LATON HILL, Ala. — On a porch swing at the back of her country home, Gail Williams held close her 3-year old granddaughter, Emma Lathan, rocking gently to soothe her.

“I love all my grandchildren to death,” said Williams, “I’d do anything for them. Emma” — she looked down at the child, with a zebra-print dress and pink bow in her curly brown hair — “that one grabs my heart.”

Born with cerebral palsy and a chromosome disorder that affects growth, Emma is clearly loved.

Emma’s mother, Shea Lathan, works as a medical assistant in a doctor’s office in nearby Chatom, so she depends on Nanny — grandmother Williams’ nickname — to help with Emma’s care. Grandfather “Poppa” Williams, plus aunts, uncles, cousins and townfolk, are deeply supportive, too.“Everybody knows Emma,” said Williams.

A fundraiser is scheduled tomorrow — a motorcycle ride from Mobile to Chatom, then a picnic, complete with band, at the destination for anyone who wants to join in. The hope is to raise the approximately $10,000 needed for Emma to attend a five-week session at Ability Camp, a camp for physical therapy, utilizing hyperbaric oxygen treatment, in Picton, Ontario, Canada.

Williams’ sister, Nina Johnson, who works in the Harley-Davidson store in Mobile, is helping to arrange it.

Charles Singleton, Washington County’s probate judge, is in charge of cooking the meat for the pulled pork sandwiches.

A website for Ability Camp proposes “an intensive training and rehabilitation program” for patients dealing with cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and other challenges. The training “goes well beyond traditional therapies.”

Williams first learned about the camp from a man whose son has cerebral palsy. He told her that the son had visited the camp twice, to positive effect.

A deeply religious woman — her church, True Vine Baptist Church in Springbank is involved in the fundraiser — Williams believes that “God has a blessing waiting for Emma.”

Williams plans to accompany Emma there, as does Emma’s mom. Her prayer is that Emma comes home being able to hold her head up on her own, stand up and move “with the help of walking sticks,” and be able to eat without a feeding tube.

“If I don’t see Emma walk on this earth,” Williams said, “I know when I get to heaven I’ll see her running.”

Lathan gave birth to Emma on Feb. 5, 2007, at Mobile’s Providence Hospital. In addition to cerebral palsy, the baby had a heart condition known as coarctation of the aorta — a potentially deadly narrowing of the main artery leading from her heart.

They went to Birmingham for heart surgery. Emma then spent a month at USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital, with her mom daily driving the 90 minutes from Chatom to be with her.

Williams, who worked as a cook at Washington County High School cafeteria for 15 years, quit her job to be available for Emma full-time.

“She’s a huge part of Emma’s life,” said Lathan.

On a bright, fall day, with cows grazing just beyond the porch, Emma’s 2-year-old cousin, Tessa, held up a toy computer for Emma that played children’s nursery rhymes.

Emma was fascinated.

The little girl loves music, said Williams, and swimming — grownups holding her hands up as Emma dances in the water.

Lathan just took Emma horseback riding last week, putting Emma in front of her in the saddle.

“She laughed her head off,” said Lathan.

“She’s a beautiful little girl,” said Williams, gazing at her granddaughter’s curly brown hair. “She just happened to be born with cerebral palsy.”

The parents of a blind Moncton baby are hanging their child’s hopes for sight on an unconventional stem cell treatment available only in China.

Two-and-a-half-year-old Cloey Carrasquillo suffers from Septo Optic Dysplasia, a congenital disease affecting the optic nerve which prevents signals from the eye from reaching the brain.

Metro Moncton residents are rallying to help little Cloey, so far raising about $10,000 of the total of $50,000 it will cost to travel to China and receive the treatment.

“We appreciate everything that’s being done for us,” mom Karine says.

“People are very generous and it’s at times like these where it really shows.”

SOD is a condition in which an under-developed optic nerve fails to relay signals from the eye to the brain.

“She was born with the condition and the nerve never completely grew to its potential,” Karine says.

There is no treatment in Canada, however the parents of SOD children from around the world are turning to stem cell injections at a hospital near Beijing with some striking results.

But it isn’t foolproof. Doctors in China have told the Carrasquillos that Cloey’s chances of regaining sight are about 88 per cent.

That sounds a lot better to mom and dad than what they are used to hearing from doctors.

“We’re very excited,” Karine says.

“As a mom, I can’t know about this and just do nothing.”

The treatments were pioneered by Beike Biotech which for the past decade has worked in concert with universities and hospitals in China to deliver stem cells for treatment of a wide range of medical conditions.

“They know what they’re doing. It’s being followed by media so it’s not something that can be scammed,” Karine says.

