This is great news for Hodgkin's sufferers.  A trial has been published in the Annals of Oncology that shows adult stem cell treatment is an effective way to treat Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Researchers from the Royal Marsden Hospital recently reported long-term data including 195 patients with recurrent Hodgkin's lymphoma who received an autologous stem cell transplant between 1985 and 2005.  

• 61% of patients achieved a complete disappearance of cancer.


• Median survival was nine years.


• Median progression-free survival was three years.


• Five- and 10-year overall survivals were 55% and 49%, respectively.


• 10% of patients developed a second cancer, the most of which were acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndromes.


• Mortality caused by treatment occurred in 6% of patients.

The researchers concluded that an autologous stem cell transplant provides an effective long-term therapeutic option for patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma that has stopped responding to prior therapies. Patients with recurrent Hodgkin's lymphoma may wish to speak with their physician about their individual risks and benefits of an autologous stem cell transplant.

If you or someone you know has Hodgkin's Lymphoma, you may wish to contact Dr. Shimon Slavin in Israel as he may have a stem cell treatment for you.  Dr. Slavin's email address is slavinmd@gmail.com

Or you can click here to read more about the successful trial for Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Many times I have featured repair stem cell recipients who have traveled from the United States to China for a successful stem cell treatment.  And many times I have featured others who went to Costa Rica where they also received a successful stem cell treatment.  Today, I am featuring a spinal cord injury patient who went to China last year for her stem cell therapy, and after some improvement from the stem cells in China, now wants more.

Therefore, she is planning to go to Costa Rica hoping for even more improvement.  Here is how Kayla Spano's first trip to China went:

A trip to China 15 months ago for stem cell treatment in hopes of reversing paralysis from a May 2006 car crash didn't put Kayla Spano at her goal of walking again.

But it helped her regain some feeling and control of her lower abdomen, which along with intense physical therapy aided in strengthening her upper body so much so that the 18-year-old no longer depends on her mother, Karen Burr, or others to get in and out of her wheelchair and wherever else she needs to go. (This is fantastic-DM)

Instead, Kayla was able in January to enroll in LSU-Shreveport to work toward a major in accounting, live in a campus apartment and get a vehicle with controls so she can drive where she wants to go.

"Before China, I couldn't sit up without holding onto something. Now, I can reach out and lift things over my head, like my wheelchair, and put it in the car. If I didn't have the improvements, I couldn't do that. And there are other things I can do by myself.

"I need to be independent before I can walk "» because if I walked first that would be like taking the easy way out. I went to China to get these improvements and get independent, and now I have this opportunity to do more."

But Kayla is not content to just sit. She is determined to give stem cell surgery another try. She still wants the chance to try to walk again.

To reach that goal, Kayla is planning a trip this year to San Jose, Costa Rica, where she'll again undergo a series of stem cell implants. This time, however, there will be more treatments over a shorter period of time.

Go for it Kayla!  We are all cheering for you!

Click here to read the full article

For those of you new to this blog-  I not only blog about adult (repair) stem cells, but I also have recently formed the Repair Stem Cell Institute, to promote the benefits of repair stem cells and help people with seemingly hopeless conditions/diseases  find new hope with stem cell treatment.  Today, I have released a list of stem cell treatment centers that already  have helped thousands of patients get a better quality of life thanks to repair stem cells.  Spinal cord injuries, emphysema, type 2 diabetes, multiple sclerosis are just a few conditions now treatable with repair stem cells and are included on the list.  There are more than 100 other conditions also included on the list.  The list includes direct contact information with the doctors/treatment centers:

Click here to see my list and descriptions (including condtions/diseases treated) of stem cell treatment centers.

Click here to see my press release about my stem cell organization

I sometimes find stories involving cord blood stem cell transplants in which a patient uses a brother's, sister's or other family member's cord blood.  However, it is very rare to find an adult stem cell therapy story in which a patient (in this case a young baby) uses his/her own cord blood stem cells for treatment. Luckily for this baby, the parents had banked her stem cells taken from her umbilical cord at birth.

Chloe Levine is the star here.  At the tender age of 9 months, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and if not for the help of adult stem cells,  was destined for 17-18 years of therapy according to her neurologist.  Read on:

That was when the Levines heard about an experimental procedure at Duke University in North Carolina where children with cerebral palsy were infused with their own cord blood stem cells in an effort to heal and repair damaged brain tissue.

The Levine's remembered they had banked Chole's cord blood when she was born.

“It was a miracle, Alvarez said Monday on FOX & Friends. “I congratulate you for banking her cord blood. Stem cells are a new field of medicine and they certainly can rejuvenate the tissue.

Two months ago, Chloe, 2, received an infusion of her own stem cells and her progress is remarkable, said her father, Ryan Levine.

“Her therapist said she's made a 50 percent recovery, he said. “She can walk, run, and do sign language with her right hand.

“It's a miracle, agreed Jenny Levine. “To hear your baby's voice is a gift.

Alvarez said all parents expecting babies should consider cord blood banking.

“There is no downside, this is material we used to throw away, he said. “And while the blood is most useful for the child it came from, it can sometimes be used for siblings. This is a science that is evolving more and more.

And surprisingly enough, all of this took place in the United States (Duke University)- not China, Costa Rica etc. where we normally hear of such stem cell therapies.

Click here to read this happy story

United States, Canada, Vietnam and now South Africa-  all of these stem cell success stories really get me pumped! I really love to read stories about people like Rebecca:

Pretty little Rebecca Stringer has become the poster girl for the Sunflower Fund in KwaZulu-Natal.

For, while several local children have sadly died of leukemia, six-year-old Rebecca's story is a success.

She, like the others, was in desperate need of a life-saving bone marrow transplant, but luckily for Rebecca of Hillcrest, she was able to find a stem cell donor.


But in July 2007, the doctor told the Stringers that their daughter had relapsed, and that the only way for her to be healed was to find a bone marrow stem cell donor and undergo an urgent transplant.

But the chances of finding a bone marrow stem cell donor match is 1:100 000 and the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) at present sits at some 63 000 donors.

The Stringers then mounted a campaign to get as many people as possible to sign up as donors-and amazingly, a suitable one was found very quickly. Many patients die while waiting for a donor. -

While I commonly post news stories about these stem cell transplants, please remember that these stories aren't the norm.  Unfortunately, many cancer patients die while trying to find a matching donor which is all the more reason for you to register at www.marrow.org.

Click here to read the whole fantastic story!