REASON FOR TREATMENT: In 1986, Daniel was fixing his car on a snowy canyon road when he was hit by another car. Initially, the accident left him comatose and with little chance of survival. Against the odds Daniel came out of coma and survived. Today Daniel has limited, but manageable ability to communicates and move his body. Wishing to gain more improvements in his motor abilities and improve his quality of life, Daniel and his wife, LaNea, came to Beijing for stem cell treatment on September 2007.
DIAGNOSIS: Severe brain stem contusion
TREATMENT: 3 injections of self- bone marrow stem cells +nutritious stem cell cocktail treatment (intravenous).
BEGINNING OF TREATMENT: September 22nd, 2007
CONDITION BEFORE THE TREATMENT:
See Videos: before1, before2
Daniel is wheelchair bound, though he could, before the treatment, stand without support for a short time and walk few steps. Daniel's injury effected his balance and muscle strength, which made standing and walking one of his greatest difficulties.
Due to paralysis of his vocal chords and lips, Daniel's speech, before the treatment, was unintelligible, and he had difficulty to smile and move his lips.
Daniel's right side was especially weak, which made it extremely difficult for him to perform simple daily tasks with his hands, such as eating, picking up small objects, brushing his teeth, combing his hair or typing on the computer's keyboard. His shoulders were weak and he was unable to extend his arms in front of his body or lift them over his head.
Daniel spent most of his time in his wheelchair, needing assistance with most of the basic daily activities.
AFTER THE TREATMENT:
See Videos: after1, after2
After the 8 weeks stem cell treatment, Daniel saw significant improvements in his mobility: Daniel could now get out of his wheelchair by himself, without assistance, and his walking ability has significantly improved. Better muscle tone and better muscle strength allowed him better control, flexibility and balance in his mobility.
Daniel reported especially good improvements on his right side: he could now move his right arm all the way behind his back, a movement he could not do before the treatment. Also his left arm improved and he was now able to move it a little better than before. He is now able to extend and lift both his arms higher than before. Daniel is now able to open doors and type better than before the treatment.
Daniel??s speech has also improved and was now louder and clearer than before.
"We have been given a second chance to make a difference for Dan, and we are so thankful for this opportunity", writes LaNae, Daniel's wife, after they return to their home in the US.
Daniel is still working hard through physiotherapy to maximize his improvements. To read more about Daniel's continuing journey to recovery, visit his blog "a better life for Dan" at: http://betterlife4dan.blogspot.com/
 
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