As well, Karine has spoken with 20 parents of children who have gone through the treatments and is convinced there is lots of hope for Baby Cloey.

The course of eight intravenous injections over 33 days will cost about $32,000. That doesn’t include travel, food and lodgings for Cloey, mom and dad Nicholas. That’s why good samaritans are helping to raise the necessary funds for the family, which will head to China in the spring.

“So far we’re doing great,” mom says, with about one-fifth of the necessary money raised so far.

A number of fundraising activities are in the works. In the meantime, donations are being collected at any Rogers outlet in Atlantic Canada, where Karine is employed. As well, donations can be dropped off at the Caisse Populaire. Ask for Folio #020181 and Transit #865 00954.

A HEARTBROKEN great-gran says she would do anything to see her family again after losing her sight overnight.

Fit and healthy Dorothy Leach, 75, woke up one morning in February unable to see.

She had been struck down by a terrible condition which has now left her blind.

The mum-of-four who is grandmother to seven and great-grandmother to Olly and Chris, said: “I was on holiday in King’s Lynn and was out shopping as normal.

“Then I went to bed at night and got up in the morning and just couldn’t see anything. It had gone completely.

“I didn’t know what was going on. I thought it would just be temporary but then I went to hospital and they kept me in for about a week. I haven’t been able to see a thing ever since.

“I would just love to be able to see my great-grandchildren grow up. I got to see little Olly before my sight went but my other great-grandchild Chris was born two weeks after so I have never been able to see him. It is heartbreaking to think I might never see them.”

Dorothy who lives in Springfield, Hardwicke, with her husband Percival, has giant cell arteritis, an inflammatory disease of blood vessels.

Blurred

The inflammation can affect blood supply to the eye which can result in blurred vision or sudden blindness, as in Dorothy’s case.

Doctors have said there is nothing they can do for the much-loved great-gran, but she hasn’t given up hope.

She said: “I am just left trying to get out of what I call my black hole. Before I was very active I used to do everything, the painting, the cooking, cleaning and the gardening and now I can’t do anything. I can’t even go around the house by myself because I bump into things.

“I know there is no guarantee that stem cell treatment will work but I am willing to try anything.”

After researching Dorothy’s condition her family are hopeful pioneering stem cell treatment in China would be able to restore her sight, but they need to raise £16,000 for it.

Dorothy’s daughter Vicky said: “We want to send her to China to get stem cell treatment.

“I have researched it a lot and I think it could really make a difference.

“They have been doing it since 2005 and they are leading the way in that type of treatment. We just want to do anything to get mum the help she needs.”

The family is doing a number of sponsored events including a golf tournament, sponsored run and they are also getting a donation from Moreton C Cullimore (Gravels) Ltd.

■ For more information about Dorothy’s condition or to donate to her campaign visit http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jg.va.birt/

A Weightwatchers fashion show, in aid of ‘Mia’s Hope’ and ‘CD’s Helping Hands’ will take place this Friday, 6 November. As well as raising funds for the charities at the fashion show, Weightwatchers will be transforming members who have lost weight through their popular weight loss programme. Members that have lost weight will be modelling the clothes on the night and the show will feature fashions from well-known department store Debenhams.CD’s Helping Hands is a unique voluntary organisation that supports children and their families through cancer treatment, while ‘Mia’s Hope’ is currently raising funds to send two-year-old Mia Allen to China to get stem cell treatment. Both charities are heavily dependent on donations from the public so that they can continue doing great work.

The show itself will be full of fun and fashion, with well-known RTE newsreader Aine Lally hosting the event. When planning the show, Weightwatchers was very conscious of the economic downturn and decided to focus on fashions that are price friendly.

In keeping with this philosophy, Weightwatchers wanted to offer guests excellent value for money by pricing tickets at just €10. The show starts at 8pm at the Claregalway Hotel.

For ticket information, contact the Claregalway Hotel on 091-738300 or any local Weightwatchers class.

Location: Springfield, Missouri
Place: Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Conference Room
2720 North Glenstone
ph: (417) 865-8600 – Hotel
Date: October 3rd, 2009
Time: 1pm-5pm
Contact: Brad and Braden Hart (moneymanbah@yahoo.com)

Book your rooms soon! Contact Brad Hart (moneymanbah@yahoo.com) to
register or for more information.

Click here to download the full-sized flyer

Some Coloradans Find Hope in Stem Cell Treatment

DENVER -

Stan Glees owns Stella’s Coffee House on South Pearl Street, but today his claim to fame had to do with his granddaughter and the fact that she was born blind. He has heard the government talk about stem cell therapy for treating blindness but because it’s hitting so close to home, he set up a forum that brought together some of the top experts on the subject in the nation. Also at the Platte Valley Rec Center were folks who are looking at stem cell treatment to help them with a variety of medical dilemmas.

