South Boston Fire - EMS
For Daniels, Stem Cell Therapy Yields Positive Results
SHOWING MORE MOVEMENT - Kevin Daniels, pictured with his mother, Pat Daniels (right), raised and swayed his arm to show the improvement in his arm movement that has resulted from his umbilical cord stem cell therapy treatment six weeks ago. Daniels, a quadriplegic, has also seen other benefits from the treatment. (G-V Photo/Joe Chandler)
For
Daniels, Stem Cell Therapy Yields Positive Results
By Joe Chandler
G-V Staff Writer
Kevin Daniels was hoping for a miracle when he was accepted by the
California-based Steenblock Research Institute in California early this year for
umbilical cord blood stem cell therapy.
While the miracle he was hoping for has not occurred, there have been some steps
in the right direction.
Six weeks and two days ago, Daniels, a quadriplegic with very limited movement
in his arms and legs and limited speech, received an infusion of four vials of
umbilical cord stem cells from at the Brain Regeneration, Inc. facility in
Tijuana, Mexico under the direction of Dr. Fernando Ramirez.
The treatment has yielded some positive results.
Today, Daniels shows more emotion in his face. A smile that had been slow to
come, now comes quicker and easier.
“I used to stare a lot – get fixed on one thing,” the 27-year-old South Boston
resident said slowly.
“I don’t do that anymore. I can also say whole sentences now. I can hold my
breath.”
Daniels can now move his neck from side to side easier and extend his head and
neck further back than he could before. He can stand better for transfers to and
from his motorized wheelchair. He can move four fingers on his left hand instead
of two. Daniels can also lift his right arm higher and move it from side to side
further and easier than before.
In addition, he can now drink water from a glass without having to use a straw,
before water would sometimes spill from his mouth. Headaches he periodically had
have gone away. He also wakes up more alert in the mornings and stays alert all
day.
Daniels’ breathing has improved to the point that he can now lie down flat to
sleep as opposed to sleeping in an inclined position.
An improvement in his body functions has taken place. And, he is now able to
show the emotion of sadness, something that he has not been able to do in eight
years.
Also as a result, Daniels has also seen a one-third reduction in the amount of
one of the expensive medications he takes.
As a result of his diet, Daniels has lost over 20 pounds, another beneficial
result.
“These things may not seem like a great deal to many people,” said his mother,
Pat Daniels.
“Most people take things like that for granted. But, for Kevin and all of us,
these are big changes – a lot of good things.”
His father, Terry Daniels, said further improvement could result.
“His (Kevin’s) major improvement time really is just starting,” he pointed out.
“The target time they (the doctors) give is six months.”
The Background
Daniels, a volunteer firefighter and EMT with the South Boston Fire Department,
was responding to a call on the night of August 7, 1998 when he was involved in
a traffic accident that resulted in a severe near-fatal brain injury.
Since the accident Daniels has been a quadriplegic.
With virtually all avenues of conventional medical treatment exhausted, Daniels
spent the past three years looking outside of conventional sources for
treatment.
Earlier this year, he was accepted by the Steenblock Research Institute in San
Diego, Cal. for umbilical cord stem cell therapy. Since the cost of the
procedure was not covered by insurance and the family did not have the financial
resources to cover the costs of the procedure and the trip to California, the
community stepped up to help.
The South Boston Volunteer Fire Company helped by establishing a trust fund,
with the fire department being the receiving agency for donations and the
payment of the Daniels’ bills relating to stem cell treatment.
“We thank everybody who made a donation of any kind, individuals, businesses and
churches and especially the South Boston Fire Department,” said Pat Daniels.
“We are also very thankful to everybody that has prayed for Kevin and for our
family.”
Daniels’ Treatment
There has been much discussion surrounding stem cell therapy among medical
experts. The discussions have recently been thrust back into the spotlight as a
result of highly publicized interviews by actor Michael J. Fox advocating the
use of stem cell therapy here in the United States.
The controversy surrounding stem cell therapy has centered around embryonic stem
cell therapy, a treatment Daniels and his family are extremely opposed to, as it
involves fetal embryos.
Daniels’ treatment was umbilical cord stem cell therapy, using umbilical cord
blood obtained after the birth of a healthy baby.
Two doctors at the Steenblock Research Institute, Dr. David Steenblock and Dr.
Anthony G. Payne, have co-authored a book on the subject of umbilical cord stem
cell therapy and its benefits for treating certain brain, eye and circulatory
diseases and disorders.
Daniels is one patient who has already seen a benefit.
“Now that it has worked (for Kevin), there is no reason for it not to continue
to work,” Pat Daniels said.
The Next Step –
Additional Treatment
With the initial treatment yielding positive results, Daniels is yearning to
pursue additional umbilical cord stem cell therapy.
“I need to go back,” Daniels said.
“I would like to have five or six (vials) this time.”
The financial cost, however, will be great.
“Dr. Ramirez said he wishes his patients could receive 15 to 20 vials at a time
because you get better results with more stem cells,” Daniels’ mother explained.
The cost now is $5,000 per vial, not including the procedure, she noted.
“If you go 15 vials, that’s $75,000 plus the cots of the procedure plus the cost
of transportation and lodging.”
This first attempt, the family explained, was to determine whether or not
umbilical cord stem cell therapy would improve Kevin’s condition, as there was a
25-percent chance that it would not.
Terry Daniels said for now, his son’s condition will be monitored.
“If he starts showing signs that he will need physical therapy, that’s what
we’re going to do,” he pointed out.
“We’ve got to make it through these next five months and see how he does.”
Pat Daniels said the plan is to return Kevin to the facility for additional
treatment. However, when they can return and how many treatments Kevin can
receive will depend upon funds.
“If we can raise the money, we plan to go back again,” Pat Daniels said, noting
that it will cost between $25,000 and $30,000 for another trip to perform the
same level of treatment as the initial venture.
“We would like to do no less than what we did this last time. But, money will
dictate that. We knew that if it worked Kevin would have to go back three or
four times.”
The South Boston Volunteer Fire Company is going to continue to maintain and
administer the trust fund called the Kevin Daniels Fund.
Contributions may be mailed to the South Boston Fire Department, 403 Broad
Street, South Boston, Va. 24592.
All contributions to the Kevin Daniels Fund will be tax deductible and will go
towards medical expenses.
Daniels said he is hoping additional treatments will yield results that will
allow him to return to helping others.
Article courtesy of Gazette-Virginian article , Friday, November 10, 2006.
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