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Maksim’s Cord Blood Therapy for Autism
Maksim’s mother Olga learned about saving cord blood 7 years ago when she was expecting twins. She immediately decided to preserve this valuable biological material for her children. Olga lives in Ukraine, and she chose HEMAFUND cord blood bank.
The delivery was difficult, but Olga gave birth to two healthy babies: the elder daughter Svetlana and the younger son Maksim. At the time of birth, doctors found no abnormalities in the children. But after a few months it was clear that the boy was a very fussy baby: he cried often, ate badly, and hardly slept at night. At first, the doctors diagnosed Maksim with stomach spasms that delayed his ability to process food. But he did not respond to treatment for this, and only when he was three years old did the doctors realize he had lactose intolerance. A special diet immediately improved Maksim’s sense of well-being.
But by age three new symptoms appeared which frightened his mother much more. Maksim still did not speak, hardly recognized his mom and dad, could not concentrate his attention, and did not respond to speech. Olga says, “After a series of examinations, the doctors made a preliminary diagnosis: autism spectrum disorder. Subsequently, dysarthria, alalia, echolalia and cognitive impairment were added to the list of probable diseases, in other words, the diseases associated with impaired higher mental functions. Of course, it is difficult to treat a child without a specific diagnosis, but I followed all the instructions of the doctors.”
In an effort to improve his condition, Maksim repeatedly underwent therapies designed to stimulate his brain. These included micro-polarization (treatment with a small electric current), bio-acoustic correction (the patient listens to his own brain waves converted to sound), as well as drug treatment using active neuropeptides (psychostimulants). None of these therapies made a significant difference.
Maksim’s family struggled to cope with his behavior. “I was about to lose my heart. Symptoms of autism were increasingly evident. The son did not communicate with peers, the teachers in the kindergarten could not involve him into any activities, and my husband and I had to constantly be in social isolation with our children. ” Olga and her husband found it difficult to avoid excessive attention from strangers because of their son’s special needs. Even a casual visit to a cafe turned into a real challenge for the parents. Therefore, they moved their family to a house outside the city, away from people.
In the United States, the current statistics are that 1 in 59 children are on the autism spectrum. In Ukraine, over 4,000 people with autism are officially registered, but advocacy groups say that this is an underestimate of the true numbers.
“I myself was engaged in upbringing and education of my son, but I didn’t abandon the hope of curing a terrible disease and giving him a full happy life. In a constant search for new methods of treating autism, in the social media, I came across a video lecture by an obstetrician on the treatment of autism by stem cells”, Olga recalls.
Realizing that her son’s cord blood could help, Olga immediately called HEMAFUND cord blood bank to learn about the storage conditions of her children’s cord blood. “I remember that I did not want to unveil the purpose of using stem cells, because I was sure that my family would be engaged in the search for a doctor and delivery of the material. But it was HEMAFUND that explained all the nuances, provided a list of hospitals, and supported us at every step. I don’t even know if I could start the treatment of my son so quickly without assistance and support of HEMAFUND specialists. In a couple of weeks, my son was sent to a hospital, and HEMAFUND delivered the cord blood for free. We were very nervous, but the treatment was successful, and the son felt well.”
On the second day after treatment with his own cord blood stem cells, Maksim’s behavior changed and he started to babble. Even his mother was surprised, but further changes were more noticeable. “Within a few weeks Maksim began to focus his eyes, listen to the speech of others and try to speak”, Olga recalls. He became fond of coloring books, and began studying the alphabet. But Olga truly believed in the results of the stem cell treatment when she heard from her son the long-awaited word “Mum-my”.
Recently, Maksim has undergone another stem cell treatment. This time the doctors used the cord blood of his sister. The results are again amazing. Thanks to his gains, Maksim and his sister now attend a school. It is, of course, difficult for him to sit through all the lessons, but he likes studying. And his teachers are happy to share stories about his special advances and thirst for knowledge.
Olga, with her voice trembling, recalls that she felt a void when the situation seemed hopeless. “I was afraid that I would stay like that forever ‒ being mom and not mom at the same time. It is like being happy and unhappy at the same time. I was afraid that I would not be able to rejoice at the success of my daughter, when my son suffered. And now I’m sure that we are able to overcome all difficulties! And our family will be happy! If I could, I would shout from the housetops that stem cells work wonders! ”
Olga and her husband are planning an addition to their family and will definitely save the cord blood of their new baby in the HEMAFUND cord blood bank to safeguard the future of their children.