Mr.Blazevic-Brain Injury (Australia)
Adrian Blazevic suffered from a Brain Injury more than 2 years ago, he came to China and received stem cell treatment, done by Dr Xiaojuanwang and Dr Like Wu and their medical team.
NAME: Adrian Blazevic
SEX: Male
COUNTRY: Australia
AGE: 21
DIAGNOSIS: Traumatic Brain Injury
Reason for treatment: On February 2004 Adrian had a fall from a cliff 30 meters high while walking with his friends. His spine was not broken, but his brain was damaged. Adrian is wheelchair bound, non verbal, eating through a feeding tube and dependant in all of his care. Adrian is cognitive and communicates through his eyes, his laughter and a few sounds.
Beginning of 1st treatment: December 14th 2006
Medical history before stem cell treatment:
See Videos: before1, before2
Before the treatment Adrian had severe spasms in all of his muscles and especially in his hands and upper body. He used to hold his palms clenched and his arms locked up to his chest. He would hold his mouth open most of the time because his jaw was very tense.
Adrian could make two definable sounds that were recognized by his family as "yes" and "no". He had trouble sleeping and his mother would often give him sleeping pills. His body was very tense, he could not hold his upper body independently while sitting or during physical therapy, his face muscles were tense and allowed him very few facial movements or expressions.
Patient received the stem cell treatment done by Dr Xiaojuanwang and Dr Like Wu.
After stem cell treatment:
After the first month of treatment Adrian's most significant improvement was that his face muscles were much more relaxed and he had more facial expressions. His jaws were looser and he was now able to hold his mouth closed while in a natural position.
He was sleeping much better and didn't use any sleeping pills. His muscles became more relaxed and stronger. He started to eat some solid food by mouth. His arms were getting less tight, and he held a more relaxed posture.
After 8 weeks of treatment Adrian looked more and more awake. He could track and follow people much better with his eyes, the sounds he made were more clearly defined and he was able to make new sounds that he could not make before. His arm movement had improved: he could now lift his arms higher and control them a little better. He could control his legs better and could carry more weight on them while exercising and walking, he could take a few steps while being held from the back. When being held to a standing positing he could hold his upper body better than before. He could stand on his knees for a short while - an exercise he had never done before.
His skin color changed and looked healthier. Adrian has had overall improvement.
Since his accident Adrian had gone through daily rehabilitation yet In the last half a year before the treatment Adrian had almost no improvement at all.
See videos: after1, afterPT
Adrian went back to Australia with his Family. They are hoping to come back for another treatment in 6 months.
(Tuesday, 27 March 2007)
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Beginning of 2nd treatment: 10th August 2007
Condition before treatment and during the 8 months following his 1st treatment:
During the 8 months that passed since Adrian's first stem cell treatment, he has continued to show progress. He became increasingly stronger and his responses became faster. He started to have more facial expressions such as more movements in his mouth and better eye contact. In general, he appears to be responding to people better than before. His concentration has improved as well.
Before Adrian came to China for his first treatment, his therapist tried to have him practice a bicycle movement with his legs, which he was not able to do at that point. After Adrian came back from the treatment, the therapist tried the exercise again, and discovered Adrian was now able to do this movement, which is not a natural movement and demands certain strength of muscles and speed of response. Adrian can now exercise with special bicycle equipment at home on a regular basis.
After stem cell treatment:
Within two months of Adrian's second treatment, he clearly attained another level in his progress.
He has now gained more muscle strength, especially in his left leg, and can now walk (with assistance) a longer distance in a shorter amount of time.
Adrian can hold his head up longer, and his family and therapist started to position his chair at a straighter angle, while before his wheelchair had to be tilted backwards to support Adrian's neck. Control of his own head, as noted by Adrian's therapist, has a significant role in the ability to control the rest of his body. This makes this single improvement very significant in terms of Adrian's progress.
The muscle tension in his upper limbs decreased and he is now able to straighten his arms in a wider angle than before, in a movement that previously caused him pain. He can also open his fingers a bit more now.
A neurological examination shows that Adrian is now able to turn his eye balls in a wider angel than before in all directions. This implies better eye contact and allows better communication.
Adrian's family is looking forward to seeing more improvements in the months to follow and are planning to come back for a third treatment in the summer of 2008.
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3rd stem cell treatment:
In May 2008, Adrian and his mother, Diana, accompanied by his brother came to Beijing for the third stem cell treatment. This time, he still gained some improvements, the most obvious was his muscle tone, it became more relaxed, especially to his right side of the body. He can lift his right leg a little bit, and he can bend his left knee, when he walks. That was a good sign for his recovery.