Christopher reeve stem cell treatment6/11/2023 ![]() We have the responsibility to make sure this work continues. If I had just one message I wanted people to leave with today it would be this. Everyone in this room knows how much CIRM has done in a little over a decade and how many lives have been changed because of its existence. There are hundreds of others whose lives have been transformed because of work the agency has funded.ĬIRM has proven how much can be achieved if we invest in cutting-edge medical research.Īs most of you here probably know CIRM’s funding from Proposition 71 is about to run out. While my journey might not yet be over, Evie and 40 other children like her, (children born with SCID) will never remember what it was like to live with the horrible condition they were born with because they have been cured thanks to CIRM. As I look around the posters on the wall, of the people whose lives have been transformed by the agency, I can’t help but be struck by just how much has been achieved in such a short period of time. In the last 14 years CIRM has funded 50 human clinical trials, published around 2750 new peer-reviewed scientific discoveries, and they’ve transformed California into the world leader in stem cell research. Not once did I feel sorry for myself, I was excited to be alive. Aside from some neuropathic pain, life is back on track. Life in a wheelchair is not exactly a roll in the park (no pun intended) but I have grown accustomed to the new normal. As a matter of fact, I have 13 year old sister, Maddie, dead set on being a neurosurgeon.įast forward to today. I also enjoy sharing my story and bridging the gap between myths and facts about stem cells, or talking to students and helping inspire the next generation that will be in the stem cell industry. I can’t even fathom all the year’s of hard work and countless hours of research that had lead up to my long anticipated surgery, but when I see their glowing smile I know they knew what it took. I have been able to meet many people in the stem cell industry and love to see the glow in their face when they learn I was California’s first embryonic stem cell patient. A couple of years later I became a patient advocate working with Americans for Cures. Like I said earlier it was just the beginning for me. It’s stories like Jake’s and Kris’ that make me proud and reinforce my decision to have participated in California’s first stem cell clinical trial funded by prop 71. The data collected from me would end up being priceless. At the time I had no clue that what I was doing would be such a big deal. Looking back the big picture was laying the ground work for others like Kris or Jake (two people enrolled in a later version of this trial). I was also told I most likely would have no direct benefit as this was a safety trial? So why do it at all? Obviously at that time I was willing to overlook the “most likely” part because I was willing to do anything to try and get my normal life back. One of my biggest question was how any people have done this? “Close to none”, I was told. A close family friend had been making phone calls and was able to connect with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and learned about a clinical trial with “stem cells”. So, after a few days in the hospital of course everyone, as well as myself, wanted a cure. I call it being in the wrong place at the right time. I thought this was the end, little did I know this was just the beginning. Someone said “look at that deformity on his back” and tapped my leg and asked if I could feel that. I was pulled from the water and banged up pretty bad. ![]() I ended up slipping and went down head first backwards but was too far over and I slid off a 15’ ledge where the waterfall was. ![]() There was this natural granite rock slide feature next to a waterfall, it was about 60 feet long all you had to do was get a bucket of water to get the rocks wet and slide down into a natural pool. It was Labor Day and I was at a river with some close friends. I became paralyzed from the waist down in September 2011. It was feels like it was just yesterday that I was enrolled into the first funded clinical trial by CIRM and in turn became California’s’ 1 st embryonic stem cell patient. It’s an honor to be here today as the 50 th clinical trial has been officially funded by CIRM. This is the speech Rich made to our Board. It’s a badge he says he is honored to wear. Rich Lajara was treated in the Geron clinical trial after experiencing a spinal cord injury, thus he became CIRM’s patient #1. Yesterday the CIRM Board approved funding for our 50th clinical trial (you can read about that here) It was an historic moment for us and to celebrate we decided to go back in history and hear from the very first person to be treated in a CIRM-funded clinical trial. ![]()
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