Cooper continues to work hard at Polfit

Cooper has been working hard at Polfit off and on since his intensive session upon returning from China. Below he's working in the "Spider" on the Gazelle and keeping his hands on the handles all by himself :o)

 Cooper has also been working on the MotoMed Bike at Polfit with both his arms and legs. It really helps keep his range of motion and increase his circulation in his legs. Cooper really struggles with circulation in his legs when he sits or stands up. He will need to return for Hyperbaric treatments soon to both help this problem and many more.

Cooper has also been going through many digestive tests. He has had some issues with reflux and may have some food allergies so we'll hopefully be getting to the bottom of that soon. We'll post more about that soon!

January 2012 update...

This update was written by Cooper's older brother, Cody:
We are always on the lookout for a change in behavior as a result of the stem cell treatment and being that I do not live at home much, my chances to see a change are diminished. Everyone had been telling me that he is much more alert than before, but I had not seen it for myself until something noticeably miraculous happened while babysitting Cooper sometime in January of 2012! I was making his dinner in the kitchen and the second I walked into the room where Cooper was laying, I saw a sudden movement out of the corner of my eye. After investigating, I found that this quick move was both his head and eyes tracking my every step. He followed me from the foot of his mattress to above his line of sight. I was so in shock at the occurrence that I further experimented to see if he could repeat the accomplishment………and he DID!...........3 times in a row!!!!!!! I showered him with praise and the look on his face seemed to tell me that he knew what he had done. His face broke out with a patented Cooper smirk while maintaining perfect eye contact no matter where I moved my head. Your prayers and dedication to Cooper’s strength are bringing continuous tangible results. Thank you to everyone who made the trip to China possible!!!

Cooper Progresses at Polfit!

For years we've been intensely working on stretching Cooper's arms out. With all of his spasticity (tight muscles) it seems the arms were the toughest to combat. About 4 years ago he got an internal pump placed that releases muscle relaxing medication and we positioned it so that it would affect the arms as much as possible, but they still became contracted (lost range of motion). About 2 years ago Cooper had an additional surgery where his nerves to his biceps were cut so that his arms could be stretched out. This was a difficult decision because this is a permanent procedure, but in the end we felt that he needed something drastic to occur if he ever had any hope of using his arms. Contractures can also be permanent and not doing something would be just as limiting, after all... who could use their arms with their hands stuck up by her face? By cutting the nerves it would take away a large part of the pain associated with stretching his arms out and we were told his other arm muscles would pick up the functions of the biceps once they were strengthened so we went ahead with the surgery. We spent the next year following the surgery stretching and bracing his arms with no improvement.

Then a wonderful combination of therapies proved successful. Following Cooper's stem cell treatment he began receiving Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments at Advanced Hyperbarics and a month of intensive physical therapy at Polfit. Among other goals, Polfit worked intently on stretching Cooper's arms. Heating, massaging, stretching and bracing. Measurements were taken at the beginning of the month of therapy and at the end. Cooper had a 10 degree improvement in each leg (as they are also slightly contracted), but the real improvement was in his arms. Cooper's left arm - the tighter arm - had a 25 DEGREE IMPROVEMENT in range! Cooper's right arm had a 45 DEGREE IMPROVEMENT! 4 years of surgeries and therapy had produced nothing and then this! It has to be this combination... The cells gave him the building blocks, the HBOT enhanced their effect and POLFIT did the work to produce results!

Cooper continues to attend maintenance therapy at Polfit and show progress. Just this week he was on the Gazelle at Polfit in their Body Weight Assisted Support System. His arms and hands were so relaxed he was able to lightly grasp the handles on his own... this was never possible before. His legs were moved through exercises at the same time and he smiled throughout the workout. He enjoys moving and is becoming more and more involved in his rehabilitation. Polfit says this is the trend they see among their patients: cognitive improvements come along with the physical and patients are able to do more to help in the recovery process.

Cooper also goes through therapy on his home program. With help from his wonderful nurse, Lyly, Cooper's arms are massaged and stretched throughout the day, braces are applied and he continues to ride his Quadriciser. He is schedule to attend another month of intensive therapy at Polfit in the new year!

1-Month Post Stem Cells Update

We began to notice changes in Cooper in China and though they were subtle, they seemed to be noticeable to many others since we got home. He began making different and more sounds in China and that has continued at home. As a little bonus, Cooper has been super happy! He squeals with delight often and even his laughs sound different and sounds seem more complex and multifaceted. More and more we feel like he's trying to talk. The other night we went out to dinner with Coop and he was laughing so much and so loud that we had to move our table!

