I can't believe it's been as long as it has been since I last updated here. I'm so sorry! We arrived back home on December 5th and I have been swamped with paperwork from the office that was stockpiled for the last 2 months.

Shawna received approximately 10 Million stem cells while we were in China. Now all we have to do is sit back and wait to see what may come from them. They will continue to develop for 6 months, so changes may take place in her from now until June 2008. Her body temperature is back to normal and she continues to make different sounds. Waiting is the horrible part of all of this ... seems like that's all we can do.

I will report immediately if there is any significant changes.

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The 4th/final stem cell injection was a rough one for Shawna. She has been running a fever of 101.4 and vomiting. The doctors say that it is a common side effect from the stem cell injection ... poor Shawna. Needless to say, the last 3 days have not been ideal but hopefully Shawna will be feeling better tomorrow. The usual time frame for this reaction is 3 days ... we sure hope so.

We were planning to take all of Shawna's nurses and therapists out to dinner tomorrow night, but we will have to see if Shawna is feeling better; we may have to postpone the dinner plans.

We can't wait until next Wednesday! We miss you Marci & Angel!

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I know I don't post quite as frequently as everyone would like, but there is little to report on. I don't want to bore anyone; progress is so slow with this type of head injury, which is why we are here in China. We truly believe that the stem cell treatments will help to speed up Shawna's recovery time. We have already seen some changes in her in the very short time that we have been here; very promising, to say the least.

Shawna just received stem cell injection No. 3 this morning. She is scheduled to receive four injections this go-round in China. Already people are asking us if we will come back for more stem cell treatments, and we just haven't thought that far ahead yet. One step at a time is the way we get through each day.

November 11th marked the 4 year anniversary of Shawna's accident, a day I wish I could forget but am reminded of daily. We have come through many hurdles during the past 4 years, i.e., from total life support, to coma, to vegetative, and now to minimal consciousness. We pray every day and try to let God guide us in every move that we make. Make no mistake, there are times when we become discouraged and begin to doubt our faith, and it always seems that another news article or broadcast comes along just when we are down and renews us yet another time. Accordingly, with respect to another trip to China in the future, all I can say is I will have to wait and see what direction God will guide me next; it could be China again.

I feel that coming to China was something that we had to do ... if for nothing else -- besides our own peace of mind -- knowing that we have tried everything humanly possible to help Shawna. She has made some progress already, so I feel it was well worthwhile. I will report any changes as soon as I am positive there has been a change. For now, we are hopefully waiting again.

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Well, we are noticing some new sounds from Shawna following stem cell injection #2. Every little change is so exciting! You have to understand that years have gone by with the smallest of changes occuring over periods of months. Since coming here for stem cells, it seems that changes are coming within weeks. Do you realize how huge that is? We do and it is so promising.

Gary has gone to The Forbidden City today; I'll send pictures soon. China has so many wonderful sights, it's hard to choose which ones to try to fit in while we are here. I see them all through photos since I don't do well with walking around for long periods of time. Hence, I stay and take care of Shawna while Gary and Gary go. Gary II didn't make the Forbidden City trip today; he stayed out too late last night (4:00 AM) partying with Maxi and others. Accordingly, it's another Saturday watching movies for Shawna, Gary and me.

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Shawna thought she was going to take off two days in a row because of a low grade fever but we fooled her ... we had PT and OT come to her room on Wednesday ... lol. It was back to business on Thursday; she attended all therapies. She should have never been allowed to lay around for even 1 day. It was, as I suspected, her mensies causing the low grade fever.

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It's 10:25 a.m. here in China ... Shawna got stem cell injection No. 2. Once again, it took only a few minutes for the procedure and she is now laying in bed again. She must remain in bed, flat on her back, for 6 hours. Dr. Xi is very optimistic; she feels that Shawna is improving and at least her eyes will be back in line with each other soon. She seems pleased with Shawna's progress so far.

