Click the link below to watch Katie’s remarkable progress via her latest documentary on Channel4. Katie Piper’s journey to recovery is so inspirational.
A former model and television presenter who was left partially blind in one eye after an acid attack has had her sight restored following stem-cell surgery.
Katie Piper, 29, suffered third degree burns and had to have her face reconstructed after the attack in 2008, when her spurned ex-boyfriend, Daniel Lynch, 35, arranged for Stefan Sylvestre, 22, to throw acid in her face.
The incident left her scarred for life and damaged her left eye.
Katie has had hundreds of plastic surgery operations, including skin grafts to remould the skin around her eyes.
She also had to wear a mask for 23 hours a day to stretch her scar tissue.
But her sight has now been restored thanks to doctors at the Queen Victoria hospital in East Grinstead, West Sussex, who used eye tissue from the cornea of an anonymous male donor. The cells then grew and three weeks later were stitched into Piper’s damaged eye.
Her eye was then covered with amniotic membrane – womb lining donated by women who have had caesarean births which acted as a bandage.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, Katie said:
‘It has been an amazing feeling. It wasn’t like I took the bandage off and my sight came back like that, it happened gradually.
‘But after three weeks I started to see results. I’d seen a lot of progress with my scars, but my sight was the one injury I’d say to myself was permanent and least expected to change. I do feel like I’m winning.’
Sheraz Daya, the surgeon who led the team, has successfully treated more than 60 patients with the procedure.
He said: ‘Our goal is to make sure the cornea heals. The best part of it is that it begins to clear and sight is restored.’
At 63 years of age, Suzanne Somers is a true inspiration. In an article from News Max Health (written by Kathleen Walter and Nick Tate), Suzanne shares her latest breakthrough.
Suzanne Somers agonized over the decision to use a cutting-edge stem cell technology to reconstruct the breast she lost to cancer. When she began researching the procedure, it wasn’t being offered in the United States. Women who wanted to have it performed had to travel to Asia, Germany, or the Dominican Republic.
In an exclusive video interview with Newsmax Health (shown below), Suzanne details how she was able to work with doctors at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital and federal officials to gain approval to become the first woman in America to undergo the pioneering technique.
It’s the most incredible advancement in breast cancer treatment that I am aware of,” she says.
The procedure itself is enormously complex, but Suzanne explains the key elements of the technique.
“Here’s my layman’s interpretation,” she says. “They took fat from my stomach – boo hoo! – they took that fat and in a highly technical piece of machinery….whipped the stem cells out.”
By separating out the stem cells, doctors could “clean” them and identify the strongest cells, and discard the weakest ones, she says.
“So it was like the fat was just rich with those [strongest] stem cells,” Suzanne explains. “And then, again in layman’s terms, they took something that looked to me like a turkey baster and in the bottom of this breast they kept injecting, injecting, injecting this fat-and-stem-cell solution until it blew up to be the same size as the other one.”
Today, she says her new breast is very much like the one she had before her cancer.
“It’s beautiful, it’s soft, it has full feeling. It’s all me,” she notes. “And there’s no foreign object, and there’s no scar.”
Somers says she felt it was important for her to undergo the procedure not just for herself, but to help other women with breast cancer in this country.
“I am the first woman to legally regrow a breast in the United States,” she says. “It took me three years to get permission … with Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital, to qualify me for a clinical trial with the [Food and Drug Administration].”
She wanted to go through the complex experimental process here – securing approval from a hospital institutional review board (IRB) and the FDA – so that other women in this country can benefit from her experience.
“It was important for me to have it done in the United States because … we’re almost like a Third World country here, relative to stem cells,” Suzanne says. “Science is supposed to progress. And the fact that they’ve put up these road blocks with stem cell protocols is pushing back science. It feels wrong. Most people have to spend their life savings going offshore to have this done in a country that’s not theirs with doctors they don’t know.”
