Kay Blundell of the Dominion Post reports on the positive effects of experimental stem cell treatment on a severely disabled New Zealand girl.
The treatment had to take place in Mexico, where it is legal, and the girl’s family have reported an astonishing improvement in her condition in the days since. Despite the positive effects seen in some patients, though, doctors still stress that the treatment is experimental, and could have unforeseen side-effects.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“Jaide is a blind quadriplegic with epilepsy and cerebral palsy. Her Levin family raised $43,000 to take her to Fernando Ramirez’s Tijuana clinic a month ago, hoping for a miracle cure.
“The treatment is banned in New Zealand and most other countries. Neurological specialists here warn it is still experimental and may result in “unwanted neurological functions”.
“But Jaide’s family has been amazed by her improvement.
“”She used to sit with her head dangling on her chest in her wheelchair. She can now hold her head up, it is wonderful,” Jaide’s grandfather Norm Pearson said.”