Eduardo visited us in February 2008 and received a stem cell treatment by Dr. Li Ke Wu and Dr. Xiaojuan Wang Name: Eduardo Antonio Escobar Sex: Male Country: USA Age: 53 Diagnosis: ALS(Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) Beginning of treatment: 19th February 2008 Medical history before stem cell treatment: Tony Escobar was diagnosed with ALS in May 2007. Within few months from the date of his diagnosis his condition deteriorated drastically. With only a few options left and a grim prognosis from his doctors in California, he decided to come to China for stem cell treatment. Despite being diagnosed with ALS for less than a year, Tony''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s symptoms were significantly debilitating. As with most ALS patients, his symptoms started with general weakness and loss of muscle mass in his arms and legs and the loss of fine motor skills. Actions like picking up small objects, screwing off bottle caps or tying shoe laces were very hard for him. His muscles were very weak and although he could still walk, his walking was slow and aided by a cane. He had lost a great deal of muscle mass and weight due to the disease and was physically thinner and weaker than he had ever been. In photos from before his diagnosis, he was barely recognizable. He had lost strength in his neck and had trouble holding his head up for long periods of time. Tony also tired very easily and spent much of his time resting. Tony had trouble getting in and out of a chair or a bed. Simple, daily tasks that require any level of muscle strength or flexibility like showering or dressing up had become laborious and difficult for him. In the full understanding of Tony''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s medical history, Dr. Wu and his medical team gave him 4 stem cell injections via lumbar puncture and a nutritious stem cell cocktail treatment. (intravenous) After stem cell treatment: Within a few weeks after the beginning of the treatment, and after receiving the second injection of stem cells by Dr Xiaojuan Wang, Tony experienced a halt in the daily deterioration he felt before the treatment. After a short plateau, Tony''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s strength started to return in his left side. He was able to move his arm further back and he was able to keep his head up for a longer time. During his remaining weeks in China, Tony improved steadily. Mobility and flexibility gradually returned and he was able to do more daily activities by himself and without assistance. Sitting down and getting up from chairs became easier, so did dressing himself, showering and putting his shoes on. Tony''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s general strength and mobility did improve, he wasn''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''t getting tired as quickly as before, and he was able to walk for longer distances. By the end of his stay at the hospital he spent more time out of bed, walking around the hospital. As Tony and his Wife Maritza prepared to go back to California, they were optimistic and hopeful about the future, feeling that Tony has bought himself some time and gathered enough strength to keep fighting the disease.
Name: Karen Brooks Age: 46 Country: Australia Sex: Female Diagnosis: ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) Beginning of treatment: 4th June 2007 Medical condition before treatment: Karen was diagnosed with ALS in May 2006. Her condition has rapidly deteriorated ever since. ALS is a progressive, fatal, neurodegenerative disease caused by the degeneration of motor neurons, the nerve cells in the central nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement. The disorder causes muscle weakness and atrophy throughout the body. Yet Karen was diagnosed with ALS only one year ago. Her condition since then has deteriorated to the point where she could no longer use her arms and legs, and had to use the help of caregivers for all of her personal daily care, helping her in washing, dressing, and getting in and out of bed. While being dressed, or forced to make a lot of movements, she suffered great pain in her muscles. Her voice was getting weaker, and her speech was slow and difficult to understand. She did not have enough strength to hold herself up while sitting on the bed or lying down from a sitting position without help. Her neck muscles were very weak and if her head fell backwards she could not bring it forward on her own. Her legs were weak and stiff and she suffered frequent cramps and twitches. She could lift her legs only a few inches high from a sitting position. She received 4 injections of neural stem cells through the spinal cord fluid and a nutritious intravenous cocktail treatment(IV) by Dr Xiaojuanwang and Dr Like Wu. See Videos:Before1, before2 After treatment: Karen started to slowly show improvements a few days after starting to receive a daily nutritious cocktail through IV. She then continued to show improvements during the 6 weeks of her treatment. Her hands and arms were the first to respond to the