She adds: “I wanted it to be an American achievement by an American doctor on an American woman so hopefully my clinical trial will open up the possibility for women in this country to utilize stem cell protocols. And hopefully this will be the first option in the future. It’s more humane.”
She acknowledges that the procedure is not simple or easy, and may not be for everyone.
“Liposuction is not for sissies,” she cautions. “When they removed fat from my stomach — I’m really happy to have given them that fat — but that hurt like crazy.”
Although she extensively researched the procedure before having it done, she also acknowledges feeling anxious about it, since she was the first to undergo the procedure.
“I was a human guinea pig because I was the virgin operation with Dr. Joel Aronowitz,” she says.
But she says the results were worth all the effort, pain, and anxiety.
“I cannot tell you what a thrill it is to look down and see myself whole again,” she says.
“I’ve had a hard time keeping my clothes on it looks so nice!”
She envisions a day when doctors can remove the cancer from a woman’s breast and immediately take fat “from whatever part of the body she wants to get rid of it” and regrow her breast using stem cells. She also believes the procedure might one day be used to replace other body parts — including limbs and heart valves.
“The future is so clearly in nanotechnology and stem cells, and I actually feel very proud that I might have opened this door a crack to stem cell protocols,” she says.
“In the future when we’re able to utilize them, you’ll be able regrow heart valves and, down the road, limbs. Imagine what this might mean for enlisted people?”
But for now, she says the message is clear: This stem-cell procedure can work for women with breast cancer, and she feels she’s in the best position to raise awareness about it.
“Women listen to me,” she says. “I’ve sold 25 million books around the world, and they look to me as the alternative layperson face. I wanted to do this not only for me, but I wanted to do this for them. And, in fact, I saw in the footage when I came out of the ether, the first thing I said — in my drug haze — is this is a great advance for women.”
To see more on Suzanne’s breast reconstruction procedure, go to her website at: suzannesomers.com..
Coming next week to Newsmax Health: How other women can benefit from stem cell procedures.
Click the video below to hear Barry speak about his incredible journey and his turn around since receiving adult stem cell treatment.
When Barry Goudy found out he had multiple sclerosis he feared the worst. Doctors told him he might lose his eye sight and the ability to walk. As a very active husband, father and hockey coach, Barry couldn’t think of anything worse than losing his ability to get around. But then he learned of a new way to treat MS with a stem cell transplant. The transplant worked and today he’s living proof of the miracles that can come from Adult Stem Cell Research.
World-renowned cell-therapy researcher, Doris Taylor, PhD, joins Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital.
HOUSTON–(EON: Enhanced Online News)–Officials at the Texas Heart Institute (THI) at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital (St. Luke’s) announced today that Doris Taylor, PhD, FAHA, FACC, one of the world’s leading cell therapy and cardiac regeneration scientists, will join THI beginning March 1, 2012.
“I am confident that I am joining a regenerative medicine program that is unparalleled. And, given the breadth of innovation and science in Houston, I have every confidence that building solutions for heart diseases not only has a long history, but a bright future.”
Dr. Taylor’s research includes: Cell and gene therapy for treatment of cardiovascular disease; tissue engineering of bioartificial organs and vasculature; cell-based prevention of disease; stem cells and cancer; and holistic approaches to using cell therapy for treating chronic disease.
Most recently, Dr. Taylor and her team garnered international recognition for work involving “whole organ decellularization” by showing they were able to remove existing cells from hearts of laboratory animals and even humans leaving a framework to build new organs. They repopulated the framework with other adult stem cells then provided a blood supply, and the heart regenerated with the characteristics and functions of a revitalized beating heart.
The hope is that this research is an early step toward being able to grow a fully functional human heart in the laboratory. Dr. Taylor has demonstrated that the process works for other organs as well – opening a door in the field of organ transplantation.
It is significant in that the need for transplants continues to grow, while the supply of donor organs remains critically low.
“Dr. Taylor is certainly one of the stars in the adult human stem cell field, and we feel extremely fortunate to have her join our team,” said Dr. James T. Willerson, THI’s President and Medical Director. “Her work fits very well with our mission and goals, and she certainly helps to solidify THI as a leader in cell therapy, which is one of the most promising hopes for treating cardiovascular disease.”
