Senate Russell Office Building 385

Reception Program

Remarks by Senator Sam Brownback (Kansas) and Dr. David Weldon, member, U.S. House of Representatives (Florida).

Featured Speakers:

Jacki Rabon

Jacki, 18, suffered an injury to her spine in August, 2003 that left her paralyzed. She was treated in Portugal by Dr. Carlos Lima with her own adult stem cells derived from olfactory mucosa. Dr. Lima’s work using adult stem cells to treat spinal cord injuries, such as the treatment Jacki received, will be published this week in the June 24th issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. Jacki is from Waverly, Illinois.

Click here to read Jacki's story

Click here for video of Jacki telling her story (Windows media)

 

Cathy Pell

When she was 5 months old, Cathy Pell’s daughter Abby, received a cord blood treatment at Duke University birth-related brain damage at Duke University. While the procedure for treating Abby’s brain damage is experimental, her parents have seen improvement in Abby. Cathy is from Manassas, Virginia, and she stored Abby’s cord blood at the Cord Blood Registry, a private company.

Click here to read Cathy and Abby's story

 

David Foege, PhD

Three years ago, doctors told David Foege of Naples, Florida, there was little hope that he would recover from heart failure -- he was even told to find a hospice. He rejected that option to seek alternatives. He eventually underwent a treatment overseas administered by the Theravitae healthcare company that used his own adult stem cells. About a month after his treatment, David was up and walking; at 90 days after, lab tests showed 50% improvement in his heart condition and also some improvement in symptoms from a prior stroke. This is the same adult stem cell treatment that was recently used to treat the legendary Hawaiian entertainer Don Ho for heart disease. The treatment was originally developed by Dr. Amit Patel M.D., Director of Cardiac Stem Cell Therapies at The McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Click here to read David Foege's story

Click here for video of David telling his story (Windows media)

 

Mary Schneider

Mary Schneider’s son Ryan was treated with his own cord blood when he was 2 years old for cerebral palsy. Now 3, Ryan has shown noticeable improvements in his condition. Like Cathy Pell’s daughter Abby, Ryan was treated at Duke University and his parents also stored his cord blood at the Cord Blood Registry.

Click here to read Mary and Ryan's story

Click here for video of Mary telling their story (Windows media)

 

Stephen Sprague

About 10 years ago, Steve was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia–CML. Finding himself at the end stage of the disease and unable to find an unrelated marrow donor, doctors did not think Steve had long to live. Steve then became one of the first adult patients to participate in a clinical trial using cord blood as a stem source, having found a match at the New York Blood Center’s National Cord Blood Program. Following his cord blood treatment 8 years ago, Steve was judged cured of his leukemia. Now 57, Steve is affiliated with the National Cord Blood Program, a public program that stores donated cord blood for patients needing marrow transplants. Steve lives in New York City, in the borough of Staten Island.

Click here to read Stephen's story

Click here for video of Stephen telling his story (Windows media)