Hope for Caleb in Mexico

06 Apr

Update for 06/04/2009

By Shirley Turner

Well it's now 5 months since Caleb had his treatment and what a different wee boy we have, he is so much happier, is eating really well can eat most foods now with out choking, and is wanting to feed himself.  The biggest jump for Caleb would be that yesterday (sunday 5th April) he rolled over on to his tummy, which he could not do before his treatment. He has started making new sounds, and is still getting stronger every week.  He loves in his swing now and lets me know when it has stopped moving so I can push him again,

Thank you to all the people who have taken the time to read Caleb's story and leave messages and who have donated so far.  We hope to return to Mexico for another treatment in July. 

23 Mar

Update for 23/03/2009

By Shirley Turner

Well I can't believe four months have passed since Caleb had his first treatment, he is still doing all the things that he started doing  and continues to improve. He wants to feed himself now, I didn't think anyone could get in such a mess, but I don't care it's so great to see him feeding himself.  He is also playing with his toys more and he is so so cheeky when he smiles his whole face lights up,  I feel we are slowing getting our wee boy back.  I can't wait to see what he will be like after another treatment. 

I would like to thank those people who have taking the time to read Caleb's story and for the support we have had to date, if it wasn't for people like yourself Caleb's treatment would not be possible, so thank you for helping to make a difference in his life and ours as a family.

23 Feb

Update for 23/02/2009

By Shirley Turner

It's now 3 months since his treatment  and what a different wee boy we have he is more active, vocal, and has better trunk and head control, when we sing to him he trys to sing along with us, it sounds so nice it brings tears to my eyes,  I feel we are slowing getting our wee boy back.  I know we still have a long road ahead but with the results we have had so far I can't  wait  to go back in June for his second treatment.

He is looking more at people when they talk to him, and just seems more interested in whats going on aorund him.  It's now a mission to change his nappy and dress him as he dosen't stay still, but the biggest  improvement is  his reduced seizures.

thank you for taking the time to read Caleb's journey, and for your support, we really are gratefull to everyone.

02 Feb

Caleb's story

By Shirley Turner

Caleb's Mum Shirley shares their story...

As parents we all have hope and dreams for our children, but some times those dreams are taken away from us, and there is nothing we can do to stop it.

I had to have a operation to be able to fall pregnant with Caleb and when I found out I was pregnant, my god, I was so excited! When we told his older sister and brother (from a previous marriage Ashleigh is now 17 and Matt now 15) they where so excited. They would talk about taking there baby brother or sister to the pool or just for a walk, but that all changed two days after he was born. Caleb suffered a massive bleed to the brain which resulted in his Cerebral Palsy and epilepsy

Caleb's first year of his life was spent mostly in hospital. He has gone through 7 operations on his brain which has been tough on everyone, god knows what its been like for wee Caleb. It is so hard watching your child go through all these operations. You feel so helpless.

Then I started researching on the net and found a clinic in San Diego that treats children who have Cerebral Palsy (and other medical problems) with Donor Stem Cell therapy. Well you could imagine my delight. So I emailed them and they said to send Caleb's medical records over and they would review them and let me know if he was a suitable candidate for the treatment.

I had to wait 4 weeks - they where the longest 4 weeks of my life. I still remember the morning I opened my email and there was the answer I had been waiting for. I was a bit nervous to open it, but I did and it was the best day of my life they said that he could have the treatment, they gave us the cost, so I got started with the fundraising. I didn't reaslise how hard it would be to raise the money, but we did it.

It's now 8 weeks since his treatment and we are now seeing results. He has started clapping his hands, and he now smiles (oh its so worth every cent). He has even started laughing, and when I look in his eyes I see someone behind them, I know he is listening and taking notice of what I'm saying. His seizures have also reduced from around 50 a day to about 8 a day so that's a huge improvement.

With the results we have had so far, we are planning on taking Caleb back in June for more treatment. I believe what we are doing is right and all I want to do is give Caleb the chance to live life to his fullest.

I don't want to get 10 years down the track and say god we should have tried stem cell treatment.

People say to me its better to have false hope than none at all... well I have enough hope for every mum in NZ that Caleb will end up having a better life. We aren't looking for a miracle cure just hoping that Caleb will be able to have a better quality of life and also that we as a family can look forward to a life with him also.

Thank you for taking the time to find out more about Caleb - we are so grateful for the support we receive from others who believe in hope.