Stem Cell Treatments

Well, we just arrived back home to Fresno, Ca. For the last 4 days we were in Tijuana Mexico, where Jason had a different type of stem cell treatment. This was his own stem cells drawn from his own bone marrow, from his hips. The last treatment in January was Placenta stem cell, and this one was his own stem cell. The two different treatments only 6 months apart will assist Jason to make nerve connections possible in combination with repetitive movement, his Quadriciser exercise machine, Tens electrical stimulation, his standing frame and Hyperbaric oxygen Therapy. Progencell was the name of the Tijuana Mexico treatment center. First, let me start by saying that I was completely surprised by how professional and modern this organization was. Highly skilled Doctors and assistants provide the most excellent care and treatment for the patient. In simple words, THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING. The procedure took about 90 minutes and a small rest period after. They recommend that treatments consist of 3 sessions, 4-6 months apart. The first treatment costing $7780.00 and the following two costing $4900.00 plus tax for each treatment there after.

Now you ask your self, is it worth it. Well if you are given the chance to move and talk again after lying still for more than 9 years, I say YES. There are some results that are noticeable and other that take months to see. But they are results. Motivation, the right medications, treatments, and stem cells can only improve the quality of life. Giving up can only get you one type of result. And life is too precious to just sit back and do nothing. Yes, it is hard to raise the funds to go after this, but if you take one day at a time and plan out your goal, you can achieve it. We never believed we could raise these funds in such a short time. But, God has given us the faith and conviction to pursue this dream for Jason. And on Monday its back on our weekly 200 mile trips to Sacramento to get his Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy again. This treatment of high pressure oxygen will only enhance his stem cell treatments while we await his next stem cell treatment in January 2011. We are hopeful that the results will be dramatic and that this information can be helpful to other who are looking at stem cells for them selfs or their loved ones. By seeing which stem cell treatment has the most positive results, maybe this could inform you which procedure is best for you. Every physical condition and sickness is different, but hope is something that can overcome the impossible. With God, nothing is impossible.

3 months after The Mexico Stem Cell Trip, we have noticed small improvement in Jason’s tongue movement. This will assist him in his goal for speech therapy and his final goal for speaking. Along with his weekly trips to the Sacramento Hyperbarics Oxygen Therapy and the stem cells combined, we are noticing small but measurable progress. The Sacramento office is one of the best and well organized facilities we have worked with. We have nothing but good things to say about this fine center. Below are some photos of the center to give you a general idea what it looks like.We ask that you just keep your fingers crossed and continue with your prayers for a full recovery for Jason. Thanks.

Sorry for the delay. First, it was a very long but profitable trip. 4 days to travel to Texas then 5 days back. 4000 miles is a long time to be on the road, but the airlines don’t make it easy to fly, so a road trip was needed.  Jason watched a lot of TV series and movies in the back of his van, this helped to pass the time. But when we arrived, it was well worth it. Let me first start off by saying that Dr. Omar Gonzalez was very knowledgeable and caring. The procedure went flawless and most important not painful. The procedure is as follows. After a brief interview and body scan, Jason was brought into a sterile room where they shaved around the areas where the Stem Cell were to be inserted. The area were both arms and in the base of his neck.  A small incision about  half an inch was made in the 4 areas to insert the stem cells, so they can slowly be introduced into his body.  These areas were chosen so that we could get the most benefit for Jason, arm movement and damage caused to the back of the skull. ( The Pons Area)  And get this, One injection in HIS Tongue!! OUCH !! Jason asked for this particular area in his mouth to help him with his speech problem. No painkiller,  just a quick injection and he handled it like a veteran. As luck would be, They also have a Dental Clinic there that helped in the tongue injection.  Also he took several injections in and around the side and back of his head. This was then followed by a treatment the following day of acupuncture on his face area to stimulate his facial nerve endings.

