Dee's 12 Days in Bangkok: stem cell therapy in paradise

New Patient Dee has just completed her stem cell therapy and was kind enough to share the emails she sent home during her stay. Read on to share her experience, thoughts, hopes and prayers. Thanks for sharing Dee!

July 17, 2005

To all my family and friends;

I will just send one letter to all of you.

I am in Bangkok, Thailand and it is a very beautiful place, we were greeted at the airport by Jitra and Koi and Don Margolis. They had a beautiful bouquet of flowers for me. The limo picked us up and to us to the Marriott Resort and Spa.

The place is unbelievable. The Thai people are so kind and treat you like you are royalty. They bow and call you Madame. We have walked around our grounds and next door to the hotel is a shopping area. Where there is a Sizzler, Dairy Queen, Pizza Hut and a McDonalds it is so funny to see those familiar places here.

Last night (7-16- ) we went to dinner with Don Margolis and met two other couples from the USA who are going to be treated also. One man named Dale will be injected on Tues. and he is from Dallas, TX and the other man whose name is David will be injected on the 25th when I am getting injected also.

I am at the Chaophya Hospital, I am having tests done today and my blood will be drawn and sent to Israel for processing.

This is really an exciting adventure. To think that in about one month my heart will be growing new veins for renewing my heart. So, sad that this cannot be done in the United States and a person will have to go out of country to achieve this benefit.

When I leave the hospital on Tues morning starting Wednesday we will go see the Royal Palace and some Temples and we hope to go to the River Kwai.

Lunch is served and I shall go sample some the great Thai food.

I will again notify all of what is going on.

D

************

July 18, 2005

Hello Everyone,

Tonight is the step to adventure in my life. They do the blood draw and fly my blood to Israel for the processing. To think that I am actually on the cutting edge of advances in medicine is almost unbelievable. God has been very good and very gracious to me. He has opened every door in almost record time to get me to this place in my race for endurance in every day life. I thank Him daily for all His blessings. And I thank Him for all my friends and family who have held me up in prayer. Dalyne has been a great blessing also by just being with me in the foreign land. She has stayed with me at the hospital all day long for two days now, and never complained once. WHAT A FRIEND!

I go to the hotel tonight after the blood draw and then I go to the Bangkok Heart Center on Wednesday for a Nuclear Stress Test. Thursday we are going sightseeing with Belle and Jitra two very nice ladies for the TheraVitae Company with whom I am getting my Stem Cells processed. The people from this Co have treated us as if we were royalty. They are so kind and helpful and always have a ready smile for you.

The hospital staff here at Chaophya Hospital is the same. The nurses are at a moments call and so very friendly. Hoon is a very nice lady who helps explain a lot about the Thai culture to us. And we have fun trying to communicate with our nurses. We have decided that we will teach each other our language.

This has and will be the most exciting adventure of my life and thanks to a loving husband who was with me 100% on this; I hope to have a much healthier life starting in the next month or two.

D

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July 25, 2005

To Family, Friends and one and all,

Today has finally arrived and this is the first day of the rest of my life so to speak. I am at the Chaophya Hospital. They are running all the normal testing prior to the injection. I find this hard to believe that the 25th Angiogram that I am about to receive will deliver life giving cells to strengthen me and give me a much better quality of life.

I cannot say enough of the kindness of the people here. Thailand is truly a country of smiles. The Doctors are very kind, taking time to explain every procedure to you, making sure you feel at ease. The nurses are just as kind. And when I arrived this morning, Reen was delighted to see me. Said she had missed our time together. She had spent all day Wednesday at the Siriraj Hospital with me while I was getting my Nuclear Stress Test.

