Legendary Hawaiian Entertainer Don Ho's back on the stage after stem cell procedure

We are happy that Don Ho is performing again just 7 weeks after receiving Vescell therapy. He performed in front of 300 fans on Sunday night. Take a look at what Joe Correa says "...it may open doors for others." We agree with Joe and we hope to help more heart patients in the near future.

Don Ho's Back On the Stage
Source: Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on Monday, January 23, 2006

Don Ho was back crooning, wisecracking and flirting at his Waikiki showroom last night, less than two months after he underwent an experimental stem cell procedure in Thailand to strengthen his heart.

A sellout crowd of 300 at the Hoku Hale Showroom at the 'Ohana Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel welcomed back the iconic singer in his first performance since Thanksgiving Day.

Wearing white pants, a blue velvet shirt and a white ginger lei, a smiling Ho greeted people entering the showroom for the 8 p.m. show. More than 50 people queued up for a snapshot with Ho, who charmed tourists and called out to old friends by name.

When he walked onstage at 8:30, the audience erupted in a standing ovation. He sat behind an organ and immediately launched into one of his standards, "Night Life."

His signature "Tiny Bubbles" was next, and by the end of the 90-minute show Ho had sung 10 songs and earned a second standing O.

"His charisma and presence were crisp. He was sharp as a tack," said Joe Correa, a Waimanalo rancher who went to the show with his wife and some friends. "It was great to see him do what he does."

Correa said he admired Ho for having the stem cell procedure and thinks it may open doors for others.

Ho, 75, joked with the audience about being away and about his four-piece band being a little rusty, but spoke little about his medical procedure.

He said he plans to be around for another 30 years "but I'll look like hell. If you come and see me in 30 years, you'll look like hell, too."

Before the stem cell treatment in Bangkok last month, Ho had been lethargic for months. He suffered from cardiomyopathy, a serious disease in which the heart muscle becomes inflamed and does not function normally.

After a particularly difficult show on Thanksgiving, he decided to move ahead with the procedure, Jung said.

VesCell therapy uses stem cells taken from the patient's own blood. The stem cells are isolated then multiplied through a patented lab-grown process.

The cells are then inserted directly into the heart or arteries to help restore damaged tissue and ultimately regulate the patient's heartbeat.

Stem cell treatment is still under review in the United States and not allowed here.
Ho, whose heart was operating at 10 percent capacity before the surgery, hopes that in the next six months he'll regain 50 percent to 75 percent of his heart's ability to pump blood.

At the end of his show last night, Ho spoke briefly about trying to get the word out about this alternative treatment.

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