Thank you

Where do I start, Thank you just doesn’t seem to be enough right now. I am so humbled by the out pouring love and support to put this event together. Thank you so much!


It has been 20 months since I received the diagnosis of Spinocerebellum Ataxia, and at that time my life really changed forever. The doctor seemed to give me a death sentence on that cold day in January 2009. 3-5 years is what he said that I would have left here on earth. Let me tell you tonight, that at first I thought it as a death sentence, but have moved those thoughts to a challenge to fight this with all I have to make life better for all I can. I want to fight for a cure, a treatment of any kind. Even though my body kept giving up on me and getting weaker, and organs beginning to give me fits and finally quitting on me. With 6 different surgeries in the last six months and spending almost 21 weeks in the hospital in the last year alone, I never gave up even when I wanted to. Knowing that there just has to be something out there to help me. Searching on my own as the doctors tell me there is nothing; I finally stumbled across something while I was in the hospital in July. I found a blog of a young lady with the same disease and just got home from Beijing China. She just had her stem cell transplant program completed and was walking again. After contacting the hospital and do some major research, talking to my doctors, and even patients who had been to China for the same treatment, I decided I wanted to give this a try.

I talked to Maria at the hospital in China, who is my contact person to get everything approved and set up. Sending medical records and lots of paperwork, not to mention all the questions I wanted answered, she has been there for me through it all. On July 30th I was approved into the program. This is when my journey started a new chapter. That is how we got here tonight, to start raising money so I can go for this treatment.

I know many have questions about this kind of treatment, so let me try to explain to you briefly. Because of all the stem cell controversy in the USA this is not an approved treatment here in the United States yet, however it is approved in other parts of the world. Beijing China is one of them, and really was the only one that I found that didn’t leave me with an uneasy feeling with the information I found. Being able to talk to patients who had been there helped a lot as well. Then recently talking to my therapist who had a patient go over for the same treatment and came home walking with assistance.

The treatment will consist of a 6-8 week stay at the 25-bed clinic, which is just off the main hospital. Once I get to the clinic I will have bone marrow extracted, that will also be mixed with retinal stem cells (from an organ donor) to grow over 23 million stem cells to be re-implanted. Each week for 4 weeks they will implant a minimum of5.5 million stem cells with a lumbar puncture procedure and then laying flat on my back for 6 hours for the cells to ‘stick’. The neurosurgeons are still looking to see if I will qualify to have one implant directly into the brain stem which they say is super beneficial, but I haven’t heard back on that as of yet. There will also be daily Physical, occupational, massage, acupuncture therapies, along with other Chinese medicines. It isn’t an easy program, but one that I am looking forward to.

Many have expressed concerns about the possibility of embryonic stem cells being used. Please be assured that this is NOT the case, I will be using retinal stem cells from an organ donor, just like a heart, liver or kidney donor, except mine will come from the eye of the donor. I would never have even considered this program if they were using embryonic stem cells on me. I don’t care how many promises it made. I would rather sit in this chair and go home to the Lord sooner before using embryonic cells for my gain.

So what is this treatment suppose to do? This has been proven to reverse symptoms of disease, help regain movements, sight, and basic functions to the body. MANY are able to begin walking again, although it may be with assistance, taking months to regain strength because of lost or weak muscles, it is still a start. This treatment has enabled many to regain the ability to talk and eat again without the fear of choking. It has enabled many the blessing to just sit up in a chair without falling over, to brush their own teeth and dress themselves, or something as simple as feeling someone hold their hand. This is HOPE for many.

What do I hope from this treatment; the very first thing is that it brings glory and honor to the Lord. I hope that many will see how He works in my life on a daily basis, regardless of what situation I am in. I hope that I will be able to regain strength and walk again. I hope to have my organs to begin to function properly again. I would like to see this disease GO AWAY for GOOD!!! I hope that this will in some way show those in the USA that treatment can be done without using the fetal cells and embryonic cells for research. We don’t need to use them to get the results needed to help the sick and dying.

What if I don’t get the results I want? OK, we are all selfish when it comes to not getting what we want and I am no different. But I have to say that if nothing else, it this treatment can stop this disease from progressing any further, I will be happy. Yes, I want to walk, and do all the things I use to do, but I have to be realistic about things as well. I know that there is a possibility that I may not walk again and to be honest, I think I am ok with that, however that isn’t going to stop me from trying. We won’t know for sure the full effect of the treatments for about 18 months, as it takes that long for the cells to do their job, and with the continued treatments after coming home. It will take time to regain lost muscles through therapies. Yes, I am up to that challenge for this treatment.

I have been challenged over the last 6 years and have had to go through things that I wouldn’t wish upon anyone. But at the same time, I am blessed to have been able to go through them as well. I have grown so much closer to the Lord; I have met some amazing people that I would have never even had the chance to meet. My room-mate, Ruby, that many of you have heard me talk about from the nursing home, changed my life forever in a way that few could ever understand, I truly have to say that she was my wake up call to life when I needed it the most and without this illness I would have never met her. You sure can learn a lot from those who have lived, loved and lost much in life.

Let me take a few seconds to thank each of you for your love and support. My life has been forever touch by you and I will be forever blessed to call you my friends and family. I also want to Thank the Lord for placing me in situations that only he knew that I would be able to get through, Thank you for staying beside me when I couldn’t stand to be beside myself. Thank you for loving me unconditionally, you are my rock, my shelter, my redeemer, my healer, you are my Savior.