Bell another lovely lady, took Dalyne, Cathy (her husband is here for cells also) and Nadia (her husband is waiting to draw blood for cells) the five of us went touring with Bell as our guide. What an awesome time we had, we saw the Palace, the Emerald Buddha Temple and went to the large shopping center and had lunch. We laughed and had such a good time. The day went by very quickly. We hope to go to the Jim Thompson house of silk this Thursday. He was an American that was an expert on Thai Silk. There are here now to start my IV so I must go, but please remember in your prayers. All of your consider yourselves hugged.

Remember God is good ALL the time not just for the large things we ask for.
We are blessed daily by His goodness and His love and for that I am very grateful.

D

***********

July 26, 2005

To All My Family and Friends,

Yesterday at about 8:00 pm (7-25-05 Thai Time) I went on the journey of my life.

I was taken into the Cath Lab at Chaophya Hospital and the procedure was in progress for the injection of My Own Stem Cells, how amazing is that? It was a little more intense than I had figured but it went well. I spent the night in ICCU with an RN that stayed in the room with me all night and never left my side. She was so attentive and cordial. There are no mere words that can explain how caring these Thai nurses are. They treat every patient as if they were royalty. The head nurse in ICCU whose name is Pat; is also very kind and caring, taking time to explain everything to you. If a buzzer went off, there was a nurse instantly, not arriving 10 minutes later.

I am now back on my regular floor and will go to the Marriott Hotel tomorrow morning and Thursday, we will go see the Jim Thompson Silk house, and that will be the last tour for me. Friday evening late, we will fly home to America and should arrive at LAX about 10:00 am.

I cannot give the people at TheraVitae enough thanks for all the help and consideration shown to us while we were here in Thailand. They were all so very kind and I feel as if I have new friends that will always share a special place in my life. Bell, she is funny and very animated, Jitra, who is sweet and quiet very much the lady and Sok, who was kind enough to spend the day sharing his knowledge of Thailand with us, and very much a gentleman. And last but not least Don Margolis, who has been my cheerleader all along this interesting travel of a lifetime.

I have met very nice people from the United States who are here also; Dale and Angie Morrison from Texas and David and Cathy Lueck from Indiana. We have all shared our thoughts and dreams of a great future for all of us with a healthy life.

There are not enough words to thank TheraVitae for the hopeful future they have offered and made available to me and all the others. I can only say that may God bless all of you and may your work continue for years to come.

Dee

*********

July 27, 2005
To all my family and friends

Today I leave the hospital and return to the Marriot Hotel and then we fly home Friday evening.

This has been an experience I shall remember the rest of my life. I have had a wonderful friend and traveling companion who has shared each step of the memorable experience with me. This morning the Hospital Administrator and the surgery crew and all the Doctors came to my room to extend their best wishes for my recovery and to wish me a good trip home. We had our picture taken with all of them, and they shall send us copies.

I shall never be able to express my gratitude to all of the hospital personnel for their kindness to me and Dalyne while staying here at the Chaophya Hospital. This hospital is equivalent to our hospitals at home and maybe better to some degree.

Thailand is a beautiful country with beautiful friendly people. And it has been a joy to be here, not just for my Stem Cell Therapy; but also for the experience of enjoying such a beautiful place.
To TheraVitae, there are no words to express the gratitude for this opportunity. Don Margolis is an awesome person and I wish each and every one of you could meet him.

To all of you; I again thank you for your prayers, kind thoughts and encouragement. When I arrive home I shall e-mail all to let you know we have arrived safely.

Consider yourselves hugged!!

Dee

Billy Bob's Treatment Story: Part 3

Marie's last updates of her trip with husband Billy Bob Williams who underwent stem cell therapy in Bangkok at the end of June. You can read Marie's first two entries in our recent article links and posts.

This concludes the story of Billy Bob and Marie in Bangkok, but it's not the end of the story for Billy Bob! He reports that he is doing well and we will try to get an update on him in the next week as he reaches the one month from treatment mark.