“The chance to work with Dr. Willerson and the THI team as colleagues is very exhilarating. From molecules, to cells, to organs and tissues, we want to create solutions for people with disease,” said Dr. Taylor. “I am confident that I am joining a regenerative medicine program that is unparalleled. And, given the breadth of innovation and science in Houston, I have every confidence that building solutions for heart diseases not only has a long history, but a bright future.”
The move to Houston will also bring her closer to her family, notes Dr. Taylor.
Dr. Taylor has been serving as director of the Center for Cardiovascular Repair and Medtronic Bakken Chair in Integrative Biology and Physiology at the University of Minnesota. Prior to that she was on the faculty as Associate Professor in Cardiology at Duke University Medical Center.
A native of Mississippi, Dr. Taylor holds a B.S. in biology from Mississippi University for Women and a Doctorate in pharmacology from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas.
About the Texas Heart® Institute
The Texas Heart Institute (www.texasheart.org), founded by world-renowned cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Denton A. Cooley in 1962, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the devastating toll of cardiovascular disease through innovative and progressive programs in research, education and improved patient care. Together with its clinical partner, St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, it has been ranked among the top 10 cardiovascular centers in the United States by U.S. News & World Report’s annual guide to “America’s Best Hospitals” for the past 21 years. The Texas Heart Institute is also affiliated with the University of Texas (UT) System, which promotes collaboration in cardiovascular research and education among UT and THI faculty at the Texas Heart Institute and other UT components.
About St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System
St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System (StLukesTexas.com) includes St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in the Texas Medical Center, founded in 1954 by the Episcopal Diocese of Texas; St. Luke’s The Woodlands Hospital; St. Luke’s Sugar Land Hospital; St. Luke’s Lakeside Hospital; St. Luke’s Patients Medical Center; St. Luke’s Hospital at The Vintage; and St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities, a charity devoted to assessing and enhancing community health, especially among the underserved. St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital is home to the Texas Heart®Institute, which was founded in 1962 by Denton A. Cooley, MD, and is consistently ranked among the top 10 cardiology and heart surgery centers in the country by U.S. News & World Report. Affiliated with several nursing schools and three medical schools, St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital was the first hospital in Texas named a Magnet hospital for nursing excellence, receiving the award three times.
Doctors are using stem cells in a clinical trial for those who suffer from ALS. This is the first clinical trial of its kind for ALS patients. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.
Click the link below to hear from Tom Elliott who has taken part in the trial.
Christopher Lyles is the first U.S. patient to undergo a tracheal transplant using his own stem cells.
Christopher Lyles, 30, of Abingdon, Md, exhausted the limited treatment options available in the U.S. for his tracheal cancer. But Lyles read about an experimental tracheal transplant procedure surgeons performed in Europe using adult stem cells.
“Every surgeon told me it was inoperable,” said Lyles. “It was hard to hear that.”
Lyles reached out to Dr. Paolo Macchiarini, director of the Advanced Center for Translational Regenerative Medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, who was the head surgeon in previous transplant cases.
After a 12 hour procedure in Sweden, Lyles was breathing through a lab grown windpipe that doctors fashioned from his own stem cells.
Doctors regenerated tissue from Lyles bone marrow stem cells to create a trachea biologically identical to Lyles original organ. Lyle underwent the transplant in November and arrived back home Wednesday.
Within three months, Lyles was able to eat and speak on his own, he said.
“I’m going one step further every day,” said Lyle.
According to Dr. Mark Iannettoni, Head of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at University of Iowa, a trachea is a fragile organ because it is mostly cartilage, which has a poor blood supply.
“Once damaged, it is difficult to get it to heal correctly,” said Iannettoni.
In June 2011, Lyles was diagnosed with a rare form of trachea cancer. Unlike some patients with the same condition, Lyles’ tumor extended below his thyroid gland and did not affect his voice box.
