Helping Patients Now and in the Future
Senate Dirksen Building, Rm. 562 — March 12, 2007
Reception Program
Featured Speakers:
Dr. Colin McGuckin – Dr. McGuckin specializes in stem cell research, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine with an expertise in cord blood stem cells. In this short clip, Dr. McGuckin is highlights notable advances in the research of cord blood stem cells and the generation of liver and pancreatic tissues. He notes that we have conclusive evidence that liver, functional liver and pancreatic tissue which produces insulin can be produced from cord blood stem cells for therapies in the future.
Click here for video of Dr. McGuckin (Windows media)
Carol Franz – A two-time survivor of multiple myeloma cancer (aka bone marrow cancer), Carol credits the Grace of God and two ADULT STEM CELL transplants for her recovery. Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer, but can also destroy bone. Her first bout with the cancer in 2003 affected her bones so badly that Carol comments, “my x-rays looked like someone had used me for target practice.” After enduring 5 months of chemo, in May 2003, she received an adult stem cell transplant at Syracuse University Hospital. Within three weeks, the adult stem cells had begun regenerating both her immune system and blood. Two months later she was taking long walks, dancing and traveling. Her second bout of multiple myeloma cancer occurred in 2006, when results from a routine oncology visit revealed the cancer had reappeared. After receiving a somewhat successful prescription treatment, in November 2006, Carol underwent her second adult stem cell transplant. Again, after a few short months she experienced a return to normalcy, though since her blood no longer carries the immunizations from her childhood years she is currently receiving extended antibiotic treatments and will need to receive her immunization shots again.
Click here to read Carol’s story
Click here for video of Carol telling her story (Windows media)
Doug Rice – Eight years ago, Doug Rice was told he had two years to live. Congestive heart failure was killing him slowly. Diabetes denied him the option of a transplanted heart. He could barely walk. Stairs were out of the question. But the 60-year-old Otis Orchards resident held on, not knowing whether each day would be his last, until his ex-wife found something on the Internet late last year that gave Rice his future back. An international biotechnology company called TheraVitae could extract Rice’s adult stem cells from less than a pint of his own blood, reproduce them in a lab and then inject them back into his heart.
Click here to read Doug’s story
Video of Doug telling his story here: part 1 and part 2 (Windows media)
Bill Schneeberger – In this short information clip, Bill Schneeberger, founder of BOGO Wines, discusses his motivation for creating BOGO Wines, which exists for the express purpose of promoting and supporting Adult Stem Cell Research.
Click here for video of Bill (Windows media)
A Toast to Adult and Cord Blood Stem Cells: Helping Patients Now and in the Future
Senate Russell Office Building Rm. 385 — June 20, 2006
Reception Program
“A letter from President Bush”
Featured Speakers:
Jacki Rabon
Jacki, 18, suffered an injury to her spine in August, 2003 that left her paralyzed. She was treated in Portugal by Dr. Carlos Lima with her own adult stem cells derived from olfactory mucosa. Dr. Lima’s work using adult stem cells to treat spinal cord injuries, such as the treatment Jacki received, will be published this week in the June 24th issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. Jacki is from Waverly, Illinois.
Click here to read Jacki’s story
Click here for video of Jacki telling her story (Windows media)
Cathy Pell
When she was 5 months old, Cathy Pell’s daughter Abby, received a cord blood treatment at Duke University birth-related brain damage at Duke University. While the procedure for treating Abby’s brain damage is experimental, her parents have seen improvement in Abby. Cathy is from Manassas, Virginia, and she stored Abby’s cord blood at the Cord Blood Registry, a private company.
Click here to read Cathy and Abby’s story
David Foege, PhD
Three years ago, doctors told David Foege of Naples, Florida, there was little hope that he would recover from heart failure — he was even told to find a hospice. He rejected that option to seek alternatives. He eventually underwent a treatment overseas administered by the Theravitae healthcare company that used his own adult stem cells. About a month after his treatment, David was up and walking; at 90 days after, lab tests showed 50% improvement in his heart condition and also some improvement in symptoms from a prior stroke. This is the same adult stem cell treatment that was recently used to treat the legendary Hawaiian entertainer Don Ho for heart disease. The treatment was originally developed by Dr. Amit Patel M.D., Director of Cardiac Stem Cell Therapies at The McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Click here to read David Foege’s story
Click here for video of David telling his story (Windows media)
Mary Schneider
Mary Schneider’s son Ryan was treated with his own cord blood when he was 2 years old for cerebral palsy. Now 3, Ryan has shown noticeable improvements in his condition. Like Cathy Pell’s daughter Abby, Ryan was treated at Duke University and his parents also stored his cord blood at the Cord Blood Registry.
Click here to read Mary and Ryan’s story
Click here for video of Mary telling their story (Windows media)
Stephen Sprague
About 10 years ago, Steve was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia–CML. Finding himself at the end stage of the disease and unable to find an unrelated marrow donor, doctors did not think Steve had long to live. Steve then became one of the first adult patients to participate in a clinical trial using cord blood as a stem source, having found a match at the New York Blood Center’s National Cord Blood Program. Following his cord blood treatment 8 years ago, Steve was judged cured of his leukemia. Now 57, Steve is affiliated with the National Cord Blood Program, a public program that stores donated cord blood for patients needing marrow transplants. Steve lives in New York City, in the borough of Staten Island.
Click here to read Stephen’s story
Click here for video of Stephen telling his story (Windows media)