, is that Umbilical Stem Cell Treatment works. It is my belief that this treatment will come to the United States sometime in the future, maybe not for 10 years or so, but it will come. It is the medicine of the future.

(Article written for and published in our local newspaper – Lyons Recorder)

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