July 1, 2005
This will be our last update from Bangkok! It is hard to believe but the journey is about to end. Billy was dismissed from the hospital at noon today Friday, June 30. We were given quite a send off by the doctors, nurses and staff. The hospital and TheraVitae had both made arrangements for a video interview to use in their promotion of Stem Cell Therapy. After an emotional goodbye we headed back to the hotel for lunch with Jitra and Bell at Benihana's. Can you believe neither of them had been to Benihana's so we loved treating them for a change.
Billy has spent the afternoon resting while I packed (only needed two new suitcases!). We are looking forward to our return flight on Malaysia Air! Billy is feeling great and is eager to get home to catch up with all our friends. We will be arriving in Dallas Sunday night, the 3rd just in time for July 4th. We anticipate a very low key celebration this year but as soon as Billy is caught up with his rest we look forward to visiting with all of you and sharing our pictures of this incredible experience. We were actually presented with pictures taken during the procedure by the hospital today (not to worry they aren't scary).
We are excited about the upcoming opportunity to share our experience with others who suffer from illnesses that could be treated by Stem Cell Therapy. It appears that there will be great opportunities for so many who suffer from various types of illnesses in the very near future with the stem cell studies currently being done. Billy will be a pioneer but the decision was not a hard one to make after being told there was nothing further that could be done for him. For those of you that know Billy you know quite well that giving up is not an option!
Our love and prayers of gratitude continue to each of you and we pray for God's greatest blessings for each and every one!
Billy & Marie


July 2, 2005
As I quickly emailed last night Billy's procedure went great, he was moved to CCU [Critical Care Unit] after, which is standard procedure and I was allowed to spend the night with him in his room. He was not allowed to move the leg that that was used to do the catheterization which made for a pretty uncomfortable night, so we had quite a slumber party, Bangkok hospital style! The great news is that we could not have ask to have been treated any better. One of the doctors actually slept in the room next to ours to be available in the event Billy needed anything. As of this afternoon Billy was back on the 7th floor receiving all of the attention he loves and deserves. The nurses on that floor were glad to get Mr. Billy Bob back! He wanted me to tell all of you he feels GREAT!
Tomorrow we will check Billy out of the hospital, get back to the hotel and pack for our trip home on Friday. We will be leaving here at 5:10 Friday, fly to Kuala Lumpur which takes about 1 1/2 hours spend the night there, fly on to LA on Saturday and on to Dallas on Sunday evening.
It is so unbelievable that our journey is about to come to an end! Although we are anxious to get home we are truly overwhelmed at the treatment, the compassion and caring attention we have received! I will never be able to adequately express the experience we have had. Billy & I look forward to sharing our story with many others who suffer from this illness that are unaware of Stem Cell Therapy! As far as our friends that are healthy and love to travel, you must come to Bangkok!
We hope to keep all of you up to date with Billy's progress as we feel that all of you have helped us to have this incredible experience and we want to share the great news of his impending improvement! Love to you all!
Billy & Marie

Stem Cell Clinical Trial by Johns Hopkins NOT Groundbreaking

The announcement of a forthcoming clinical trial to be conducted by Johns Hopkins has been picked up by the Associated Press and made its way into a wide variety of news publications over the last couple days. The media seems to think the human Phase I trial and the research team's previous work with pigs is ground breaking stuff. It is not.

Similar trials in Brazil, Germany and Thailand precede the Johns Hopkins study and here in Bangkok, hospitals are already treating heart disease patients with stem cell therapy.

The real news story is about those lucky few who have discovered stem cell therapy now and are enjoying better lives because of it. How many misguided Americans will wait (and die) for treatment to become available in the United States years from now that is already available in Thailand?

How do stem cells heal the heart?

I came across an interesting article on Science Blogs today:

"Cells were dying in the heart and there were simply not enough new cells to replace them," he says. "They were tired soldiers who could no longer work efficiently, and there were no new soldiers coming to take their place."

One of Dr. Amit Patel's theory of why stem cell therapy works is that the cells act as "beacons" to the body telling it to activate its own healing abilities.

