Paralyzed woman walks again

09/02/2018

Paralyzed woman walks again, two years after a car accident changed her entire life.

This month, the Charlotte Lozier Institute released its latest testimonial video, in the video is Laura Dominguez-Tauer. Laura suffered a spinal cord injury, in 2001 and first told her story in 2011.

Laura was left unable to move from the neck down following a car accident which left her paralyzed , aged only 16. She was told by doctors that she had suffered from a C6 vertebrae fracture that severely damaged her spinal cord and was given the devastating news that she would never be able to walk again. Laura didn’t give up after being told she was paralyzed and became one of ten people to go through with a groundbreaking new surgical procedure using stem cells, pioneered by Dr. Carlos Lima of Portugal.

By using cutting-edge treatment with stem cells, physical therapy, and a lot of willpower, she now is standing. Not only is she able to stand with the aid of a walker, she has regained feeling in every part of her body and has been able to improve her mobility by leaps and bounds. Now 33, Laura is married and with her husband is raising their little boy, Laura said, “I absolutely believe in the power of adult stem cells”.

Dr. David Prentice, The Vice President and Research Director of the Charlotte Lozier Institute and an international expert on stem cells, commended the new video, saying:

“Laura rightly rejected the initial gloomy prognosis that could have robbed her of her future had she given up then. Adult stem cells have shown validated success in treating the most intractable conditions – not only spinal cord injury, but stroke, autoimmune disease, cancer, and more. Sometimes exotic experiments make attractive headlines and raise people’s hopes, while ultimately going nowhere, but Laura’s ongoing improvement shows adult stem cells deliver immediate and lasting results that make a profound difference in patients’ lives. Thanks to adult stem cell treatment and her spirit of determination, she has her mobility, her sensation, and her dreams back.

The type of stem cells used in this treatment have proven successful for years in various procedures, this isn’t the first time a stem cell therapy has resulted in someone paralyzed walking again.

For Laura’s her adult stem cells were harvested at the time of need, this isn’t always an option. Cells are not always accessible and if they are it is usually via a invasive procedure. Often stem cell therapies rely on a donor.

Banking cells from teeth provides a non-invasive, low cost solution to accessing cells for future use. Stem cells found in teeth can change into many different types of cells, they have the ability to form nerve cells like in the therapy reported here.