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Ryan Schneider

Featured CBR Client Story

Girl's Own Cord Blood Used to Treat Her Brain Injury

Chloe Levine story on FOX News"Stem cells certainly can rejuvenate tissue" said
Dr. Manny Alvarez,
FOX News medical correspondent and health editor, "this is a miracle."
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Ryan's Story

"I was never looking for a silver bullet, only for the potential to help my son and maybe other children like him."
--Mary Schneider, mother of Ryan, treated for cerebral palsy, with his own newborn stem cells

Doctors were guardedly optimistic when Chicago mother Mary Schneider told them she wanted to use her two-year-old son Ryan's newborn stem cells, banked at birth, to treat his cerebral palsy. "When your child is in trouble you use all available resources to improve the situation," said Mary.

No Silver Bullet
Ryan's problems started early. After birth Ryan had feeding problems and then missed developmental milestones with his motor skills. At the age of two, his upper body strength was weak and appetite poor. While other toddlers' vocabulary was growing, Ryan could only speak two words. The Schneider's local pediatrician referred the family to a neurologist. She diagnosed two-year-old Ryan with a mild case of cerebral palsy. "After we got the diagnosis my husband and I felt like we'd been punched in the stomach," said Mary.

Ryan made marginal improvement with traditional physical and speech therapy. Remembering they had banked Ryan's cord blood with CBR, Mary and her husband became intent on finding a physician to infuse Ryan's own stem cells back into him to treat his cerebral palsy. After being told about the procedure, the national director for The United Cerebral Palsy Foundation in Washington, D.C was apprehensive, but wanted to be informed of Ryan's progress. He told the family that Ryan was the first child in the country to receive this kind of therapy for cerebral palsy. "I was never looking for a silver bullet, only the potential to help my son and maybe other children like him," explained Mary.

Ryan Makes Significant Progress
The Schneider's found what they were looking for. Ryan was infused with his own stem cells at Duke University in North Carolina in 2005. "In Ryan's case, the worst that can happen is nothing happens. His body won't reject his own cells," Mary remarked.

But something did happen. Very soon after the treatment, Ryan's condition significantly improved. His parents say he's gained weight and has improved arm and hand mobility. He comes up with new words faster than Mary can count them. It's progress the Schneider's believe he might never have made without the stem cell therapy. Mary continues to keep detailed records to eventually provide evidence of Ryan's new development. She advises other parents in a similar situation to do the same.

"Don't take your child's diagnosis as something that's written in stone," said Mary. "Educate yourself. Research, call, investigate, and don't listen to those who say, it's just not being done. Make it happen. You never know how many other people might benefit from all you've done for your child."

Mary's journey to help Ryan has motivated her to tell physicians and other mothers about her experience. She is always amazed to find out how many families either don't know about, or don't consider banking their babies' cord blood. Knowing how much it has helped Ryan, Mary's family now pulls together at baby showers to give cord blood banking as a gift for the mom to be. "The notion that the money spent on cord blood storage is better spent in a college fund is poor reasoning," said Mary. "What if your child is unable to go to college for medical reasons, or never even makes it to college age. Cord blood is a valuable resource that science is only beginning to discover new uses for."

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