Dr. Patel gave an interview to NPR in which he described his ideas on how stem cells work. You can listen to it here

Interesting stuff!!

From our Founder

July 16, 2005

From our Founder

What an exciting week for Theravitae!

On Wednesday, a patient from Texas had his blood drawn and couriered to our lab in Israel. The stem cells will be back next Wednesday, and, three hours after the El Al flight touches down, they will be starting their mission to bring the patient’s heart new vitality and, most importantly, bring him back to a more normal lifestyle by reducing his symptoms.

On Thursday, another patient, this one a woman from California, arrived in Bangkok. She was inspired by Jeannine's story and I am sure that others will be inspired by this patients story when we tell it!

On Friday, a third patient, from Indiana, and his wife touched down at 11pm and less than two hours later were safely ensconced in their 5-star luxury quarters at the Marriott Spa as were the other two patients before them. This last patient had a minor scare over July 4th weekend when a blood test seemed to rule him out, but his Cardiologist refused to believe it without confirmation, and it turned out he was right.

After these two patients’ blood is drawn on Monday, it will be immediately cold-packed and flown overnight to Israel. There, a small number of stem cells in their blood will be isolated, multiplied and differentiated into millions of therapeutic cells called Angiogenic Cell Precursors. Doctors at Chaophya Hospital will then use a specially designed catheter device developed by Dr. Amit Patel of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, to implant these cells directly into the heart implant these cells into the arteries and veins of their hearts using a special catheter.

Join me in wishing them the best!
Don Margolis
Founder, Theravitae

Billy Bob's Story Part 2

Marie Williams, wife of Stem Cell Therapy patient Billy Bob Williams was kind enough to include us in the emails she sent to loved ones while in Bangkok with her husband during the week he prepared for and received treatment with VesCell.This is Part 2 of their story, keep watching for more updates:

"June 24, 2005

Thailand time is 8:02 evening as all of our friends and relatives are waking up at 8:02 Friday morning. I am sorry that I haven’t written in a couple of days but it has been busy here. Thursday Billy was released from the hospital early afternoon to go back to the hotel. All reports on all of the new tests were great and we are on 100% go for Tuesday, 28th for the procedure.

The doctors have asked that Billy not venture away from the hotel as they don’t want him taking any risks of any kind. We are scheduled to check back in to the hospital at 8AM on Tuesday and the procedure is scheduled for 4PM. After the procedure it is standard for the patient to go directly into intensive care for that night and providing all goes well he will be moved back to the 7th floor where he was earlier this week. Doctors want him to spend one more night at the hospital just for observation and hopefully released on Thursday, June 30th to go back to the hotel.

Current plans have us leaving Bangkok on Friday, July 1 & flying to Kuala Lumpur & spending the night. On Saturday, July 2 we fly on to LA, spend the night and fly into DFW on July 3.

All of a sudden time seems to be going very quickly. Yesterday before we left the hospital we had a visit from Calvin, the first person from the states to have had the stem cell therapy. He is the one that is now doing 90 ft. dives for 30 minutes at a time. He was a firefighter in New York previously, but after spending time in Bangkok never went home after his surgery. Not to worry though, we are coming home!

Today was another tuff day in paradise however! We woke up to the same old beautiful view, decided to go downstairs for breakfast and experiment with food again. After exploring the hotel and grounds, taking more pictures, we decided to treat ourselves to a massage. What a wonderful and relaxing experience! We both felt like melted butter!

After a great lunch it was rest time for Billy B. and a tour of the Jim Thompson house & a shopping experience for me with Bell. We have become so attached to Bell. What a loving and caring young woman. So very responsive to our needs and her concern is so very genuine. It has been so interesting to talk to her at length about Thailand, the culture, her life, and to tell her about our lives in the states. She is totally intrigued. She graduated from university with a degree in English and is extremely intelligent. I will miss her so much when we leave. Thank goodness for emails and instant messaging! I am instant messaging with four people as I write so I hope this makes sense when I get finished!!

