Are you or a loved one interested in receiving stem cell treatment? For free information, please fill out our
treatment form or email me
don@repairstemcells.org and just put TREATMENT in the subject box and the MEDICAL CONDITION in the message.
Cora Beth Taylor walks a different road than most will ever travel. Her journey is filled with obstacles, heartbreak and triumph. Cora, William and Tate Taylor are triplets born premature. The brothers have never shown any signs of prematurity.
But Cora, at about a year old, started falling behind developmentally. By 18 months she had been diagnosed with
Cerebral Palsy.
Cora has never had any cognitive delays. She's a super-smart little gal but her muscles haven't developed properly. It's devastating; they just won't cooperate. Cora's parents, Kevin and Beth Taylor, have tried everything for their little girl; that is, everything available in the U.S. Last year, Piedmont Schools raised the money to help the Taylors take Cora to China for treatment, close to $50,000.
Research hospitals in China are using stem cells from donor umbilical cord blood to treat children with Cerebral Palsy. Beth Taylor says, "That was a difficult decision to make to take your child to a foreign country for medical treatments. Living in the US you feel like this is the best there is."
The Taylors spent 37 days in China. Cora Beth had eight stem cell transfusions. Through a spinal tap, doctors put the cells into her spinal column where they penetrate the blood-brain barrier and get to work.
Critics are quick to point out this area of regenerative medicine has largely unverified effectiveness. Results are often anecdotal and the
FDA is a long way from approving this type of experimental treatment for America.
Though the Taylors are convinced and here's why. Beth Taylor said, "Within the first couple of weeks we could see changes. We could see definite improvements in strength and balance."
Cora had never been able to do a sit-up in her life ever; she did her first in China. Nine-year-old Cora remembers, "The thing that I was most happy about accomplishing was a sit up. Because I'd tried to do a sit up before going to China but I just couldn't do it."
Now, Cora Beth can do 20. The most notable change has been Cora's walk. This third-grader had never gone to school without her walker. Today she walks the halls without it; she hasn't used it in months.
She recently competed in a beauty pageant in her hometown of Piedmont, without the help of her walker as well. Cora says, "So, I'm really excited. I don't think there's anything that I couldn't accomplish."
Doctors say Cora’s stem cells will continue to mature over the next few years. For her, there are many milestones ahead. In the US,
Duke University is studying stem cell treatments for children with Cerebral Palsy. Right now they don't have FDA clearance to use donor stem-cells.
Experts say treatment similar to Cora Beth's Chinese therapy is years away in the U.S.
Are you or a loved one interested in receiving stem cell treatment? For free information, please fill out our
treatment form or email me
don@repairstemcells.org and just put TREATMENT in the subject box and the MEDICAL CONDITION in the message.
Pro/Am ballroom dancer and orthodontist, Dr. Janet Vaughan, is once again slated to compete on the professional dance circuit with her current professional partner, Mr. Eddie Stutts (Professional 10-Dance World Champion) following a successful stem cell procedure on her knee in Central America..
From 2007-2009, Dr. Vaughan partnered with World Champion Tony Dovolani and competed extensively in the U.S., winning a National Reserve Pro/Am Rhythm title. Tony Dovolani is best known for his appearances on ABC's hit reality series, "Dancing with the Stars", and has teamed up with Chynna Phillips, Wendy Williams, Audrina Partridge, Kate Gosselin, Kathy Ireland, Susan Lucci, Jane Seymour and other celebrities on the show.
Dr. Vaughan and Mr. Stutts are slated to compete in the Heritage Classic Dancesport Championships in Asheville, North Carolina next month. This will be the first time Dr. Vaughan has been able to compete since 2010 when she sustained a dancing related knee injury.
Dr. Vaughan also suffered from chronic neck pain resulting from injuries sustained in a car crash twenty years ago. Her neck injury culminated in a natural fusion of the c5-c6 vertebrae, scoliosis and extreme pain when her neck slipped out of alignment.
In an attempt to repair her knee and get her dancing career back on track, Dr. Vaughan decided to undergo stem cell therapy. "I was basically removed from competitive dance work because I could not rise or squat without extreme pain. I had also resigned myself to enduring chronic neck pain from my past accident and painful hand joints due to generalized arthritis," said Dr. Vaughan.
Dr. Vaughan 's knee was treated with stem cells that were harvested from her own adipose (fat) tissue.
The fat tissue sample is collected via mini-liposuction, which is performed by a certified plastic surgeon under light, general anesthesia. Mesenchymal stem cells and T regulatory cells reside within this tissue.
Adipose-derived cells are then separated from the fat. This entire process is subjected to stringent quality control. Before they can be administered back into the patient, these adipose-derived stem cells are tested for quality, bacterial contamination (aerobic and anaerobic) and endotoxin.
The adipose-derived stem cells are administered by a highly-qualified physician into the affected joint(s) (intra-articular injection) and intravenously (IV).
"It's taken about 6 months but I am amazed at the results I've gotten with my knee. Even my neck is better. I used to spend almost $1,000 per month on a neuromuscular massage therapist but I haven't needed any neuromuscular massages for the past 6 months. I wasn't counting on that. Even my doctors say that the dense scar tissue in my neck has changed in texture from grizzly to smooth, supple tissue," exclaimed Dr. Vaughan.
She continued, "I just danced 6 hours in Houston preparing for the upcoming competition in Asheville and my knee isn't even sore."
Dr. Vaughan is planning to return for a follow-up treatment this summer.