Since there is little to do on stem cell treatment days, Gary and Gary II have gone on their golf excursion. It looks like a good day for it today. They should be back close to the time I'm allowed to start moving Shawna around again, so that's good ... they needed the break from the hospital setting.

Shawna is doing very well ... bruised from head to toe, but improving. Her coumadin has been cut back to 1 gram a day, so maybe she won't get so many bruises from now on. Three things are for certain ... one is that her body temperature is now holding steady at normal; two is that the tone in her body is far less than it has been previously; and three is that she inhales pudding in a flash! [laughing] There is one other thing that I have noticed, but will not report on just yet inasmuch as I want to be absolutely sure. Besides, it's fun keeping you all wondering and guessing what it could possibly be.

We are just about at the halfway point and the prospect of the homeward bound countdown is too exciting! Though we have settled in quite nicely now and the people are great, there's still no place like home.

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Shawna had her first stem cell injection this morning at approximately 9:30 AM (Tuesday, Oct. 16th). It took longer to get her loaded on the stretcher and down the hall to the Operating Department than it did for the procedure itself. It took only about 20 minutes and Shawna was being wheeled back up the hallway and into her bed again. We had to keep her laying on her back perfectly flat for 6 hours, but she came through it all like a champ!

The only side effect we were told to watch for was a fever; Shawna was actually lower than normal today ... go figure! That is one change we have noticed prior to the stem cell treatment today ... her temperature has been lower than what we have been used to at home. Her normal is usually around 99 to 99.3 F; since we have been here, she has been 36.7 to 37.3 C. Anyway, now we just have to wait and see what changes occur. Her next stem cell injection will be in 2 weeks.

It is so exciting to know that we are now on a countdown towards returning home. Don't get me wrong, the people here are great ... you won't find a more caring, helpful environment, but there's no place like home. To that end, we are one down and three to go ... woohoo!

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OK, I fixed my accent [laughing]. Being over-tired and typing messages here do not mix well. We are finally settling into a routine. Working without all of our conveniences from home is exhausting, but we will manage. We were able to find the converters and adapters we need for the electric and I'm sad to say that it would seem we have fried the nebulizer machine and the Kangaroo pump's base unit ... the portable unit of the Kangaroo pump will still work if we could charge it, but we can't because the base is gone.

Shawna's IV infiltrated yesterday causing her left hand to swell up the size of a softball or bigger. Her poor hands are so bruised up from being stuck constantly; price we have to pay though. No pain, no gain, right?

Can't wait for the first stem cell injection on Tuesday, Oct. 16th. Gary already thinks he sees some slight changes in her just from the stem cell proliferation meds. I must say she does seem more alert ... something in her eyes.

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I have a few things to report today ... first, Tony, the physical therapist here, says that Shawna is like a newborn baby and he feels some of the therapy techniques we've been using in he U.S. are not quite appropriate. One of them being having Shawna kneel over the ball ... he feels that it is contradictory to what we need to accomplish with Shawna's head control. Head control, as in infancy, should precede all other movement. Interesting point.

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Jason Plotkin - Daily Record/Sunday News
Lorraine uses a harness to help carry Shawna to the mat for therapy. Shawna's parents are hoping the stem-cell treatment will help loosen Shawna's taut muscles. (click to enlarge photo)

If you're just starting to read this blog following the York Sunday News article of Oct. 7, here are some places you can learn more about Shawna's story:

In Nicki Lefever's Sept. 28 article, "Will stem cells help?", the Weils and their medical team talk about the potential for Shawna as she goes through the treatment - that she might once again be able to communicate and eat some foods on her own - versus the costs and risks of traveling to China to do so.

To accompany that story, photographer/videographer Jason Plotkin created this video footage of Shawna as her family, friends and nurses talk about her condition.

And at Shawna's MySpace page, you can read the many comments her friends have left her since her accident and learn more about Shawna's heroes and interests.

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