On 11-10-02, Jerry suffered a spinal fracture. C-6 was pushed into his spinal cord. Diagnosis: C5-C6 Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury. Initially, he lost all movement and spent two and a half months at an inpatient therapy unit.
When Jerry was released, outpatient therapy followed. In two years he regained some movement in his arms and noticeable (but small) movements in his hands.
He could stand on the parallel bars for five minutes. He quickly got tired when pushing himself in his wheelchair. Then, all improvements stopped and his doctors stopped prescribing rehabiliation. At this point, Jerry decided to come to China.
Before the treatment
He had good movement in his arms but his triceps were weak. Sensitivity do existed in most of his body, but not enough to tell the difference between cold and hot, which made him unable to sweat below his neck. Jerry had some movement in his legs and very little movement in toes: legs could be extended but not moved back and forth. He used a catheter to urinate.
Treatment planned for him at Nan Shan: surgery, direct injections of umbilical cord stem cells into his spinal cord above and below the injury site, and IV of both stem cells and nerve growth factor.
After the treatment
April 8th, 2005: muscle strength and stamina increased. Jerry could stand in the parallel bars for more than ten minutes without spasms. It was easier to lift his legs and draw his feet back to his body, and he could bring his legs back after extending them. He could straighten them more than he could before the treatment. Both his hands opened easily, with the left one being able to open more than the right one. Jerry could feel cold and hot on his feet, legs and back: sweating on these areas reappeared.
May 2nd: Jerry went back to Florida. His doctors, noticing the improvements, again prescribed him a rehabilitation program. While making exercises, Jerry was able to stand on the parallel bars for more than twenty-five minutes. His right hand also had increased in terms of mobility.
Videos:
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Update
May 20th - email from Jerry
"I have been home now for forty days. I am now able to stand in the parallel bars with minimal assistance for longer periods of time, do little squats, and take a few steps backwards. It's a start. I am able to get up on my hands and knees with little assistance and I am working a lot with my arms and hands which are getting stronger and easier to use. I can open and close my hands a lot better, and grip strength is increasing."
Please, have a look at Jerry's website: www.mylifejourney.net
You can e-mail him at:
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