Richard Schlueter, a man who could barely walk 35 feet to get the mail, a man with an ejection fraction of 35%. To steal a quote from the Six Million Dollar Man-- "Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology."
Richard found us - Theravitae, which is offering its stem cell therapy for heart patients.
Richard came to Thailand in September, 2006 to treat his heart disease with his own adult stem cells.
Yo Richard, what did you think about it? “We had a great time in Bangkok. The doctors were great. The nurses were great. My wife said it was the best vacation she ever had.” Richard said.
Thanks for the compliments Richard and the big question- how did it work? “Six months after my stem cell treatment, my ejection fraction had jumped from 35% to 42%. After 1 year, it was 48%. Now, in January 2008, it is 59% which is normal for an 80 year old man like myself!” Richard exclaimed.
Yes, loyal readers, I know what you are thinking after reading the title. "Then why doesn't Stem Cell Guy go for stem cell therapy too, so he can get a sense of humor?" Unfortunately, it is a genetic trait, stems from Stem Cell Guy's father, it seems I was born to tell bad jokes and be unfunny.
This week Stem Cell Guy presents Mick Fleming. Mick, 73, from Queensland, Australia was suffering from congestive heart failure. Mick came to Bangkok when??? Stem Cell Guy doesn't know when he came because it isn't in the story. Who writes those terrible Theravitae/Vescell stories anyway?? What happened to Jammin'Jon?
Ok, I found it. Mick Fleming came to Bangkok in July, 2007 to receive stem cell treatment for his heart. Stem Cell Guy thinks Mick's wife Phyllis says it best- Phyllis continued, “His sense of humor is back. He is laughing again. It was worth every penny. Going to Thailand for the stem cell treatment was the best thing we ever did. It gave Mick the will to live again, a new life.”
Also, Mick and Phyllis and their son have volunteered to give their time to talk to you- my loyal readers. If you would like to email/call the Flemings to verify Stem Cell Guy's version of their story, please email stemcellguy@theravitae.com and Stem Cell Guy will happily provide their contact info.
Usually Stem Cell Guy writes about patient who have been treated with Vescell adult stem cell therapy. However, today, we have a special treat for all of you loyal readers (all 2 of you- Hi Mom and Pop!). Stem Cell Guy is going to give you a story about a heart disease patient who is on her way to Thailand for stem cell treatment. This Pennsylvania family is going to a lot of trouble to get here and as Marcia Hirschmann says "In my best-case scenario, we go to Thailand and the stem cells work." Stem Cell Guy is hoping for the best-case scenario as well and wishes the Hirschmann family the best.
Stem Cell Guy would like to present Malcolm Anderson- a New York heart patient. Malcolm also happens to be a Mensa and since he made the decision to come to Bangkok for stem cell treatment, Stem Cell Guy won't dispute that.
Malcolm is also going to be one of our patient volunteers, so if you would like to speak with him, please let me know at stemcellguy@theravitae.com and I will give you Malcolm's phone number and email address. Better to hear about our stem cell therapy from a Mensa like Malcolm than a moron like me.
Stem Cell Guy is happy to report that Malcolm is doing very well. Please read about it here-
Malcolm Anderson, of Hudson, New York, reports that his ejection fraction (a measure of the heart’s pumping function) has increased from 41% to 55%, thanks to a novel adult stem cell treatment that he received in Bangkok, Thailand.
Malcolm Anderson, 81, was very concerned when he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He knew he was going downhill. Malcolm asked his doctor, “What can I do about congestive heart failure?” His doctor replied, “you can take lasix.”
To Malcolm, that wasn’t a great option. “Is that all I can do? I thought there must be something better than taking lasix the rest of my life” said Malcolm.
“I had an ejection fraction of 41%, not debilitating, but, long term, not good. I knew it would gradually get worse and worse.”
Malcolm decided to search the internet and look for an alternative method of treating his congestive heart failure. He found that option in Theravitae, a biotechnology company in Thailand, that developed a procedure to treat congestive heart failure and coronary artery disease using a patient’s own stem cells.
Theravitae’s Vescell adult stem cell technology employs adult stem cells harvested from a small amount of the patient’s own blood and does not require bone marrow extraction.
“I thought if it doesn’t do any good, at least it doesn’t do any harm,” said Malcolm.
Malcolm was a little apprehensive before his arrival in Bangkok in March, 2007. “Once I got there, it was a piece of cake. They took great care of me from the moment I arrived at the airport.”
