Abby's Story

"You never know what can happen, so that's why I tell mothers to save every child's cord blood."
--Cathy Pell, mother of Abby, treated for anoxic brain injury with her own newborn stem cells

The Power of a Mother's Love
Catherine Pell is a mother who won't take no for an answer. Especially when it comes to Abby, the youngest of her and husband William's five children. Six-month-old Abby has anoxic brain injury, a condition caused by a lack of oxygen to her brain during birth.

An evaluation at Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C. at two months of age, revealed moderate to severe brain damage in three out of the four lobes in Abby's brain. Doctors predicted her development would likely be abnormal.

Committed to finding a treatment to help their daughter, the Pell's took a bold step. They were familiar with recent stem cell research, and had banked Abby's cord blood with Cord Blood Registry (CBR). All they needed now was a doctor who would use it to treat Abby.

The Journey Begins
Cathy consulted the neurologists at the Developmental Clinic at Children's Hospital, where Abby was first evaluated. "I asked, begged, and pleaded with them," said Cathy. "I have the cord blood, can't we do something?"

Unwilling to perform the experimental treatment, doctors told the family that trying to repair Abby's damaged brain with newborn stem cells probably wouldn't work. Still determined, Cathy learned of promising results from a pilot study done in Mexico. Seven children with cerebral palsy and one four-year-old girl with microcephaly were effectively treated with unrelated newborn stem cells. William and Cathy didn't want to take their daughter out of the country. Abby had her own stem cells. Why couldn't she undergo the experimental treatment right here in the United States?

Cathy went to The National Institute of Health (NIH) and the Mayo Clinic but was turned down by both. "I can't understand it," said Cathy. "I could go around the corner and get botox injections and liposuction, but I can't get a 20 minute IV given to my daughter with her own stem cells."

An Answer for Abby
Unwilling to give up Cathy, contacted Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg at Duke University in North Carolina. Dr. Kurtzberg wasn't familiar with the cord blood studies done in Mexico. She did however, offer the solution they were searching for. "She told me that since we had saved Abby's cord blood and were willing to bring her to North Carolina, that she would do the transfusion," explained Cathy.

The Pell's packed their bags and took five-month-old Abby to see Dr. Kurtzberg. Upon Dr. Kurtzberg's request, CBR immediately transferred Abby's stem cells to Duke University. Abby underwent the experimental transfusion for anoxic brain injury, using her own newborn stem cells, on February 15, 2005.

No Promises
Doctors cannot guarantee that the transfusion will work. What they do know is that children's brains undergo maximum development during the first two years of life. If the stem cells are going to help, they have the best chance of working when given at a very young age.

Despite the medical community's trepidation, William and Cathy are convinced the transplant was the right choice for Abby. "I've already seen results. Just two weeks after the procedure, she really looked at me and smiled; we connected for the first time," said Cathy. "Before she wasn't tracking objects with her eyes, and now she is. We have hope. As far as I'm concerned it's working. It really is working."