Jay McGregor (10), who has cerebral palsy, will be one of the first Scottish patients to undergo stem cell therapy in Asia.

His family are pinning their hopes on the controversial procedure after the generous people of Moray took Jay to their hearts to raise the cash needed for his series of special injections.

Jay does not talk and has limited mobility, and mum Nicola Binks (31) believes that any improvement to his quality of life will be worth the long trip and treatment.

"It is daunting but we have got to give it a try for Jay's sake," she said.

The pair will head off from their Aberlour home in just a few days time for the eight week trip. It comes two years after a fundraising campaign was launched in support of Jay.

Stem cell injections are not licensed in the UK so the family knew they would have to look overseas if Jay was to undergo the treatment.

They looked into private clinics in a number of countries and had been set to head to the Netherlands until a television documentary raised concerns over the work of the clinic the youngster had been due to attend.

Nicola decided to hold off a decision while she carried out further research and is convinced the Beijing Tiantan Puhua Hospital, Asia's top neurosurgical hospital, is the right one to help Jay, who attended the special needs unit at Aberlour Primary School.

"Jay will have bone marrow taken from his hip bone which will be cultured in the lab and induced into neural stem cells," she added.

"These will be injected back via his spinal cord fluid in two to four injections after four weeks. Because it will be his own stem cells, there will be no risk of rejection."

The use of stem cells is surrounded by controversy with scientists and the medical profession divided as to what benefits, if any, the treatment can provide.

The stem cells are considered to act as a "repair kit" for the body, taking the place of damaged cells. The stem cells can, say supporters, replace what has been damaged through trauma or compromised by disease or degenerative illness. It is seen as the way forward in the treatment of such conditions as Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and spinal cord damage, as well as cerebral palsy which most commonly results from a failure of part of the brain to develop, either before birth or in early childhood.

All smiles as they prepare for a daunting trip to China and stem-cell treatment are Jay McGregor and his mum Nicola. "We have got to give it a go for Jay's sake," she said. NS

Nicola came across the Chinese clinic which lays claim to providing the world's most advanced stem cell procedures and treatments  on the Internet and has been in constant contact with the medical team there, as well as corresponding with a patient who underwent treatment.

She and Jay will be accompanied on the trip by her mum, June Binks, and her friend Julia Lister.

Nicola, who works as a clerkess, said the procedure has only been made possible thanks to the amazing support people gave to the appeal which saw fundraising top the £20,000 mark.

The family have had to find the cash for flights and living expenses for the eight weeks but have repeated their gratitude to the community.

Nicola added: "There were so many fundraising events held and donations made, both in the Moray area and in Huntly where Jay's dad, Michael, lives."

Jay will also undergo regular physiotherapy and speech therapy sessions while at the clinic.

He is to be assessed by his own physio before he leaves so any improvement, no matter how small, can be monitored.

Doctors have stressed it could take months before the positive effects of the stem cell treatment are felt but Jay's family are determined to give him that chance.

f.mcpherson@northern-scot.co.uk

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