treatment; her fingers, that before were closed inside her palm, opened up and straightened. Before the treatment her arms lay in her lap and she could hardly lift them up. After the treatment Karen could lift her arms to chest height, and was able to resist a light pressure with her arms. Her legs got significantly stronger; she could now lift them from a sitting position almost to the height of her knees, she could put more weight on her legs while trying to stand and eventually walk. The cramps in her legs were almost gone. Since her muscles got stronger, and were now more open and flexible, she could hold herself in a sitting position on the bed without support, she could participate more in the process of dressing, washing and transporting herself from one place to another; and the muscle pain that she suffered during these activities was greatly reduced. Her neck muscles got stronger and she could now control her neck movement, bringing her head back and forth by herself. Karen''''s voice had little improvement, as far as it getting louder and stronger, and her speech, though still slow, could be better understood. Karen''''s condition will be monitored carefully in the coming months. She was recommended by the doctors to come back for another treatment. Karen felt thankful to Dr. Like Wu and his medical team for the stem cell treatments that have helped her greatly. Now she is more independent and lives a new life. See Videos:After1, after walking, afterOT
Cartaze had received 2 cycles of stem cell treatments done by Dr. Li Ke Wu and Dr.Xiaojuan Wang, after the treatment, he was stronger than before, and he had made obvious improvements. . Name: Cartaze H. Ragland Sex: Male Country: USA Age: 25 Diagnosis: Spinal Cord Injury (Cervical segments). Beginning of treatment: July 17, 2007 Medical history before treatment: One night as Cartaze was heading home from a party; he fell asleep behind the wheel and crashed his car into a tree. The injuries he sustained resulted in paralysis from the waist down. Doctors at home were not at all optimistic about his condition and not even physical therapy was made available to him. Cartaze, however still had hope of some improvement and decided to come to China for stem cell treatment. From the time of Cartaze''''s accident until his arrival to Beijing, Cartaze had been confined to a bed. On arrival to Beijing, it was discovered that he had developed large bedsores and sheet burns on both his legs which had become seriously infected. Because of this, he had suffered third degree burns on the lower parts of his legs. Since he had lost sensation due to the accident, he was unable to feel that the injury was so severe. On arrival to China, the muscles in both hands and his legs had wasted away and the joints of his fingers and wrists were rigid. This meant that doing chores was extremely difficult for him and he needed much assistance with his daily life activities. The motor range of his shoulders was also limited; he could not lift his arms higher than his head. While the muscles in his arms were very weak, there was also no strength in his leg-muscles, making it impossible for Cartaze to walk by himself. He could not move his legs at all, even with effort. After treatment: See videos:after1, after2, after3 Cartaze noticed an improvement very soon after he arrived, the burn wounds and the bedsores healed and the infection which had spread over a large percentage of his body was treated. After recovery from his disease, he felt that he was stronger than before. After his second stem cell implantation, the muscles in his hands, arms and legs became stronger than before and he was able to do more things for himself. He can now move the right hand freely. The muscles in his wrist and fingers are stronger than before and the wrist joints and shoulder joints are not as rigid as they were. His motor range is wider than before; he can lift his arms and do a circular movement easily. The fingers can move in a more flexible way than they could before, making it easier for him to lift a cup and drink or put his glasses on. Now he can type on the computer with his little finger. After the stem cell treatment, he had more sensation in his body; before, he only had some sensation in his legs when they were hit quite hard, but now he also has sensation when, for example, the doctor changes the dressing for him. Even though he still can not stand up, he can move his legs and feet a little on his own. Cartaze has now been at the hospital twice for treatments and feels he is improving greatly each time he is here. During physical therapy he is making great progress and can move himself around more freely than before. He also has sensation when he urinates or has bowel movements. In his legs and feet, his muscles can now contract. Cartaze has strong hope that he will walk again someday soon. After they had gone back to the USA, his mother sent us several emails updating us on his condition: "Cartaze can feed himself with his right hand; I am so happy that I made the trip to get help for Cartaze. I am really thankful f