Tomorrow (Saturday), Sunday and Monday will be an opportunity to soak up more of the beautiful surroundings, indulge in more spa time, try more of the wonderful restaurants, experiment with food and I am contemplating taking a Thai cooking class! The Manohra Dining Cruise barge has classes from 9 to 12. They cruise across the river to the open market where we shop for food for 5 dishes and their chef’s assist us with the preparation of the food on the return cruise. Does that sound like fun or what! Who knows maybe I can make all of us an original Thai dinner someday soon!

Enough for now just wanted to let all of you know that we are not only well but incredibly well! You are all in our prayers, our prayers of gratitude for your love, friendship and support. More later!"

-Marie

Breaking the cultural barrier for Thai patients

Dr. Thein Htut is TheraVitae's Marketing Director and a member of TheraVitae's Executive Board. He was kind enough to share some of his thoughts on treating Thai patients.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thailand, also known as land of smiles, is a country where the vast majority of people do not have a tradition of using modern medicine to treat their own health problems. This cultural barrier to modern medical technology is rapidly eroding.

I have noticed this change as a 17-year resident living and working in Thailand and contributing my experience and knowledge in the Medical and Bio-technology fields. After nearly two decades of bringing new innovative treatments and high tech medical equipment and medical technology to Thai doctors and hospitals, the modernization of Thai medicine and the attitudes of Thai people towards it continue to amaze me.

One of the most interesting days of my life--shared with my colleagues from TheraVitae Co., Ltd, Bangkok--came on Monday the 11th of July 2005. This was the day we had the first Thai patient in Thailand treated with VesCell™ Therapy (Autologous Stem Cell Therapy) in conjunction with Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) at Bangkok Heart Hospital, in Bangkok. This five-hour open heart bypass surgery was performed by one of the most experienced and professional Cardiac Surgeon and cardiac team I have ever seen. Although VesCell™ Therapy has been given to patients with ischemic heart disease with severe chest pain (angina pectoris) using the intra coronary catheter base approach at Siriraj hospital and Chaophya hospital, the procedure I witnessed is a newer innovative technique. Fifteen cc of adult stem cells, named ACPs (Angiogenic Cell Precursors) obtained from the patient’s own blood were harvested in Thailand and sent to Israel, where the cells were isolated and grown for several days. After being flown back to Bangkok, these cells were injected directly into the lateral and apical portion of the infarcted myocardial area of the left ventricle during the open heart bypass surgery. Direct ACPs injection can also be given to the whole of the heart myocardium if necessary. ACPs injection may facilitate the regeneration of the myocardium as well as the blood flow to the effective area of infarct.

It seems to me that the Thai people are getting to know more about how to take care of their health and are paying more attention on their own health care as well as the health care of friends and family. There are still many Thais who are hesitant to see a doctor for medical care or surgery. I have seen a lot of patients going to a pharmacy to get advice and treatment from a pharmacist rather than going to see a doctor. Such people leave the pharmacy not knowing whether the medication will really get rid of their problem. On the other hand, the more educated Thais tend to see a doctor for their illness and get the right medicine with the right dosage. The cultural change needed to trust and use modern medicine is happening slowly but surely.

TheraVitae is helping to break this cultural barrier for Thai patients. I am not surprised to hear that more and more patients are learning about VesCell™ Therapy. This novel treatment has already become a focus for many patients with severe cardiac disorders as well as for their attending cardiologists who may have performed a series of treatments for their patients including bypass surgery and angioplasties. Today in Thailand, we have Cardiac Surgeons and Cardiologist/Interventionist prescribing VesCell™ Therapy for patients with Ischemic Heart Disease as well as for Congestive Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathy. Because of trends in the changing of behaviors, ideas, knowledge, and the use of the new innovative treatments for patients without other option, I believe the new generation of Cardiologist and Cardiac Surgeons in Thailand will tend to opt for the best treatment that can bring their patients back to normal life and that are also safe to use without any complications and side effects.

