Back in November Austin was diagnosed with autism. It was when Bryant was still in the Nicu. I came back to Hobbs to take Austin to his appointment and Andrew stayed in Lubbock with Bryant. The group told me that day he was autistic and I later received the report of his evaluation. In the evaluation they included something his father had said during the evaluation, but Andrew wasn't there. There several other things that I just didn't think were accurate. We decided wait and watch him and have him tested again later during the summer. I did lots of researching and learning and late this spring I started to believe that he is autistic. We had his next evaluation in early June and she confirmed the diagnosis.
Austin is nonverbal. He might say one word a month. You just never know when he might say something. He's not as aware of his surroundings as he should be. I saw this very clearly at his Easter party. The kids were anxiously awaiting their turn to sit on the Easter bunny's lap, but Austin had no idea there was anything to be excited about. He got his turn, but if they would have skipped him he wouldn't have known. Typically autistic children aren't loving, but Austin is very loving. I get an abundance of hugs, kisses, and cuddles each day that he initiates his fair share of. He has no seizures, gastrointestinal problems, or sleep issues.
Andrew and I were both unsure of what we needed to do. No one can stand the idea of watching their child struggle. We considered moving, we talked to some therapists we respect, and did lots of research. My sister learned of The Stem Cell Institute in Panama City, Panama. They have amazing results using stem cells to treat autism. She stayed up night one night researching and then told me about it and I did the same. I submitted Austin's application at 4:00 am one morning and by lunch time that same day a lady from the institute called me. Everything moved pretty quickly from there. They gave me names and phone numbers of moms I could contact to discuss their experiences. I contacted these moms and was astounded with their results.
I just couldn't find a reason to not try it. We made all of the arrangements: booked his week at the clinic, hotel, flights, and expedited our passports. Our week in Panama was July 19-26th. We got to go tour Panama City the Sunday before we started at the clinic. On Monday they drew Austin's blood and answered my questions. On Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday he received 1 injection each day of 9 million stem cells. We were very impressed with the entire staff and clinic. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. The clinic was incredibly clean.
Important facts about his treatments: The stem cells come from donated umbilical cords from live births. Only about 1 in 10 donated umbilical cords pass the strenuous screening process. The cells he received came from 1 umbilical cord. One umbilical cord can have up to 1 billion stem cells. There is no chance of rejection. These stem cells are so so successful because they go into his body as a blank slate. They attach to his cells that are damaged and start growing. He needs as much therapy as possible to train and stretch his new cells. Many people come back for more treatments. We can go back again in 6 months.
We decided the trip would be too hard in Bryant, so he stayed in Hobbs with my parents. In panama everyone we dealt with outside of the clinic only spoke Spanish. We had a few funny situations when ordering at restaurants. We were able to get a condo that was within walking distance to 2 malls and many restaurants. From our balcony we could see the line of ships that were waiting to pass through the Panama Canal. I was fascinated by that. It was nice being able to walk to so many places since we were nervous to take cabs too much with the language barrier. Panama scenery is beautiful. It was a little weird though because there would be a beautiful area of town and then right next door be really rundown.
We are already seeing positive signs in Austin that the stem cells are working. I'll go into more detail on that later, but he is saying at least a word a day and more aware of his surroundings. It's very exciting to see!
Our view from our balcony in Panama...
A walk we made several times to ken of the malls....
Austin needed a nap after his treatments. Being tired is a positive sign.
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