“After the treatments, it sucks less,” said Danny Cox. “I feel better than before I went.”

His mother, Maureen McGowan, emphasized that they view improvements within the context of his overall condition, which they regard as only one step along the way to recovery.

“The treatments went very well. He actually started getting new sensations in two weeks,” she said. “Danny’s healthier, his mood is good and he’s not as fragile as he was before we left. He smiles more, eats more and has more energy. Danny has more body awareness: He knows where his body is in space, and if his leg is lifted, he knows that it is in the air. Also, he’s now using a manual wheelchair instead of a power chair.

Read more at PressDemocrat.com.

Olson, 19, who uses a wheelchair and cannot move his lower body after an accident on the football field in 2008, left for India on Jan. 13.

His mother, Medara Winter of Lake Mills, said Tuesday he is getting a couple of stem cell injections each day as well as physical therapy.

“He’s doing great,” she said.

Olson’s sister, Kessa, and his friend, Lucas Storby, went to India with him. They will stay with him until he finishes treatment in April.

“It’s kind of going to be a learning experience for all of them,” Medara Winter said.

Olson is one of eight patients being treated in a clinic operated by Dr. Geeta Shroff.

Read more at GlobeGazette.com.

According to the companies, he was treated on Oct 31-Nov 20, 2008, Jan 21-30, 2009, and July 1-10, 2009 with an adult stem cell protocol. The patient underwent a progressive recovery of sensation, mobility, and sexual and bladder function subsequent to each cycle of stem cell administration. Currently the patient is capable of walking and neuropathic pain diminished substantially.

“The doctors at the Stem Cell Institute have changed my life. After the accident there was no hope. Now I have a new lease on life,” said Juan Carlos Murillo Rodriguez, the patient who was treated. “I have recently passed my physical and am flying again as a commercial pilot.”

Details of the scientific rationale for the treatment, as well as protocols and outcomes may be found in the peer-reviewed paper “Feasibility of combination allogeneic stem cell therapy for spinal cord injury: a case report” which was published in the International Archives of Medicine and is available here.

Read the full news release at MarketWatch.com.

It is a nightmare for parents to hear their child has developed a disease that requires a bone marrow transplant. For instance, patients with leukemia, a type of blood cancer, sometimes have a hard time finding a bone marrow match.

Scientists say the umbilical cord that attaches a baby to its mother is a rich source of stem cells, which can treat diseases like leukemia. They can be collected immediately after birth and stored in freezers by companies such as Cordlife, which operates cord blood banks in Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, India and the Philippines. If a child needs it, doctors can retrieve cord blood for treatment.

“We’re seeing an explosion umbilical cord blood banking as a source of biological insurance for parents in Asia and their children,” said Andrew Wu, Cordlife’s technical and laboratory director.

Read the full article at VOANews.com.

The 19-year-old former gymnast will be setting off to Russia for her third cycle of stem cell treatment in January after which she is hoping to be able to stand up alone.

Ms. Kravchenko suffered a spinal cord injury when a lighting structure fell on her during a party in Qawra (Malta) in September 2008. She had been told she would never walk again but the determined teenager decided to try out experimental stem cell treatment at the Neurovita Clinic in Moscow. After her second treatment session last July, she developed her hip muscles, which gave her the control to crawl and stand with some help. Now, four months later, she has made more progress.

“I feel I’m getting stronger and can now stand up without feeling dizzy. After this third treatment, I’m expecting to stand up alone, without the help of my mum or my standing frame,” she said.

Ms Kravchenko explained the treatment alone was not enough. She had to undergo specialized rehabilitation.

The treatment itself will cost her about €7,000 that would involve a two-week stay in Russia. But she is hoping to stay for a month to benefit from the rehabilitation that would cost her double the amount.

Read the full article at TimeofMalta.com.

Doctors in Covington, La., are hoping that they are taking the first step, to one day help people with spinal cord injuries walk again.

Now medical history may be made right here in our own backyard.

Marine Cpl. Matt Cole, 29, did two tours of duty in Iraq. He’s been a crew chief for an amphibious assault vehicle and a gunner for a troop transport vehicle. But his second tour was cut short on May 17, 2005.

“We were attacked with mortars and rockets by insurgents on our base. The first mortar that dropped exploded behind me, which sent shrapnel into my back and damaged my spinal cord,” said Cole.

Cole was paralyzed and also had a collapsed lung. His platoon was told he probably would not live.

“I couldn’t get enough oxygen in, so they pretty much wrote me off when they put me on the Medivac chopper. It was little about an hour from the time I was injured to the time they flew me out,” said Cole.

Read the full article at WWLTV.com

But as uncertain as the immediate future may be for LeGrand, doctors say there are promising new developments on the horizon that may revolutionize how patients like him are treated and may even speed recovery.

Just last week, the first stem cell treatment for a spinal cord injury was administered in the United States. Various drugs are in the research pipeline. And there is optimism in the medical community that new treatments may be in the offing.

“There’s already hope, because we’ve seen advances,” said Steven Kirshblum, medical director of the Kessler Rehabilitation Institute in West Orange.

Read the full article: Click here.

First, stem cells are immature cells that renew themselves for long periods through cell division.

Also, under certain  conditions, they can be “tricked” chemically to become cells that do special things, like become the beating cells of the heart muscle or the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas.

Doctors around the world are already using stem cells to treat diseases. No one is really sure if the treatments are safe and effective (by scientific standards). But many desperately ill and disabled patients travel many miles and spend many thousands of dollars to obtain these treatments.

This book of prayers is for those patients. But it is also for all patients now and in the future who seek relief from their diseases and disabilities through stem cell-based therapeutics.

Each day, people all over the world are moved to worship and adore God, and to acknowledge that they are dependent upon God.

The Gospels mention many times that Jesus himself often withdrew to quiet, desolate places to pray.

As St. Augustine once wrote, “He wishes our desires to be expressed in prayers so that we may be able to receive what he is ready to give.”

This Treasury of Prayers has four inspiring sections:

● Prayers Before Stem Cell Treatment (Contemplation and Decision);

● Prayers While at the Hospital or Clinic;

● Prayers for Patients with Specific Diseases, Conditions and Disabilities

● Scriptural Readings for the Spiritual Comfort of Stem Cell Patients.

To purchase at Amazon.com, click here.

For more information about “And I Shall Be Healed,” click here.

Northwestern also is the lead site of the trial, sponsored by Geron Corporation (Nasdaq: GERN). The trial eventually will include up to six other sites and enroll up to 10 participants nationally.

Read the full article.

Martinez suffered three broken vertebrae, six cracked ribs and a skull fracture on September 12 at Golden Gate Fields. His mount, Fair ‘n Warmer clipped heels and dumped the 24-year-old Panamanian.  The horse then fell on the prone rider. He is paralyzed from the waist down.

Read full article.