Today, many Thai people have access to the internet. They are able to find increasingly more information about their health care options. As more and more people have come to learn about new and modern treatments such as VesCell™ Therapy, the more Thai people are breaking down cultural barriers to modern medical technology. Increasing numbers of Thais want to arm themselves with knowledge and learn more about how to take care of their health not only traditionally but by the most modern ways available.

Hospitals in Thailand are receiving enquiries not only from overseas patients, but also from Thai patients who are interested in VesCell™ Therapy. I am very pleased to know that patients who have been treated with VesCell™ Therapy have improved clinically, physically and mentally. Patients are also happy and willing to tell their stories about how they were treated with VesCell™ Therapy, how they are enjoying being back to a more normal life with their families as well as spreading the news to others who may have similar heart therapy needs as their own.

As more and more patients with severe cardiac disorder who have taken conventional treatments find out that they can no longer bring their health back to normal life I can see a future where they will be increasingly opting for VesCell™ Therapy, The Novel Treatment for the Heart from TheraVitae, one step beyond!

Dr. Thein Htut

Billy Bob's Stem Cell Therapy Story Part 1

Marie Williams, wife of Stem Cell Therapy patient Billy Bob Williams was kind enough to include us in the emails she sent to loved ones while in Bangkok with her husband during the week he prepared for and received treatment with VesCell.

This is Part 1 of their story, keep watching for more updates:

[my comments in brackets --Paul]

"Is it really still Wednesday? I could have sworn the last 8 hours were more like 2 or 3 days. I am not complaining however. To whom much is given, much is expected and we have been given so very much. I fully expected this would be a long day and have not been disappointed. Billy was taken by ambulance this morning to the public hospital here in Bangkok ONLY because they have the most modern technology available in all of Thailand for the nuclear test. Other than the fact that he could not eat and did not finish all the testing until 4 PM today we cannot complain. Again we were given priority treatment by everyone involved. The public hospital is much like our Parkland Hospital. Soooo many people, all smiling of course!

As Billy rested between tests Bell [their Patient Care Coordinator--the TheraVitae employee who makes sure all the patient's needs are met] took me down to the "canteen" (cafeteria) for lunch. Some of you will not believe this but I have finished two books already and started another today by Linda Ellerbee-Take Big Bites. A very very enjoyable book I highly recommend. Totally funny and about her trips to various places focusing primarily on foods she has eaten and meals she's had. At any rate after reading the first five chapters I decided I have not been making the most of this adventure as it relates to food. She writes about a soup eaten for breakfast in Viet Nam called Pho (pronounced fuh), guess what I had Pho for lunch and it is very tasty! Bell had a salad with noodles, green beans, bamboo, more noodles, and Shark with a coconut dressing. Pretty good. One thing I have discovered already the consistency of a food is big with me...no more Shark! I can at least say I tried it though. I have a tendency not to eat meat here for some reason. Billy has fried rice at least 2 times a day and he is thoroughly hooked on lettuce soup. Enough about the food though.

When 4 PM rolled around we were finished with all the test and headed via ambulance back to Chao Phya Hospital (chi pia) where poor Billy was fed. Blood pressure is perfect standing, sitting and laying down which is a good thing. As soon as we get back we are visited by Dr. Supachia (supershi) the head cardiologist, Dr. Suthipong (sutipong) also a cardiologist and get good reports from them on proceeding forward. Dr. Sutin (endocrinologist) has ordered a ultrasound on the kidney in the morning. As Dr. Supachia says why not have the most up to day information available on everything which sounds great to us. As he says their goal is to have 100% success with this and the best way to accomplish that is with information.

