Results from the Stem Cell Procedure

Well, it’s been a little over 2 weeks since Harrison’s stem cell procedure and life is finally slowing down enough for us to get you all caught up on recent endeavors. The total cost for the trip was much more than we were expecting: $16,681.52 - including the procedure, gas for our wheelchair van from Tacoma to Los Angeles, and hotel stays. He tolerated the procedure well, even though it took over 5 hours to complete. Dr. Shieh and his team used umbilical stem cells, infused through an IV and as a nasal spray, and his unique approach is to attract stem cells to the target areas of Harrison’s brain and the top portion of his cervical spine using microcurrent technology. The goal of this treatment was to see if we can help spur additional healing from the spinal stenosis/fusion and to see if there can be improvement of his cognitive abilities that are limited by his underlying genetic syndrome. Some of the promising changes we’ve seen so far are subtle but significant nevertheless. To date, we have seen the following changes:

-- Volitionally moving his arm with increased force/frequency/duration when seated in his wheelchair, almost like he is trying to get his fingers in his mouth. This then went into coordinated movements where he continued moving his arm/hand while also lifting his leg on that side simultaneously as well.

-- Increased awareness of his surroundings to include zeroing in on sounds outside his room and in our wheelchair van. He used to stare blankly out the side window when traveling in the van but now he seems to be alternating between looking out the window and looking out the windshield, the driver, or passing traffic when out and about.

-- Increased ability to use his eye gaze computer…specifically with a particular piano game which illuminates individual bricks, making them light up with bright colors when he looks at them. He historically has had a hard time accessing the lower left side of the screen, but since returning from California, he is routinely finishing the entire board in about 10 minutes, and not getting bored or tired as quickly. We are also noticing that he is starting to rotate his head/neck from side to side, which is new and amazing considering the C1-C3 fusion that he had last year to stabilize his spine.

-- Increased vocalization - while not specifically indicative of communication/language he seems to be exploring new sounds far more frequently than prior to the procedure. He will make an array of grunting sounds while watching his cartoons, which seem to be correlated with his desire to interact with his environment.

-- Increased strength and endurance – Harrison returned to physical therapy after the trip with more determination to attempt manipulating the toys offered to him as well as just having a very good attitude during the whole session, as opposed to his norm of getting tired and fussy, then signaling he’s done by shutting his eyes before our time is up. He even surprised the therapist, who said he’s never seen Harrison look like he could keep going when we’re all done!

We know that stem cells aren’t a magical cure for Harrison but it certainly has helped to improve his quality of life so far. Although the stem cells can take up to three months to work their full course, we are excited by the progress we’ve seen so far and are hopeful to continue seeing new changes in him as time goes on. Thank you to everyone who helped support us on this exceptional journey. We really couldn’t do this without each and every one of you! It is not an easy thing caring for Harrison, but it’s made all the better because of you all and the love given to us.