For years, doctors have been researching the use of stem cells, the building block cells of the body. The ones I'm interested in are taken, not from fetuses like in all the controversial stem cell stories, but from the umbilical cords of delivered babies. Much like a bone marrow transplant involves moving blood stem cells from one person to another, and much like the blood from the umbilical cord is being used today, the umbilical cord itself is a rich source of stem cells that can be used to grow tissue.

There is a procedure that has been developed which involves the transplantation of stem cells from umbilical cord sources. This procedure offers the hope that my body can finish developing the optic nerve bundle from my eyes to my brain. The reason my site exists is because the treatment is not yet approved in the United States, and there's no timetable for approval, meaning that I cannot get the treatment here, nor would even the best insurance here cover the procedure.

I went to Qingdao China in the summer of 2008 and had FANTASTIC results!  But now we are going back to Qingdao at the end of May 2010 for more!  We aren't sure if the stem cells will help my vision more and my physical/cognitive development-but either way a little bit of help on either wouldn't hurt!  So please keep me in your prayers as I venture out again to China for umbilical cord stem cells!