Trachea cancer is resistant to chemotherapy and radiation and attempts to replace the trachea with mechanical devices have not been effective.
Lyles’ first underwent seven rounds of chemotherapy and 33 rounds of radiation treatment between July and September.
Using a patient’s own stem cells not only could help to rebuild the fragile tissue, but also potentially could bypass the risk of having the organ rejected, according to Dr. Eric Lambright, surgical director of lung transplant at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, who was not involved with the procedure.
“These patients [are] otherwise sentenced to rather significant horrible quality of life related to their tumors and heroic measures may indeed be very appropriate,” said Lambright.
After surgery, Lyles contracted pneumonia in both lungs, which slowed his recovery.
The experimental procedure, not covered by medical insurance, cost between $300,000 to $600,000, Lyles said. The family asked for at least $300,000 donation through the non-profit organization Help Hope Live, which works to fund uninsured transplant-related expenses.
“I hope my situation can help other people and we can lobby for those that don’t have a voice,” Lyles said.
Macchiarini and his surgical team have been performing the transplants since 2008, when they transplanted a trachea using adult stem cells on a woman who suffered from tuberculosis. The procedure was first implemented on patients with tracheal cancer in August 2010.
According to Macchiarini, the team collected stem cells from the two patients’ nose and bone marrow, and grew two different types of tissues from the cells that resembled the different surfaces of the trachea. The tissues covered the outer and inner linings of the donor trachea.
The team transplanted a new windpipe with tissue grown from her own stem cells and did not need to administer anti-rejection drugs, according to the case report, published in the December 2008 Lancet.
While the procedure seemed to have worked in a few patients, many experts said the method is still in the earliest stages of development.
“This is a research project and not a proven therapy,” said Dr. Larry Goldstein, director of the stem cell program at University of California San Diego. “There’s an important step from innovative therapy to the research needed to bring the innovative therapy to a large number of people.”
In fact, Goldstein said there’s a lot more information needed to know exactly how the procedure worked.
Lambright said it is still early to tell if the procedure works for a larger number of patients.
“We are a long ways away from knowing whether or not any of this has real durable application,” said Lambright.
But Lyles said that without the procedure his doctors told him he may not have been alive today.
“I think this is a viable solution to this type of cancer,” said Lyles. “I’m happy to have been a part of it.”
Macchiarini said this procedure could pave the way for other challenging transplants including the heart valve, chest wall, lungs and the esophagus.
“We need to be very cautious and don’t make hope for patients with cancer, because this is experimental,” said Macchiarini. “But so far the patients have had incredible results for an untreatable cancer.”
Prominent Texan, Dusty Durrill, discusses his improvements after undergoing stem cell therapy for osteoarthritis at the Stem Cell Institute in Panama City, Panama. Click to listen to Dusty explain how stem cell treatment changed his life.
This video is the property of the Stem Cell Institute.
Doctor Fouad Ghaly explains why the Stem Cell Worx Intraoral Spray is a top supplement. This natural health supplement is taken sublingually (sprayed under the tongue). This delivery method provides a 95% absorption rate of nutrients compared to just 10% – 20% that capsules and tablets provide. It is also most cost effective as its a concentrated formula that stacks three extremely powerful ingredients to provide greater synergistic benefits.
Emily suffers from cerebral palsy. Dr. Steenblock treated Emily with full stem cell replacement therapy, that involved using her own adult stem cells taken from her own bone marrow. Watch Emily’s video below. Her results are incredible within a very short time.
Thanks to the American Family Association for this video. Doctor David Prentice gives us another update on adult stem cell research. The Doctor makes it clear, the differences between (more controversial) embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells.
Doctor Prentice explains that all of the progress and success stories have come with adult stem cells and will continue to do so. Adult stem cells are the future of healthcare and regenerative medicine.
Doctor Prentice explains that hundreds-of thousands of people have been treated with adult stem cell treatments/therapies.
This video is not intended to be political in any way.