Malcolm’s own stem cells were implanted into his coronary arteries via catheter in a simple procedure very similar to an angioplasty.
Eight months later, the stem cell therapy has improved Malcolm’s quality of life. “I recently visited my doctor - my diagnosis now is that I don’t have heart failure anymore! My ejection fraction is 55%. That is a 30% increase! I’m feeling top shelf. I’m working again. I’m happy.”
About TheraVitae: TheraVitae is a private, multinational company focused on using stem cells from the patient's own blood in order to treat a variety of disorders, especially cardiovascular diseases. The company has developed a proprietary stem cell technology, 'VesCell', that is currently being used by hospitals in Thailand and Singapore to treat patients with heart disease and peripheral artery disease.
VesCell -- A Natural Treatment for Heart Disease and Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) The body has natural ways of healing itself and the cardiovascular system is no exception. Angiogenic Cell Precursors (ACPs) originate in bone marrow and then circulate in the blood vessels. To manufacture VesCell, TheraVitae expands a small number of ACPs harvested from about 250cc of blood into a therapeutic quantity. VesCell is injected either through a coronary artery via catheter, or during surgery, directly into the heart muscle.
A key aspect of VesCell therapy is the advanced cell isolation and expansion technique that allows for the ACPs to be harvested from blood collected in a procedure similar to a common blood donation. VesCell uses a patient's own adult stem cells to treat Heart Disease and PAD and is a viable therapeutic possibility for heart or PAD patients without any other treatment option.
This week Stem Cell Guy would like to introduce William Bernhardt of DeSoto, Missouri. Stem Cell Guy wonders if the city was named after the classic car or the classic conquistador. But either way, DeSoto should be an interesting place if Mr. Bernhardt lives there. William came to Bangkok in July, 2006 to get his stem cell treatment for his coronary artery disease.
William had been very restricted in his ability to get around and get to work on his big farm. These days, after his stem cell therapy, it is a different story.
Now, William (Bill) is on the dating scene again (he is 78 years old!!), taking dance lessons, and organizing big parties.
But you don't have to take Stem Cell Guy's word for it. You can talk to Bill yourself. Bill loves to talk and would appreciate a call if you are interested in his experiences. (+1*) 636-586-6796
Stem Cell Guy would like to present a new stem cell treatment video this week. This video explains how Theravitae's Vescell stem cell therapy for congestive heart failure and coronary heart disease was started and also explains how the stem cells work.
This video about our stem cell treatment was filmed, directed, and produced by Al Caudullo who can do it all. If you would like to contact Al (based in Asia) for any outside work, he is available. Contact stemcellguy@theravitae.com and Stem Cell Guy will happily provide Al's contact information. Al has done TV series, movies, documentaries, bar mitzvahs, and weddings...anything having to do with video- he is your man.
It's mailbag time. Every Friday, Stem Cell Guy opens his mailbag so all his loyal readers can see what is happening in regards to stem cell therapy
Theravitae which as you know offers their Vescell adult stem cells for cardiomyopathy treatment helped yet another patient. We received this email from Tino Rossi a recent heart disease patient.
Stem Cell Guy presents this unedited: "My stem cells are doing a great job. I have reduced blood pressure, fasting sugar, BUN, Creatinine, and BNP( from 1460 to 446, drops me from high class IV to II, (NYHA)!! My GSR(kidneys) went from 33 to 42.6: need to get to >60. By the next blood draw in a month I'll be there!I had a Bruce treadmill last week going up to 10 degrees for 3 minutes and for 13 minutes total. Astounded me as I have still been cautious, but have been gardening and walking.
Subjective and physiological improvements: balance(no cane), hearing, vision, cognition, memory, color, mood, patience, more calm, energy, less pain, stopped narcotics, sleep, sleep and calmness, thinking, deciding and decision making and a new hope for the future with some changes!!
Drs. Suphachi, Vittaya, Chunhakasem, Damras, Suttipong, and Somchai, thank you for inspiring and affecting me while in Bangkok. You gave me belief and hope and now concrete evidence! The next series in three months will be improved! Faxes are on the way! Nursing Staff: Duanjunn, Patchara, Koi, Rin, Tuch, Jeag, Aew, Win, Bee!, Duean, Ae, Rung, Nitt, Jup-Jang, Ket, Kan, Rerng, Noi, Poo(Winnie the...), Ink, and Jib.Thank you all!!
