Sun Intern By Teddi Thosath The tickets are purchased, about $20,000 has been raised, and for 18-month old Cameron Petersen's parents, the hope of seeing again is just a month and thousands of miles away. Cameron Petersen is a Port Charlotte tot who is legally blind due to Optic Nerve Hypoplasia, and is scheduled to fly to China on Aug. 6 for a case study to undergo umbilical cord stem cell surgery. Petersen's parents, Melissa VanGorp and Zachery Petersen, as well as his grandparents and the lead medical consultant with Stem Cells China, are all optimistic that the procedure will give sight back to the blind toddler. After about a month and a half of fundraising, the Petersen family has raised about $20,000 for the flight and surgery, about one-fifth of their goal. Michael Rudden, vice president of the Punta Gorda Horseman's Association, has organized a sponsored trail ride on July 28 to help raise money for Cameron. The rides starts at 9 a.m., with three different rides planned — the first one lasting an hour, the second two hours, and the third three hours. Trails will be marked for the rides, and all riders should be back by noon to meet the family. The ride is scheduled to take place at Deep Creek Reserve, Peace River Street, DeSoto County. A number of prizes are to be given away during the event, Rudden said, and everyone is invited. Nonsponsored riders over the age of 18 are asked to pay a $30 donation, and the request for those 17 years or younger is $15. For more information, call 941-639-4107 or e-mail
' );
//-->\n
irishcowboym@yahoo.com.
' );
//-->
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
' );
//-->
"We are still chugging along, and the actual stem-cell part of it is now covered," Carol Petersen, Cameron's grandmother, said earlier this month. "He has his ups and downs. But I just feel really positive about all this." The treatment alone costs $15,000. An additional $10,000 to $20,000 is needed for a Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment chamber once Cameron returns home. The family is estimating $100,000 for the total expenses. When Cameron was diagnosed with ONH, a leading cause of blindness in children that also interfered with his pituitary gland, his parent's were told there were no treatments available. However, after researching online they found Stem Cells China, where they have successfully infused stem cells into patients suffering from numerous other diseases and disabilities. Stem Cells China has established a 98 percent improvement rate with patients undergoing treatment for other disabilities, according to the organization's Web site. This procedure, which is not available in America, takes harvested umbilical cord stem cells and, in a very technical process, the stem cells will then be transplanted into Cameron. Stem cells are unspecialized cells that can replenish their numbers for long periods through cell division. Also, after receiving certain chemical signals, the cells can differentiate or transform into specialized cells with specific functions, according to Stem Cells China. The study is the first of its kind for ONH patients. The treatment includes four stem cell transfusions of 10 to 15 million stem cells each, Melissa VanGorp said. With each stem cell transplant, they also give the patient a transfusion of "neural growth factors" to encourage the stem cells to find their targets and transform into new neurons. After the treatments, Cameron will undergo intense daily therapy programs, which range from speech therapy to a type of Chinese massage, to promote the success of the procedure. "Now, we have the technology to help these children to see," Kirshner Ross-Vaden, the vice president of foreign patient relations and the lead medical consultant with Stem Cells China, said. "They don't have to go through their life blind. (But) no one knows for sure, someone has to go first. These kids are the pioneers. They may very well pave the way for all of the children of the future." Cameron is one of five children to undergo this treatment for ONH patients. Ross-Vaden, a registered nurse and a former Air Force medic, said Cameron will probably undergo lumbar puncture treatments, which inject the stem cells directly into the cerebral spinal fluid. The first couple of days, however, will be strictly for evaluations and tests. She said that, assuming everything with the medical section looks good, they will then proceed with the transplants. They are hoping that the stem cells will mix with Cameron's cerebral optic nerves and repair them. Ross-Vaden, who was in Chicago on Friday, said they are currently providing treatments to another child from the United States, and last month performed the procedure on a girl from Romania. "Right now the girl from Romaina's mom said she is responding more visually, but it's too soon to tell," Ross-Vaden said. She stressed that the procedures are safe and they only use umbilical cord stem cells, which have been used in this type of treatment for 20 years. Ross-Vaden believes the treatments are "extraordinarily safe," and has even undergone the treatment herself for a medical problem. "These kids are the first to come through with a primary diagnosis (of ONH). For the entire world, this has (previously) been called an untreatable diagnosis," she said. "I feel really really strongly that, historically, we have been wrong." Ross-Vaden first learned about stem cell treatments when her own son had a servere brain injury. Even with her medical research background, she found it hard to find reliable information to help her son. At the time, she took her son to Mexico for treatments. Unfortunately, she lost her son, but continued her work. Stem Cells China offered her a position to help expand their programs for children. For more about the treatment, visit www.stemcellchina.com. "This is a monumental step in medicine," Ross-Vaden said. "I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think it would be possible."