We first told you about Kyle Turrean’s severed spinal cord back in May of 2007. He is a personal trainer who was paralyzed from the belly button down, but now following two trips to Costa Rica and injections with umbilical cord –not embryonic–stem cell treatment he has been getting feeling back in the lower part of his body.

“I can now feel my feet getting

Carol Peterson (See http://www.cameronsmiracleofsight.com), who launched the association at the first event in July of 2007, summarized the mission of the association in four simple words, “Educated Freedom of Choice.” Carol explained, “Our group is mainly made up of patients who have experienced what is really available in other countries and while we don’t want to exert influence over other patients’ decisions, we do want to make them aware that what is available in the US is not representative of what is available throughout the world.”

A key component of the rallies is for patients who have returned from treatment abroad to share their stories, both good and bad, with those in attendance. 

One such patient is David Aldrich from Florida who is a spinal cord injury survivor and was legally blind before his treatment abroad. (http://stemcellschina.com/blog/david/)

“I am worn out from dealing with a medical establishment that does not provide me with the best treatment available and often times tries to stop people like me from seeking treatment abroad under the guise of protecting me,” said Aldrich. “My short term goal is to let people know that there is help available, no matter what your physician says. But my real goal is focused on bringing people together to figure out what can be done so I don’t have to go abroad for my next treatment.”

Shel Morse spoke at the 5th rally about the association’s mission and what it meant to her to see her sixteen year old daughter, Macie, get her driver’s permit after returning from treatment in China. Macie was treated in July 2008 and has ONH, a leading cause of blindness in children. The following is an excerpt of Shel’s speech:
“Macie’s journey to stem cells started when she turned 15 and asked for a driving permit.  It wasn’t even an option with her current vision, not to mention the fact a vision teacher of hers had stated it was never going to be possible and we should just face reality.  At that point I knew that it was my mission to let people know that they don’t necessarily have to live with the diagnosis their locals doctors give them.”

“Macie’s doctors not only criticized the companies we told them about but actively discouraged us from help overseas – help that they could not offer. The reason why I got behind this organization and decided to set up this event in Denver is because the patients need to join together to have a voice.” said Shel Morse. “Our medical society needs to get serious about real health care, we cannot rely on our current system – it is broken. US doctors and scientists need to focus on doing what is necessary to help patients instead of their reputations and how they can make money.” 

The sixth rally will continue to build the community as stem cell patients from across the U.S. and Canada are provided the opportunity to share their experiences with prospective patients. It will also provide an opportunity for doctors and medical specialists to not only connect with patients but also consider how stem cell technology can be successfully implemented in North American medical systems.

Complimenting their Stem Cell Awareness events, the Stem Cell Awareness Association web site (http://www.stemcellaware.com) serves as a community forum where people can discuss stem cell therapies, policies, options and treatment experiences.

All patients who are considering stem cell treatments or have already had stem cell treatments are welcome to join the next Stem Cell Awareness Rally:

Location: Denver, Colorado
Place: Stella’s Coffee House
Date: June 13th, 2009
Time: 2pm

Please contact Shel Morse (rbikandi3@msn.com) or visit http://www.stemcellaware.com for more information about the event and Carol Peterson (carolptrsn@msn.com) for information on how you can get involved in the Stem Cell Awareness association.

Staff Report

A local doctor will be a featured speaker at a stem cell awareness conference in Denver next month.

But for ophthalmologist David Klein, the June 13 trip is more of a fact-finding mission.

Klein accepted the invite in hopes of learning more about the role of bone marrow stem cells, and whether they could be utilized in conjunction with umbilical stem cell treatments. During the visit, he plans to visit a facility in Colorado that specializes in using adult stem cells for joint and bone pain.

“We’re trying to determine if there is any commonality,” Klein said.

Locally, Klein has worked with patients who have undergone umbilical stem cell infusions to treat legal blindness. The Denver event will include testimony from individuals who had similar procedures, along with stem cell advocates.

Klein, however, remains unconvinced stem cells can cure genetic diseases, although he believes the United States should relax research restrictions that currently force people to seek help overseas.

“I’m still cautiously optimistic about stem cell treatments,” he said. “It’s not a magic bullet, but at the same time, I think it’s helping some people.”

Klein was scheduled to visit one of the top stem cell facilities in China earlier this month, but the trip was canceled. Instead, he recently met with a representative of the Chinese facility, a scientist who happens to own a house in Southwest Florida.

