It has been 9 months since my stem cell trip to China. I am still going to Awakenings 3 times a week and theraputic horse riding on Tuesdays. My core strength has really improved as well as balance. Last Friday I stood at the parallel bars with minimal assistance! My legs are getting stronger as well. I am getting some good pushes on the Total Gym. Are the stem cells still working? I’m not sure but something has really changed in my body in the last week. I stop taking Neurontin a month ago and my spasms have gotten much stronger resulting in greater movement in my legs, core, and back. I also began taking a enzyme-based product called ReGenesys from www.healthwalk.com. It is help reduced my back pain and is supposed in increase neural activity.Wealth TV is doing a program on SCI and stem cell therapy and I will be interviewed in two weeks. More good things to come 
February 21st, 2008
It has now been over 2 months since my stem cell treatment and I continue to see improvements in my overall strength and endurance. I have been horseback riding for several months now and can feel a big improvement in my balance and core strength. I have two people either side spoting me so I don’t fall forward or back. I am able to ride for almost 30 minutes with very little assistance. At Awakenings Health Institute www.awakeningshealth.org I was free standing at the parallel bar with only someone blocking my knees and someone behind me. When I engaged my gluts I was able to pull away and stand by myself!
I saw Dr. Perlman on July 27th at UCLA for my post assessment since returning from China. She measured improvements in my overall strength especially .5 increase in my left tricep and 1.0 increase in my right tricep. My light touch sensation is now at T4 on my chest. I can free virbation in my right knee longer than before. As soon as I receive Dr. Perlman’s written eval I will post the significant changes.
I have been seeing a had therapist since returning and am seeing small improvements weekly in my thumb movement on both hands and can flex my wrists without gravity My grip has also improved as I can pick up a full water bottle and drink with only one hand.
August 22nd, 2007
Well, It has almost a month since I’ve returned from China. I have definitely improved in my overall strength, esp. my core and balance. I am able to lock out my knees when standing at Awakenings www.awwakeningshealth.org and am getting some small movement in my quads and gluts (in the right position). My upper body is also stronger as assessed by me and my trainers including my triceps (which were very weak and before) The most dramatic improvement has been my bladder. I can now pee on my own! I started using a condom/external cathedar a week ago after stopping taking Vericare (bladder medicine to prevent voiding) and now I able to go when I need to. This was not possible before my stem cell treatment. Last year I tried using a condom cather but was not empting completely and getting AD (autonomic dysreflexia). This has made a HUGE IMPROVEMENT in my independence and quality of life! I can’t how this is possible without the stem cells.
I am able to push myself in my wheelchair with much less effort. Before China I would get exhausted just pushing around, but now it is much easier and I am pushing from my core and not just my arms. I just came from horse riding whichn I began before China and am excited to report that my core strength and balancing is improving! So many people ask me if theses results are from stem cells or the other therapies I am doing inconjunction and the answer is yes, I’m sure it is from everything I’m doing. And, I have different base-line of strength and improvement since my stem cell treatments, esp. bladder! Umbilical cord stem cell should conitune to regengerate into neural cells for another 4-6 months so I’ll keep you post. I’m going to see Dr. Perlman, neurolory researcher at UCLA on July 27 for my post assessment so we can see what neurological changes have actually occured.
July 4th, 2007
Ni Hao Everyone!
I made it back safely from China last Wednesday and am currently chilling in the Bay Area until Saturday. I decided to spend some time recovering from jet lag by soaking at Harbin Hot Springs and receiving some much needed bodywork. It has been quite the journey! I apologize for not being able to send regular updates because as I discovered the Internet in China is heavily monitored and censored by the Chinese government making it very difficult to access the web and email.
Overall my trip was a great success! I feel much stronger and have more endurance than before. I also have better hand dexterity, upper body strength, better balance and core strength. I haven’t noticed any major changes yet in my sensation or functional movement, however it takes the stem cells 4-6 months to fully develop into neural cells so I should see continual improvements. I also was assessed by Dr. Perlman, a neurologist from UCLA, before my trip and will see her again in about a month to see what neurological and functional changes have occurred.
So here is the overview of my treatment. Shortly after arriving in Shenyang, I received my first umbilical cord blood stem cell injection. Basically I was rolled onto my side with my knees to my chest and then the doctor inserted a needle into my lumbar. Then five viles containing 10-15 million stem cells were injected directly into my spinal cord. The whole procedure took about 15-20 minutes. I could feel a warm sensation in my lower back moving towards my neck. Then I had to lie flat on my back for 4 hours allowing the stem cells to travel up and down my spinal cord to find the damaged cells begin their magic healing process. I had lots of energy making it difficult to sleep but feeling strong and energized the following several days. I received a total of five stem cell treatments so about one per week.
In between my stem cell treatments I received daily accupuncture, 45 minutes of standing, 1.5 hours of physical therapy, and 45 minutes of hand therapy six days a week! It was intense, but I could really feel changes occurring almost daily. Most of the Chinese do not speak English so I learned some basic Chinese phrases which put smiles on their faces when we interacted My therapists spoke some English and taught me as much Chinese! There were 5 other American patients in the hospital so we really had a great time hanging out, supporting each other, and going to Sunday brunch together.
I was very impressed by the optimism and ambition of the Chinese spinal cord patients. It is clear the Chinese medical community has a very different attitude towards recovery. They don’t tell their patients they have a slight chance of walking ever again, like they do in the US, but rather believe and are proving that profound recovery and walking again is most likely! I noticed that hardly any of the Chinese patients had muscle spasms and were able to sit and stand independently. I believe this recovery is clearly due to the patients receiving stem cells immediately after their injury and the combination of aggressive physical therapy and accupunture. If my improvements continue as expected, I am already considering going back next year for another round of treatments hopefully around the time of the 2008 Beijing Para Olympics. It is so unfortunate that I must travel half way around the world for stem cell treatment.
Well, that is enough for now. I have many other stories to share and several hours of video that I plan to edit into a documentary film of my experience. I want to thank everyone who supported me emotionally and financially on this journey. I finally want to express my immense love and gratitude toward my friend Dr. Frank Starks who accompanied and took care of me on this incredible adventure
June 23rd, 2007
Gotta keep this short to post. Overall therapy is going very well…accupunture, standing, PT, lunch, hand therapy, and more PT, 6 days a week! My hands are definitely improving…better dexterity and grip strength. Just had my 3rd stem cell injection on Friday…feeling lots of energy and tingling in hands and legs. Still have very tight back and hips…trying to use e-stim to relax the muscles more. Had a great time last night with some American friends as it was Scott’s B-day!
May 27th, 2007
I having been trying to post my blog for several weeks now but cannot seem to access the internet very well due to poor connection. Will send updates when I can. All is well with injections and therapy
May 26th, 2007
Frank and I arrived safely Saturday night after our 20 hour trip from San Diego to San Francisco to Beijing and finally Shenyang. Fortunately, we got business class upgrade which made the flight much more comfortable. Yesterday I saw Dr Wang who gave me an initial evaluation and I should get my first injection of stem cells on Tuesday, May 8. Sid, a young Chinese man is our main contact. He speaks excellent english and has been helpful in getting us settled and finding us a caregiver named Michael, an older Chinese man who speaks no English but is eager to help. After resting most of the day yesterday, Frank, Micheal and I ventured out to the local Walmart to buy food, a rice cooker and crockpot. What an adventure! We went at night, probably the busiest time to go.
May 7th, 2007