' );
//-->\n
irishcowboym@yahoo.com.
' );
//-->
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
' );
//-->
"We are still chugging along, and the actual stem-cell part of it is now covered," Carol Petersen, Cameron's grandmother, said earlier this month. "He has his ups and downs. But I just feel really positive about all this." The treatment alone costs $15,000. An additional $10,000 to $20,000 is needed for a Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment chamber once Cameron returns home. The family is estimating $100,000 for the total expenses. When Cameron was diagnosed with ONH, a leading cause of blindness in children that also interfered with his pituitary gland, his parent's were told there were no treatments available. However, after researching online they found Stem Cells China, where they have successfully infused stem cells into patients suffering from numerous other diseases and disabilities. Stem Cells China has established a 98 percent improvement rate with patients undergoing treatment for other disabilities, according to the organization's Web site. This procedure, which is not available in America, takes harvested umbilical cord stem cells and, in a very technical process, the stem cells will then be transplanted into Cameron. Stem cells are unspecialized cells that can replenish their numbers for long periods through cell division. Also, after receiving certain chemical signals, the cells can differentiate or transform into specialized cells with specific functions, according to Stem Cells China. The study is the first of its kind for ONH patients. The treatment includes four stem cell transfusions of 10 to 15 million stem cells each, Melissa VanGorp said. With each stem cell transplant, they also give the patient a transfusion of "neural growth factors" to encourage the stem cells to find their targets and transform into new neurons. After the treatments, Cameron will undergo intense daily therapy programs, which range from speech therapy to a type of Chinese massage, to promote the success of the procedure. "Now, we have the technology to help these children to see," Kirshner Ross-Vaden, the vice president of foreign patient relations and the lead medical consultant with Stem Cells China, said. "They don't have to go through their life blind. (But) no one knows for sure, someone has to go first. These kids are the pioneers. They may very well pave the way for all of the children of the future." Cameron is one of five children to undergo this treatment for ONH patients. Ross-Vaden, a registered nurse and a former Air Force medic, said Cameron will probably undergo lumbar puncture treatments, which inject the stem cells directly into the cerebral spinal fluid. The first couple of days, however, will be strictly for evaluations and tests. She said that, assuming everything with the medical section looks good, they will then proceed with the transplants. They are hoping that the stem cells will mix with Cameron's cerebral optic nerves and repair them. Ross-Vaden, who was in Chicago on Friday, said they are currently providing treatments to another child from the United States, and last month performed the procedure on a girl from Romania. "Right now the girl from Romaina's mom said she is responding more visually, but it's too soon to tell," Ross-Vaden said. She stressed that the procedures are safe and they only use umbilical cord stem cells, which have been used in this type of treatment for 20 years. Ross-Vaden believes the treatments are "extraordinarily safe," and has even undergone the treatment herself for a medical problem. "These kids are the first to come through with a primary diagnosis (of ONH). For the entire world, this has (previously) been called an untreatable diagnosis," she said. "I feel really really strongly that, historically, we have been wrong." Ross-Vaden first learned about stem cell treatments when her own son had a servere brain injury. Even with her medical research background, she found it hard to find reliable information to help her son. At the time, she took her son to Mexico for treatments. Unfortunately, she lost her son, but continued her work. Stem Cells China offered her a position to help expand their programs for children. For more about the treatment, visit www.stemcellchina.com. "This is a monumental step in medicine," Ross-Vaden said. "I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think it would be possible."
No comments:
Post a Comment