Epilepsy Patient: Jennifer
- Jennifer's mom wrote:
Jennifer was born on May 16, 2007. She was diagnosed with epilepsy, microcephaly (abnormal smallness of the head), global delay, and static encephalopathy (abnormal brain structure). When we brought Jen home from the hospital she was unable to swallow, blink, move appropriately, and was given a poor prognosis. We were told to prepare for the worse and that a children’s home should be seriously considered. Since her birth Jen had been in and out of the hospital every 2-3 months for various infections. Her immune system was severely compromised and it was a struggle to move forward with the constant interruptions from illness.
On top of that in September 2007 Jen’s seizures manifested as the worse kind; she was diagnosed with Infantile Spasms (IS) (an involuntary and abnormal muscle contraction)
Infantile Spasms were more than her little body could handle. She quickly began to deteriorate. Jen was becoming unaware of her surroundings and was unable to focus her eyes. She lost all motor control she did have and was slowly slipping away. She was on four different medications to control the seizures, but was still having 8-10 per day lasting from 5-20 minutes in duration. She was non-responsive, non-coherent, and rapidly progressing into a vegetative state.
We were watching our little girl die in front of us and we were being told that there was nothing we could do. But we were unwilling to give up.
After many hours of research we learned about Stem Cell Of America in January 2008. We knew that if she was going to have a chance to survive we had to try your stem cell.
Jen had her first stem cell treatment on March 28, 2008. As we drove back to the hotel from the first treatment, we began noticing changes. Jen's eyes were focused and she was looking around as if she woke up. As the next 12 days passed she began to have fewer seizures. April 9, 2008 was the last seizure Jen had. She was off all seizure medications by August 2008.
Jens seizures were gone and she was awake. It was as if the lights were turned on again and she was back. After multiple specialists told us that there was nothing we could do to stop the Infantile Spasms; the stem cell therapy cured them with one treatment. We had our little girl back and she was fighting with all her strength to recover from everything that she had lost due to the IS.
Beyond the seizures going away and her responsiveness returning, we had hope. Hope that our little girl had a chance at life. Hope that stem cell therapy could give her so much more than what we could have ever imagined. Hope for a life full of experiences, joy, and love!
Jen returned in September 2008 for her second treatment. It was an amazing immune system boost. She went from September 2008 to January 2010 without even one infection. During that time she began making leaps in bounds with her cognition and movement.
Jen also had changes in her diagnostic testing. Her EEG, CT, & MRI had normalized, and her hearing test went from a “severe and profound” hearing loss to only a mild one.
She experienced an increase in her head growth and she no longer has the diagnosis of microcephaly!! Jen was also downgraded from having an active seizure disorder to a history of seizures. We were so excited, she had a chance at life, and we were now fighting for an increased quality of life.
We had a third treatment in September 2009; with the third treatment Jen has gained significant strength with her large muscle groups. With each treatment she gets stronger and progresses toward a different mile stone. By this point her specialist and therapist could no longer deny that stem cell therapy was responsible for playing the major role in her recovery and progress.
Without your foresight our daughter would not be here today. Thank you for playing such a huge part in saving her life and making the life she will have, full of joy and accomplishment. There are no words that can truly express the gratitude we feel. We only hope that watching Jen's progress gives you joy and you find fulfillment in the miracles you make possible for so many families. Thank you for saving our baby girl.