StemCell Therapy

On March 3, 2011, Chris Niles was cutting down a branch in his woody backyard. The tree fell, and Niles wasnt able to get out of the way in time.

He lay in the woods for more than three hours before he was found. He was wearing a red hat that day, which he propped on a branch that allowed his family to spot him.

I remember it was late at night when my mom found out, and she told me, Just pray for him, said Elizabeth Yazbek, a Youngstown State University graduate student and Niles cousin. We werent sure if he was going to makeit or not.

The tree shattered Niles spinal cord from the sixth thoracic vertebrae, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. Wheelchair-bound, he attends therapy three times a week to work out his upper body.

Niles was told that he would never be able to walk again. As a father of two sons and an active individual before his accident, he wasnt able to accept this.

My family researched stem cell treatment and found this place in Panama, Niles said.

He now travels to Panama a few times a year to receive stem cell treatments. So far, hes had four treatments. The treatments have been working, he said.

Niles now has limited feeling in his toes, and hes shown progress toward being able to walk again.

These treatments cost upward of $10,000 a visit.

So, to help with expenses, Yazbek plans to run a marathon; all of the money she raises will go toward her cousins treatments.

Read the original post:
26 miles for Chris Niles

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