The PCC's: John, Jea and Ju, Sher, Kathy, Lori, Jitra, Ophat, Narumol, Methavae, Wiraphan, Bell, L, Mum. Thank you!!
The Drivers: Lam, Prakit, and Montri. Thank you, too.
Don Margolis, Mr. Coo, a special thanks to you and your son for having the plan, courage, money and incentive to form and organize TheraVitae and VesCell! Heart patients are in a better place due to your passion!! I have been receiving calls weekly about my health from other heart patients. I talk to them, give them literature, and websites. I need some some introductions package, at least 10?
Thank you all for your love and support, I am ALIVE!!
Tino Rossi
Stem Cell Guy would like to say on behalf of Theravitae-- "Thank you for your kind letter, news of your improvement is what we live and work for."
Stem Cell Guy is on a high (but not on drugs). Stem Cell Guy has been given the green light to keep on blogging. Like LeBron James vs. the Detroit Pistons, Stem Cell Guy is taking it to the hoop. Nobody, and I mean nobody is going to stop the Stem Cell Guy from blogging about his favorite topic- adult stem cell therapy for heart disease. Despite calls from the embryonic stem cell guys to shut down this blog (and more often- calls from my boss), I will ignore them and continue my work.
Today, I have a story about Clara Chestnut, a lovely woman who came to Bangkok for her adult stem cell treatment for her heart. As usual I'll shut up and let you read the rest--
Keep in mind, most of these patients I post about are real people and you can request their phone numbers and emails and I will be happy to provide them for you. Just email me at stemcellguy@theravitae.com
SUMMARY: She ought to be dead, but adult stem cell therapy has ensured a California woman with Cardiomyopathy continues to live an active life without any further deterioration to her damaged heart.
BANGKOK, Thailand, 2 May 2007 – Clara Chestnut from California has just become one of only a handful who have received her second treatment of adult stem cells for her failing heart. “I’ve been going downhill since 2000, with every year more of my heart being dead,” she said. “But after my first treatment in April 2006 my cardiologists have done a huge attitude shift and now recognize that ‘No change’ is a certificate of my wellbeing. Staying the same is terrific, so if it takes coming back every year I will do that.”
Like many heart patients Clara had experienced several heart attacks without knowing what they were. Her doctor concurred that at 59 the pains she experienced were probably arthritis, so she started carrying her purse on the other arm, but it made no difference. Then in 2000 she had two major heart attacks and started on the downhill slide. Specialists gave her 30days to live without a bypass and also told her she probably would not survive the surgery.
Clara got mad and searched until she found someone who could help her. “I wasn’t ready to die, and I knew that someone, somewhere, knew more than those people,” she said. Her new doctor gave her the first of seven stents and she felt “wonderful”. She read about singer Don Ho and his success story with stem cells, so did her research and in the face of her doctors’ opposition went to Bangkok in the care of TheraVitae, a leading international biotechnology company whose product, VesCell, has now helped hundreds of heart failure and PAD patients. “I was most impressed with the professionalism of the doctors and the nursing staff. Everything went fine and the following February I returned to my specialist for a cardiogram. He told me nothing had changed, so I asked him ‘Would you go back to Bangkok if you were me?’ He said that he would, but that I didn’t have to leave the next morning! That is an enormous attitude change.”
People looking for hope and help, who want to feel better and be more active, are the most outspoken advocates of adult stem cell therapy. “I listen to myself and I feel anybody with any sense would listen to themselves and know it’s something they should do. They know how they are feeling. They know how wonderful it would be to feel better. I don’t see why anybody would be reluctant,” she said.
Stem Cell Guy had a nice peaceful weekend, better to prepare himself for this surprisingly good news....this is news all of you have been waiting for...like Roger Clemens announcing he was coming back to pitch for the Yankees, like Britney Spears announcing she was going into rehab....again, Stem Cell Guy is pleased to announce that Theravitae has received approval by the Board of Investment of Thailand.
Yes, I know you are as thrilled as we are.
Ok, Ok, I know you want to read more patient stories about how John got better after his adult stem cell therapy for heart disease. Or, you want to know about how Sally's stem cell therapy for her angina is going. Well, I'll keep trying to post more patient stories for you later this week.
