In December of last year, little Léna, two years old, went to the USA with her parents. In Léna she was diagnosed with infantile cerebral palsy and is the first Hungarian girl to be treated in the USA with stem cell therapy derived from the blood of her umbilical cord.
The company Cord Blood Center Group supported all the expenses related to the travel of little Léna and her family in the United States and access to treatment in one of the ten best hospitals in the USA, Duke University Hospital. The entire procedure took place under the supervision of Professor Joanna Kurtzberg, a world-renowned expert in the umbilical cord blood sector . Léna, after the Romanian Alex and the Slovak Nelly, is the third client of the company Cord Blood Center Group to participate in the US in the experimental therapy of cerebral palsy with treatment based on stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood.
The history of Léna
Léna and her twin sister were born in 2011. The birth started naturally but following a heart rate failure of one of the twins, Léna, the doctors decided that the caesarean section would be safer for both. Despite initial difficulties, both twins in the first months of life had a normal development. One day, however, the hand and left leg of Léna have suddenly stiffened . According to a specialist consultation, this has probably been caused by hypoxia or by an insufficiency of oxygen during delivery or already in the uterus.
“I never imagined that we would have to use umbilical cord blood so early, when you see your child grow up suffering from a serious pathology, you would give everything you have to the world to help him, so I am happy to have decided to take advantage of this unique opportunity. and having preserved the twin stem cells, “
Kata, mother of Léna
“When the stem cells enter the body, they produce hormones that send signals to the brain cells contributing to the repair of the damaged region, according to previous research, I estimate that it will take three to six months before the first results occur.”
Prof. Joanne Kurtzberg, Duke University Hospital, USA
The program We give a hand
The mother of Léna became aware of the possibility of treating childhood cerebral palsy with stem cells from a letter that informed the project of the Cord Blood Center company called Let’s give a hand . The objective of this project is:
- Identify customers who may be helped by umbilical cord blood
Research facilities that can use umbilical cord blood for their treatment
Organize access to therapy and contribute financially to treatment based on possibilities
