I am a 39 year old paraplegic woman who will undergo embryonic stem cell injections in India this summer. I will have stem cells taken from a human embryo injected into my site of injury on my spine and also intramuscularly. Over seventy spinal cord injured individuals have shown radical success with regards to regaining bladder/bowel function; sensation; and muscle growth.
I am an intelligent woman who has researched all of the facts so I could make a well-informed decision. My mother first learned about this procedure a few weeks ago from an Australian woman who has the same spinal cord injury as me and is up on her legs walking with the assistance of braces. Her name is Sonya Smith and her story can be found at this link: http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0%2C%2C30200-1260433%2C00.html.
I spoke with Sonya Smith over the telephone last night. She is being interviewed by the Australian 60 Minutes next week. She will then leave India on May 10th. She was encouraging and inspiring. I am more excited than ever to proceed, raise the necessary funds, and begin treatment.
Dr. Geeta Shroff is a 41 year old doctor who is leading this treatment program in Delhi. Her expertise is in fertility and from that she devised this new method of extracting stem lines from one human embryo to inject into patients with all types of incurable prognosis’ or terminal illnesses. She has filed for a patent on her technology, which she will then share with the world.
I have meditated on this decision, and I feel that it is my calling to go, give the treatment a try and see what I have to gain. Apparently, in the five years of treatment, Dr. Shroff hasn’t had ANY negative side effects in her spinal cord injured patients (no teratomas–or non-malignant tumors that have formed with other stem cell research around the world).
My greatest challenge at this stage is to raise the necessary funds to make the trip possible (and I am starting from scratch…zero dollars.). The cost is US$30,000, which includes the treatment, lodging, meals, and physical therapy for two months. I will also need to raise enough money for airfares. My plan is to leave as soon as possible—June 20, 2007.
An account has been set up at Alpine Bank for individuals to make direct deposits:
Alpine Bank
PO Box 349
Basalt, CO 81621
Tel: (970) 927-3101
Alpine Bank Routing Number: 102103407
Account Number: 5050053392
Please make checks payable to: Amanda Boxtel or Stem Cell Therapy in India
Checks may also be sent to:
Amanda Boxtel
PO Box 3767
Basalt, CO 81621
USA
I am nervously excited…and will try to leave without any expectation but simply that I am giving it a shot. Although I am extremely content in my life…I cannot leave this stone unturned.
You may learn more about me and my story by visiting my website at www.AmandaBoxtel.com. My memoir is complete and is titled Pivotal Awakenings. Perhaps my visit to India will become the final chapter to my life’s dance on wheels.
With so much gratitude,
Amanda Boxtel