Well, it has been a long time. It is great to be back. I would like to thank all of you (Mom and Dad) who wrote in and asked about the Stem Cell Guy. Due to circumstances beyond my control, Stem Cell Guy was taken off blogging duties and asked to concentrate elsewhere in the company. However, thanks to all of your letters, the boss had no choice but to let me blog again. I'm going to "Warm it up Kriss, Cause that's (blogging) what I was born to do"
First off, I'd like to introduce my new assistant- Miss Theravitae. Miss Theravitae just graduated from a prestigious Thai University and is currently learning the ropes here at Theravitae- makers of Vescell for Heart Disease
She just started her own blog. Unfortunately, it will be difficult for you to read because it is in the Thai language. However, if you wish to take a quick peek,click here
She will be making guest appearances on this blog from time to time and Stem Cell Guy is very lucky to have her helping here.
No more sappy intros....let's get down to business. We have been working to improve our Vescell website. We wanted to make it more friendly to you- the patients, rather than add any more stuffy scientific stuff like "Our stem cell cultures were tested for their morphology, expression of cellular markers, in vitro physiological activity of cytokine secretion and formation of tube-like structures" YAWN!
We just reposted the 2 articles about Vescell in Time Magazine. Click hereand here to check them out.
Keep checking back here. Stem Cell Guy will have more patient stories very soon.
Theravitae appears in the mainstream media from time to time and Stem Cell Guy is always happy and proud to post the news here in this blog. However, Stem Cell Guy is praying for the day when this VesCell adult stem cell therapy is so ho-hum that it will no longer warrant a story in the local newspaper or Time magazine (shameless plug). How many newspaper articles do you see about Joe 6-Pack getting an angioplasty? Or, how many magazines write about Nancy in Omaha getting a bypass? Theravitae's goal is to make their Vescell adult stem cell therapy so common and prevalent that it will no longer warrant any story at all.
Allow me to step down from my pulpit and stop preaching. Let's get to the good stuff-
Reporters from Agence France-Presse flew all the way to Bangkok, Thailand to see our stem cell procedure in action. Stem Cell Guy did not give them croissants and freedom fries, but we did provide them with Douglas Rice, a 61 year old man from the United States. Another good man featured prominently in this article is our very own Dr. Suphachai...check out what he had to say-
"We don't know yet whether the procedure helps patients to live longer, but it relieves their pain. We can help them to have a better quality of life. As a doctor, I think we should," he said.Most of the patients are people with such serious heart disease that every other available treatment has failed them, according to Israel-based Theravitae, the company that developed the treatment.
"Don't have a life" Stem Cell Guy was perusing his mailbag again this weekend(What is this Super Bowl thing people keep talking about?) and lo and behold...look what he found - a forwarded email from Don (founder of Theravitae and Stem Cell Guy's boss). This letter was from John Homeier, an owner of a small oil company. John evidently struck oil with Theravitae's Vescell adult stem cell therapy for heart disease. Look what he had to say:
Dear Don:
I want to bring you up-to-date on my physical condition since I had my stem cell injection eleven months ago on March 1, 2006, in Bangkok, Thailand, through your company, TheraVitae.
I am amazed how great I feel with my tremendous heart improvement from the results of your stem cell treatment with TheraVitae. It is truly a “MIRACLE”! With proper daily exercise, eating healthy foods, and taking newly prescribed medicines from your doctors at TheraVitae, you have given new life to a 70 year old man who was almost ready to pass on to a different world. I owe my life to three of the best doctors in the world; Dr. Kittipan, Dr. Permyos, and especially Dr. Sukhum.
My body muscles have redeveloped and I no longer get short of breath during daily activities. The only time I am short of oxygen is under extreme exercise. At present, I am walking 20 minutes at three miles per hour at a 1% grade on the treadmill. I feel so great that I am able break into a sprint at 5 miles per hour for up to a minute and a half. My goal is to run a one-half mile sprint at five miles per hour in six minutes by my birth month, September. I still can hardly believe that my worn out heart and depressed lifestyle has been given a new high quality athletic life. It is truly a gift from God that your company, TheraVitae, has given me to achieve this.
As you know, Don, I am 70 years old and I am still able to run a very successful company thanks to you. I am willing to do anything I can to help other people in the world be made aware of the technology your company has to offer
Thank you from the bottom of my heart,
Very truly yours,
John F. Homeier
Thanks for the letter John. If John continuously improves his sprinting at this same rate, catching Maurice Greene or Carl Lewis won't be out of the question. Keep it up John. We are cheering for you!
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