Paraplegic hopes stem cell surgery works

I noticed another story related to experimental treatment for spinal cord injuries in an American paper yesterday. The Bellville News Democrat carried a story of an 18 year old paraplegic girl,Jacki Rabon, who was paralysed in a car accident in 2003. She travelled to Portugal in order to receive adult stem cell treatment. A procedure in which undeveloped nerve cells from the olfactory bulb in the patient's nose are removed and implanted in the injured area of the spine.

Jackie was confined to a wheelchair but is now walking with the aid of leg braces. Her mother had this to say: "If the U.S. would invest more money into spinal cord injury research, people like Jacki wouldn't have to go to other countries to get help. This surgery should be available here, but it's not, and that's sad."

It should also be noted that the surgery is experimental and the Lisbon team has not yet published any articles in medical journals describing its findings. However, the physicians have indicated that while there have been no dramatic cures, there has been improvement with many, but not all, patients. Improvement ranges from increased sensation or decreased pain to improved motor abilities or bowel and bladder function.