Source: NiagaraThisWeek

Girl, 2, accepted for stem cell procedure

At the end of a whirlwind 24 hours after Avaia Di Marco was born, her parents, John and Ashely, learned how the rest of her life may be spent.
Diagnosed with spastic quadriplegic cystic fibrosis, Avaia, who just turned two this week, is not able to do very much on her own.
The disease affects all four of her limbs and causes involuntary movement and prevents her from, not only walking, but sitting up on her own. Her vision is also severely impaired, and she is limited to being able to detect light and colours. Read the rest of this entry »

Source: Wowktv

A rare eye disorder leaves a small child nearly blind, but parents say there may be hope.

BELLE – Young 14-month-old Kailey Hughes was diagnosed with the Septo Optic Dysplasia at the age of five months. It left her almost completely blind.

“She’s a perfect little baby and we just want her to be able to be confident and hold her head up and just smile because she’s beautiful,” said her mother Jody Johnson.

When doctors told Kailey’s parents that there was no hope for her to see they started looking elsewhere. Their prayers may have been heard, on the other side of the world.

Parents said she has been approved for stem cell treatments in China. But the costs are steep. “It will be $30,000 for surgery and $6,000 dollars to reserve a date and time,” said her father Dewey Hughes.

Family members are counting on the generosity of others to help a fundraising miracle to come true. Through a series of hot dog sales and other events the family has raised thousands, but is still very far away from their goal of $40,000 dollars. “We just want her to be able to see,” said Johnson.

TO HELP THE FAMILY WITH DONATIONS:

BB&T BANK
5701 MaCorckle Ave.
Charleston, WV

Benefit Gospel Sing for Baby Kailey
Cedar Grove Baseball Field
July 17th, 2010
3 p.m.

For more information you can contact Dewey Huges at RhsDew62@yahoo.com

Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel

BOULDER CREEK — In an attempt to help their quadriplegic son, Jerry, become mobile again, the MacCallister family has sent 600 letters to the community to raise money for a trip to China for stem cell therapy.

Since the end of April, the Boulder Creek family has raised $2,000 toward its $40,000 goal. The total cost includes travel, the stem cell therapy and a month stay in China.

Jerry MacCallister, 20, was left paralyzed from the neck down after a motorcycle accident in January 2009. Before the crash, he had a 4.1 GPA, was a few lessons shy of getting his private pilot’s license and had completed his first semester of college at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Read the rest of this entry »

Source: Standardspeaker.com

Brian Lang wants to walk again.

Lang lost the use of his legs to multiple sclerosis a few years ago, and is hoping stem cell treatment will help him to his feet again.

The Hazle Township man has been researching the procedure and said it has shown “fantastic success” for others with multiple sclerosis. The treatment uses stem cells to replace or repair a patient’s damaged cells or tissues. Read the rest of this entry »

Source: Albanyherald

LEESBURG — The quest for a young boy to regain his sight is getting a little help from a Leesburg service organization.

The Leesburg Lions Club will be hosting a bake sale and car wash Saturday to benefit Jacob’s Hope for Sight, a campaign to help a seven-year-old boy diagnosed with a rare condition regain his sight.

According to Leesburg Lions Club Treasurer Lesley Barbosa, the club plans to hold the car wash and bake sale at Lee County Auto Service in Leesburg. The club is asking the public to make a monetary donation in exchange for a car wash or baked goods. The fundraiser is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Saturday.

“The Lions Club helps with vision, so this is the perfect opportunity to help on a local level,” said Barbosa. Read the rest of this entry »

Source: Standard-journal

LEWISBURG — An innovative procedure in China may soon allow a little girl from Lewisburg to live a normal life despite being diagnosed with a condition that has no cure.

Heather Schutt, who will turn 3 on May 26, is scheduled to receive stem cell injections next month at the Chengyang People’s Hospital in Quingdao, China. She was diagnosed with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia when she was 4 months old. Children with ONH have underdeveloped optic nerves, which leave them with little to no vision.

Heather’s mother, Sarah Schutt, said she took Heather to see a vision specialist in December, who determined that Heather’s central vision is affected; however, she can still pick up colors and light. Read the rest of this entry »