Sacramento Boy Undergoes Stem Cell Procedure

All we seem to hear about is the controversy surrounding stem cells, but do know what they can actually do?
A Sacramento boy suffering from an incurable condition may be living proof that stem cells can have remarkable results.
The little boy you are about to meet is one first in the nation to undergo stem cell treatment for his disease.
Dallas Hextell cries like many toddlers do, but he is different. It's his only form of communication.
"You just want him to be better. you just wish you could fix it and take it away but you can't," Dallas' mother Cynthia told CBS13's Kris Pickel.
Excited over their first born, it didn't take long for Cynthia and Derek Hextell to suspect something was wrong with baby Dallas.
" He didn't open his eyes. He just cried a lot and they kept saying it was colic," explained Cynthia.
Feeling her concerns were being ignored, Cynthia switched pediatricians. At 8 months old, they were referred to a neurologist who within 15 minutes diagnosed Dallas with Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy is damage to the brain, affecting muscle control. There is no cure, only treatments to help manage the debilitating effects.
"You can tell he's frustrated because his mind is healthy and he wants to do things physically. He just can't." said mom Cynthia.
At 18 months old, Dallas' physical development was closer to an 8 month old. He has trouble with hand control and can't wave or clap or crawl. He doesn't talk or even babble. He just screams. Sad screams. Frustrated screams. Even happy screams.
Dallas ' parents hope their decision to bank his umbilical cord blood will give him a shot at a normal life. Because Dallas has access to his own stem cells, he's been accepted into a clinical trial at Duke University.
The family recently flew to Duke for a procedure where Dallas' stem cells are put back into his blood stream in hopes they will find their way to the damaged tissue in his brain and repair those cells.
After the procedure, Dallas and his family came back to Sacramento to wait and see if the expensive treatment would pay off. They didn't have to wait long.
Just 5 days after the procedure, Dallas said his first word "momma". That was quickly followed by learning to wave and even laughing.
"That's the best feeling in the world to hear your little kid laugh," said Dallas' dad Derek, "He had never laughed before."
Three months after the treatment, the little boy who didn't have the muscle control to crawl is now scooting all over without using a walker. He is also looking at his parents when they talk to him.
While there is no way to know if or how much the improvements are directly related to the treatment, Dallas is for the first time making amazing strides forward instead of falling further back.
Cord blood stem cells are now being used to treat dozens of medical conditions from heart disease to leukemia. But banking cord blood is not cheap. The cost is about $2,000 initially and then $100 every year after that in storage costs.

Source - The Associated Press

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