Today we share an inspiring story about Annette and her son Blake, and their experience using cord blood to treat Blake's Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that includes disorders of communication and social interaction that exhibit restrictive and repetitive behaviors. One in every 66 Canadian children is affected by autism spectrum disorder.
Autistic children like Blake, if their family is able to store the cord blood of the child or his siblings, has the opportunity to try to receive a cord blood transfusion for treatment.
More than 500 children with autism currently participate in Duke University's research programs.
Black's mum, Annette, said that after the infusion of cord blood, Blake's quality of life has improved dramatically. "He suddenly understood better what we were talking about. His school teachers felt he was more interested and attentive to his peers. ”
Nine months after the infusion, Black entered full-time study in The Second Grade, and Annette was incredibly proud.
Cord blood consciousness
"Listen to what might happen"
Annette, an experienced nurse in London, England, was introduced to her by a colleague during her first pregnancy. "She told me about cord blood and the use of stem cells and said, 'The science behind this is amazing,'" Annette recalls. Annette's colleagues said firmly: "If I'm pregnant, I'll go and look at this resource because you never know how it might help in the future." ”
Decision to store cord blood
"A message that resonates"
After learning about cord blood, Annette and her husband decided to store their first child's cord blood as an insurance policy. "Actually, our two children, Caitlin and Black, both had cord blood in stockpiles, and we stored it in the cord bank and then went on with our lives, and there was nothing different about it, and we never considered using it." It wasn't until Blake was one year old that something unusual happened.
Diagnosis
I began to notice that Blake was not developing properly, he was only immersed in his own small world
Blake didn't respond to sounds and didn't make eye contact. "I could tell he wasn't listening to what I was saying," Annette mused. "I'll say his name not far from him, but he won't look at me."
At the time, Annette did not think that Blake might have autism. "I was concerned that he had hearing impairment because he didn't show the typical symptoms associated with autism."
The family asked specialists to evaluate Blake and soon began language therapy. After a long process, when Blake was three and a half years old, he was diagnosed with autism. For several years after her diagnosis, Annette sought different treatment options for Blake.
Opportunity
We have a child with autism, and what are the odds of us storing up our child's cord blood?
Annette remembers opening an email one day and seeing the newsletter from the cord blood bank. Inside is a research program from Duke University Medical Center that uses cord blood to help treat autism, and in October 2017, the FDA approved the program to allow families to provide sibling or autologous (child-own) cord blood transfusion therapy to children with a variety of brain disorders, including autism.
Annette immediately contacted cord blood banks and Duke University for more information. With children all over the world looking to join the program, Blake was only temporarily added to the waitlist. A year later, Blake was allowed to join the program, and his cord blood was extracted from the cord blood bank and transported to Duke University for infusion.
Blake's progress
There's no doubt that I do feel like I'm communicating with him now
In November 2019, six-year-old Blake's family traveled to North Carolina, where he had his own cord blood transfused and then returned to Canada for continued treatment. In late February 2020, the school's teachers began to notice Blake's change, feeling that he was more interested and focused on his peers. However, when the pandemic restrictions were imposed in March, Blake's treatment and school classes were forced to stop. However, in the months that followed, annette saw improvements in Black's communication despite not being treated. "He seemed to suddenly understand what we were saying."
Annette realizes that Blake's progress may be related to his natural progress, but the changes in Blake are obvious to her and others. Nine months after his infusion of cord blood, Blake passed the exam and entered full-time study in Year 2, an important milestone for the entire family. Annette was incredibly proud of him, "He's done a great job," she laughed.
Annette's words
Asked if she would advise other expectant parents to consider storing their children's cord blood, Annette said firmly: "It's definitely something to consider. It's an investment, but you need to see how it will affect your child's life in the long run! ”
https://www.insception.com/blog/blakes-story/
※ This article is reproduced from the public account of Beijing Cord Blood Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank, the original title is "Cord Blood Treatment of Autism"
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There is umbilical cord blood, and there is hope for life "salvation"!