We were told by the doctors that after the ultrasound we can go back to the hotel! All doctors have made it very clear that they are available for any needs Billy may have until [the procedure] and Dr. Suthipong will check on us daily. We will have an opportunity to eat at some of the nice restaurants at the hotel and while Billy rests each day Bell or Jitra [TheraVitae's Operations Manager] will take me on some short shopping excursions. Billy is being encouraged not to get far away from the hotel as the doctors do not want to take any chances with anything at this point. We are in total agreement of course.

One of the things I hope to see personally is the Jim Thompson house which is not far from the hotel. Jim Thompson was an American that fell in love with the Thai culture and moved here and did beautiful things with Thai silk. From what I understand it is something to see built out of Teak and adorned with beautiful silk fabrics now open to the public. Unfortunately Jim Thompson traveled to Malaysia to explore the jungles and disappeared never to return. A large shop with Jim Thompson designs is there as well!

We cannot take Billy on any sightseeing excursions but the hotel itself if so very beautiful that we feel as though we are staying in paradise. We are both overwhelmed at the number of people, 10 M we are told and we believe that they are all on the streets walking, driving cars or motorbikes every time we venture out in the car! Thank goodness we have an excellent driver as it is quite scary how the motor bikes go between the cars in a width less than 1 foot!
Enough for now. Billy has had his dinner and is ready to watch CNN and call it a day. As for me the driver will be here shortly and Bell will be escorting me back to the hotel. I wish all of you could meet Bell and Jitra, I feel as though I have two new best friends. Such interesting young women and so very smart. I will tell you more about them when we return. Pictures, oh my am I taking the pictures. Your going to love Billy in his "Capri" pj's.

Love to all and again from the bottom of our hearts, thank you all for the love, support, prayers and emails. We love hearing from all of you, please keep them coming!"

-Marie

Patient Jeannine Lewis makes the news!

Please read this Times Leader article on VesCell Patient Jeannine Lewis. This is the second newspaper to pick up Jeannine's story.

Times Leader

Be sure to keep checking this Blog for more updates on Jeannine and our other patients!

http://www.vescell.com



After treatment with VesCell, Jeannine Lewis became a paid employee of TheraVitae. No case is typical. You should not expect to experience these results.

Our patients' stories

As non-managing founder of Theravitae, I get to do a lot of things at the company (and not get paid for it). The most important of which is getting personally involved with the patients who come to Thailand for VesCell therapy both while they are here and after they have returned home.

Four Americans have been treated this year. The first two, Calvin & Bob are doing great, and want to tell the world about it.

Ray in Hawaii, who hadn’t been able to walk more than a block or two, was walking 3 miles briskly after two weeks---who knows how far he is walking (or jogging?) now. Let’s call and ask him for my next post.

Jeannine in PA, 29, wife and mother of a two year old, was treated May 28 in Bangkok by Thai Cardiologists, working under the supervision of Dr Amit Patel from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Dr. Kitipan Arom from Bangkok Hospital. Tomorrow, Wednesday June 23, Jeannine is on her way to Washington to talk with some congress people on what is now Jeannine’s favorite subject: adult stem cells and what they are doing for her.

What all four have in common is that they felt so good, so quickly, that they began reactivating their lives faster than their personal physicians thought advisable or even possible. And they’ve refused to be reined in! Bob is now 3.5 months in and his home cardiologist is amazed at his transformation from couch potato to frequent traveler. Calvin, our first American patient, is now scuba diving at 90 feet and loving it. He’s promised me a picture in his dive gear when he gets back.

I met my new best friend, Billy Bob from Dallas, at the airport Saturday. At 84, he is 15 years older than our previous oldest patient, and is the most enthusiastic of the five! He is getting his blood drawn tonight. More about Billy Bob and his wonderful wife Marie over the next few days.

I am truly fortunate to be able to share the experience of these people getting their lives back with them and with all of you.

Don Margolis

coo@theravitae.com