Sacramento Boy Undergoes Stem Cell Procedure
SACRAMENTO (AP) ¯ All we seem to hear about is the controversy
surrounding stem cells, but do know what they can actually do?
A Sacramento boy suffering from an incurable condition may be living
proof that stem cells can have remarkable results.
The little boy you are about to meet is one first in the nation to
undergo stem cell treatment for his disease.
Dallas Hextell cries like many toddlers do, but he is different.
It's his only form of communication.
"You just want him to be better. you just wish you could fix it and
take it away but you can't," Dallas' mother Cynthia told CBS13's Kris
Pickel.
Excited over their first born, it didn't take long for Cynthia and
Derek Hextell to suspect something was wrong with baby Dallas.
" He didn't open his eyes. He just cried a lot and they kept saying
it was colic," explained Cynthia.
Feeling her concerns were being ignored, Cynthia switched
pediatricians. At 8 months old, they were referred to a neurologist
who within 15 minutes diagnosed Dallas with Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral
Palsy is damage to the brain, affecting muscle control. There is no
cure, only treatments to help manage the debilitating effects.
"You can tell he's frustrated because his mind is healthy and he
want to do things physically. He just can't." said mom Cynthia.
At 18 months old, Dallas' physical development was closer to an 8
month old. He has trouble with hand control and can't wave or clap
or crawl. He doesn't talk or even babble. He just screams. Sad
screams. Frustrated screams. Even happy screams.
Dallas ' parents hope their decision to bank his umbilical cord blood
will give him a shot at a normal life. Because Dallas has access to
his own stem cells, he's been accepted into a clinical trial at Duke
University.
The family recently flew to Duke for a procedure where Dallas' stem
cells are put back into his blood stream in hopes they will find
their way to the damaged tissue in his brain and repair those cells.
After the procedure, Dallas and his family came back to Sacramento to
wait and see if the expensive treatment would pay off. They didn't
have to wait long.
Just 5 days after the procedure, Dallas said his first word "momma".
That was quickly followed by learning to wave and even laughing.
"That's the best feeling in the world to hear your little kid laugh,"
said Dallas' dad Derek, "He had never laughed before."
Three months after the treatment, the little boy who didn't have the
muscle control to crawl is now scooting all over without using a
walker. He also looking at his parents when they talk to him.
While there is no way to know if or how much the improvements are
directly related to the treatment, Dallas's is for the first time
making amazing strides forward instead of falling further back.
Cord blood stem cells are now being used to treat dozens of medical
conditions from heart disease to leukemia. But banking cord blood is
not cheap. The cost is about $2,000 initially and then $100 every
year after that in storage costs.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
http://cbs13.
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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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