Representatives from Stem Cells China and Beike Biotech — treatment facilities in China — are expected to attend the Denver conference.

E-mail: jwitz@sun-herald.com

Source: Sun Newspaper

Blind toddler could gain sight after overseas operation         

Hallie Kemp rummaged around in her play kitchen, offering a tiny toy spatula from the sink overflowing with miniature pots and pans.

“Hallie’s spatula!” the 2-year-old announced proudly.

Hallie loves playing with toys that make noise, light up or have interesting textures, and when she hears a song, she can’t help but bob and dance along.

Music, light and texture are Hallie’s major learning tools. The toddler is legally blind because of an underdeveloped optic nerve and can only see some light from her peripheral vision.

Although her parents, Katie and Adam Kemp, have started labeling Hallie’s favorite things in Braille, the couple hopes one day Hallie won’t have to rely on touch and hearing to live her life. One trip to Thailand for stem cell therapy could improve Hallie’s sight enough to look her parents in the eyes or one day even drive to her high school homecoming dance.

“We’re hoping for the best,” said Adam Kemp. “We can’t expect that she’ll get 100-percent vision; but if we don’t do this, I don’t want to regret it 10 years down the road.”

The Kemps had heard success stories about children like Hallie who received umbilical cord stem cell therapy to help improve their sight. One nearby patient was Macie Morse, a Fort Collins teen who could see only outlines of shapes and had to hold books close to her eyes to read them. After traveling to China for a stem cell treatment using umbilical cord blood stem cells, she was able to see well enough to get her driver’s license, Kemp said.

As the Kemps did more research, they became convinced an umbilical cord blood stem cell treatment would help Hallie see the things 2-year-olds should be able to see — her parents’ faces, her neighborhood and her wiggly 9-month-old brother Carter. Yet there are two big downsides: the operation is not approved by the FDA and not covered by their health insurance, and the trip to Thailand to stay for the month-long treatment would cost the family about $50,000.

Getting the treatment

The couple immediately organized fundraisers and set up a Web site where people could learn more about their curly-haired child. They posted announcements about her first steps, her growth improvements and links to research and news about stem cell therapy. Donations suddenly poured in.

“We had people we didn’t even know sending us money, saying things like ‘I knew your dad 10 years ago,’” said Adam Kemp as Hallie snuggled in his lap and sang to herself.

The couple has raised about $30,000 and hope to have the rest by October, when they plan to make the trip.

After multiple tests and measurements, Hallie will undergo several treatments using stem cells from umbilical cord blood.

The stem cells are meant to target her Septo-Optic Dysplasia, a condition where her underdeveloped optic nerves cause her blindness. A second part of the condition causes pituitary gland hormone deficiencies, making her smaller than other children her age and requiring daily thyroid pills and hormone injections.

In March, President Obama signed an executive order repealing some of the Bush administration’s restrictions on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research.

“Research involving human embryonic stem cells and human non-embryonic stem cells has the potential to lead to better understanding and treatment of many disabling diseases and conditions,” Obama said in the executive order.

The decision brought praise from proponents of embryonic stem cell research and disappointment from those who say using human embryos is morally wrong.

The Kemps said it was important for them to find a treatment using umbilical cord cells instead of human embryonic stem cells because they see embryonic cells as potential life.

After treatment, the Kemps can only sit back and wait for results. Stem cell treatment for Septo-Optic Dysplasia varies, meaning Hallie’s improvement could be minimal or vast.

“Right now, she’s so young, she can’t really tell us what she can see,” she said.

Hallie’s world

The Kemps are itching to have the procedure done as soon as possible.

“Until you’re three, your brain is still developing. It’s better to do it sooner because there’s more chance for improvement,” Adam Kemp said.

Hallie’s daily life is filled with toys and learning tools. She takes preschool classes with the Anchor Center, an early intervention education school for blind and visually impaired children.

Once a week, a music therapist visits to help her with rhythm and sounds.

“The music therapist has actually been really instrumental in teaching her to walk. She would be really scared, but the beat distracted her and she just started doing it,” Katie Kemp said.

Hallie’s parents are helping her getting ready for Braille by playing with texturized fabrics, pieces of pasta or bubble wrap, but her mom isn’t worried about her ability to recognize objects with her hands.

“She’ll reach into her Ottoman (toy box) and barely touch something, and she knows it’s her tambourine,” she said.

Learn more

To learn more about Hallie Kemp, or to donate to the Kemp family’s treatment fund, visit www.hopeforhallie.com. Denver will host a Stem Cell Awareness seminar 2 p.m. Saturday, June 13 at Stella’s, 1476 S. Pearl St., Denver. For more information, visit www.stemcellaware.com.