Trust me, This doctor knows what he’s doing. After searching around looking for the best, we seemed to have found the most affordable and professional Stem Cell Doctor there is.He offers so much for the price and we are pleased with his professionalism and positive attitude.  Sure the town does not look like much, but his offices are located just a few hundred feet from the border, making it very safe and accessable.

And the results? Well understand first, that progress is measured in months, usually over a period of three to six months and with intense rehabilitation. This includes range of motion twice a day, 1-2 hours of repetitive training (hands)  sound treatment, resistance training, Quadrisiser training, standing frame positioning, great diet with fruits, breads, and vegi’s, Hyperbarics oxygen therapy, (once a week)  Voice therapy, and a good dose of Xbox 360 games. (his personal favorite.) I play, he watches.

A week after arriving home. Surprise…. His toes on both feet wiggled on command. also he now has more movement in both hands so that he can raise them both at the wrist. (pictures below) He is currently working on tongue therapy and is able to stick out his tongue (with some effort) out to a point. This is important for speech and swallowing.

On Tuesday Feb. 16 2010, Jason will travel to Sacramento Ca. for weekly treatments of Hyberbaric Oxygen Therapy to help in the oxygen flow for the improvement of the Stem Cells.  I will update again when we see better results for Jason. In the mean time, keep your fingers crossed and thanks for the help, and prayers.

Daniel & Elyse Street

3rd post… sorry for the delay in writing… life does take over sometimes.

On Jan. 7th 2010, We as a family will be heading out to McCallen Texas, to cross over the border to get Live umbilical Stem cell Treatments. The name of the Doctor is Dr . Omar Gonzalez. We have spent a lot of time and money trying to get Jason back on his feet, and Jason himself has researched all the sites regarding Stem cell treatments. It seems that there a lot of unprofessional Doctors out there who are willing to put only a little bit of effort in developing Stem cells treatments. Some are in it just for the money, and it shows in there actions and hasty answer to questions. Their responses are vague and they keep pushing money and false hope. With Dr. Omar Gonzalez, we didn’t get that feeling. He has a very good and informed staff that answered all our questions. compared to the 2-3 million stem cells we almost bought, we are now looking at possibly of more that a BILLION stem cells surgically implanted to offer the best results for Jason. The price? well you do the math… 2-3 million stem cells for $6,000.00 or More than a Billion stem cells for around $10,000.00.

The only draw back, we have to travel close to 2000 miles via our handicapped equipt van. 4 days of travel , two days procedures, then 4 days back. The airlines are not able to provide assistance for flying for Jason. Too many unreasonable conditions. (they want him to walk to his chair on the plane) using their wheelchair and load up his own chair in the their cargo bay (very Dangerous and damaging). And that’s if everything arrives on time. Not a chance!!!

We leave on the 2nd of January, so keep your fingers crossed for us and most important… Pray that this treatment will be successful in allowing Jason to get the results that he needs.

It’s hard to explain in words the feeling you get in your gut regarding any bad news regarding your child.  You question your faith,  and if there was anything you could have done to prevent this tragedy. You drive your self crazy hoping against hope that all will turn out fine and you find yourself making deals with God to end this tragedy. But when it’s all over and done, your still left with one big unanswered question…WHY?

Remember, unless you purposely caused this to happen, you can’t blame yourself for what happened. Use the time  to  help your loved one. Pity parties will get you nowhere and just make things worse. Lean on any family members, cry your heart out (privately) and just keep on praying for the best outcome.

Jason stayed in a coma for 6 weeks and awoke in a unresponsive manner. What could we do? First, most  traumatic brain injuries affect the sight of your patient. It’s almost like shutting off and rebooting your computer. the brain reacts differently with each patient, but the likely hood of damage is high. If your patient is blankly staring up in a daze, it’s time to get those eyes rebooted. Purchase a Lazer Pointer from any office supply store, and remember to never point it at anybodies eye directly. Next darken the room a bit and start pointing the lazer up at the cieling and SLOWLY move the light across the cieling back and forth , up and down, side to side…SLOWLY. Their eyes may not track in the begining and may take several days before you may achieve any results, but the mind remembers and results will come with persistance and patience. The four muscles in each eye must get stronger and stimulating the pupils with movement will help. Extra batteries and sore wrist will be the norm, but this is the first step in helping instead of not knowing what to do. By the way, Music or television also help stimulate the brain so leave them on. And one other thing you may be asking yourself is, why is the patient sleeping so long? Well, the body has expeienced a shock to the system and REST is the best thing that can happen so that the body can heal.

Last but most important, get used to a new medical term called “Range of Motion”. this is streatching and SLOWLY moving the limbs of the body to simulate movement. We can’t have the body stay in one position for any long period of time, so an inflatable constantly moving hospital bed is nessasary. Bed sore are a very dangerous condition that can be avoided with proper Range of Motion.  Check with your doctor and find out if  limited range of motion is advisable, taking into account any broken bones, fractures or neck injuries. The hospital staff should be more than happy to show you the proper movements and don’t forget that everyone love a soft gentle massage from time to time. make your paitient as comfortable as possible.

When we post our next section, we will explain other procedures and helpful hints to make this tragedy go a lot easier for the both of you. And remember…It was Not your fault, and things will get better with knowledge and prayer on your side. Good luck.

Ok, the best way to get this started is to start from the begining.

On Aug, 23rd 2001, my husband and I were just getting ready for bed when Jason’s Dad (Raymond) called saying that that our son Jason was involved in a car accident.  It’s that one phone call every parent fears and  somehow you end up being that one person who receives it.  Driving to the hospital as fast as we could with no other information was the worst part. The long 3 hour drive to Fresno from L.A. was unbearable. Arriving at Fresno University Hospital we ran up to intensive care to see Jason being wheeled into recovery. Just out of surgery and in a coma, we were still left with no answers and lots of questions. What we could piece together was that a teenage girl lost control of her vehicle with Jason and several other kids in the car. Flipping over several times, Jason substained the worst of the injuries.

You can never really prepare yourself for what to expect, your only wish is that your child would survive and pull through this nightmare.

This is where we will end this story, beacause we are here to help others who may find themselfs in a simular situation.

God forbid you never have to be in this situation, but if you are, here are some pointers that may help.

First, don’t panic. Keep a level head in spite of the mass confusion that is  going through your head. If your loved one is severely injured and unresponsive, talking to them in a calm voice will ease them even if they are not aware. Don’t lose control of  your emotions and walk away for a moment to compose yourself if necessary. During this time let other family members take turns talking and reassuring him or her. Put one person in charge of making all the phone calls and meals for the young ones. Find out who the head nurse and doctors names are and let them have access to a cell number that you can be reached at all times. Place your name and telephone number taped on the wall at the head  of the bed  so that you can be called at a moments notice.  Let the charge nurse know that you will be in the waiting room and when you leave the  hospital property. Make sure you have a charger for your cell phone and try not to have children waiting around too long. Aggravation and tempers can be avoided by sending restless kids home with a family member. At any moment your love one may awaken and the last thing they need is a hysterical parent losing control. Remember, they may not have any idea of their condition, and your emotional outburst could make things worse.

The most important things are being done by the staff and it’s your job to be the loving and supportive caregiver, husband, wife, family member, or friend. Time is on your side,  gather in prayer and hope for the best. We know that nothing will ease your mind except good news that everything will be fine. But prayers and a cool head will make things just a little easier.

On our next post we will continue with the rest of the story and things you can do to help your love one recover and speed up the rehabilitation process. And one last thing….. Doctors do not have all the answers. They may have years of medical training, but you override them, you have more years of faith in God, use this to your advantage.

This is my first entry of a weekly blog, in which I will update information on Jason’s progress and will answer any questions from parents or caregivers in a similar situation.  Over the years we have gained a wealth of information that can be extremely helpful to others  who may find themselves with more questions than answers. Jason is eager to help answer any questions on what your loved one might be feeling or wanting at any given moment. You have a freind.