In China he also began holding his arms down more and they seem much looser. Before they were often tight and he held them bent up. His arms have gotten even looser since then and we've even been able to decrease his muscle relaxer dose. Since then he's also sometimes held his hands in mid-line, which is something he's never done before and a sign of normal brain development.

His vision has improved a lot! I thought he was seeing OK before, but the way he looks at things now it's as if he's seeing them for the first time. He looks around with big, wide eyes, makes eye-contact more quickly and holds the gaze longer. He smiles at familiar faces or when he arrives at a familiar place. He used to only do that when he would come home or hear his mom and dad. He is looking up and around more at his environment and that's also aiding in his head control. His muscle relaxing dose is so high that it effects some things he can control, like his head. We hope to keep lowering his dose so he can continue to regain some control of that.

Cooper is much more alert and cognitive of what's going on around him. He watches and listens to people, TV, music, etc. and responds by turning to the sound, making noises, smiling or laughing. We talk to him differently now as a result because we feel like he understands us more. He's a part of what's going on and enjoys stimulation. These pictures show him riding his in Quadriciser at home looking up at his fish toy that has fishies swimming by and plays music. He watches this toy with more interest now as well.

Since China, Cooper has begun attending hyperbaric oxygen treatments (HBOT) at Advanced Hyperbarics and intensive physical therapy at Polfit Wellness. HBOT has been shows to mobilize stem cells so we feel that the work done at Polfit in conjunction with that will help to continue to draw out improvements in Cooper. Research has shown stem cell treatments have an ongoing affect on patients for 6-9 months and brain injuries tend to take longer to see results. We will continue to send updates and are so thankful for everyone's continued prayers and support!

Goodbye China! Zai Jian!

Well, our time in China has come to an end. We have met some wonderful people from all over the world and learned a lot about this country. It's been an adventure to say the least! We will never forget the special bond we shared with other patients and their families - all coming together here out of hope!
We are so grateful to Beike for being a leader in stem cell treatment and offering hope for Cooper! The staff has treated us wonderfully and we couldn't have gotten through this month without all of their help. Everyone cares so much for Cooper and wants to best for him. We may have starved without the translators!
Cooper wore his new Chinese outfit for his last day in Qingdao. He is here with his lovely nurses, Lucy and Melody. Melody taught us how to sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" in Chinese. We return home to begin attending more therapy to see if we can put Cooper's new cells to work. We will continue to post his journey on the blog. Thank you to everyone for your support!

Cooper's Schedule for week of 9/5

The finish line is in sight!

PT

Cooper continues to get massaged and stretched at PT twice a day. He particularly seems to like when Owen rolls his shoulder around. You can see the grin he's giving Owen in the picture.
He's doing a little better with head control too!

Increasing Acupuncture

Cooper's up to 14 needles in his head now. I guess they were working up to it? It's difficult to know the goals or reasonings sometimes with the therapies here because the therapists speak very little english. Translators always accompany the doctors when we are discussing things, but I have to go find an interpreter if I have any questions during the therapies. Cooper continues to only flinch when the needles are first put in and then he relaxes - often even goes to sleep after!

Injection #4

Cooper had his 4th stem cell injection today - he only has one scheduled this week. Typically, the day of the injection the nurses come in a few hours before and start an IV on him. They've had trouble a couple times, which is understandable, but today was the worst. They had to stick him 4 times before they got it right. I know from experience with Cooper he's not that hard to stick. They were very apologetic and felt bad - I told them it was OK, but I was still upset. When we went in for the infusion the IV line wasn't working and they had to do it AGAIN! I asked them to call someone that was really good at IV's and they called the Head Nurse, Linda. She started it right away no problem.
They say with these treatments you aren't likely to see anything until after you return home, yet some people begin to notice little improvements after the 4th or 5th treatment. I haven't really noticed anything significant yet, but we'll see. I've noticed some little things that may or may not be associated like he seems more relaxed, he's eating a little better, he's making more sounds... stuff like that. I remember one mom I spoke to a while ago said they didn't really see any changes except that it made their daughter's seizures go away. If we could just have that I'd be grateful! Please keep up the prayers!

Fezia's Visit

Some new friends left and an old friend arrived. Fezia and I met online about 13 years ago. Both of our sons were going through a home program called Brain Net and both of us were in a yahoo email group called Parents of Near Drowns. Fezia's son, Amir, and Cooper are about the same age and both suffered a similar brain injury as a result of a near drowning around the same time. Through the years we've shared stories and information we discover in the journey to help our son's recover. Fezia lives in Malaysia with Amir and her husband and also has 2 older sons. Since Amir's accident Fezia has worked tirelessly to help Amir recover and has been an inspiration to me in so many ways. She has become trained in special needs Yoga and Cranial Sacrel Therapy and treats children throughout Malaysia and its neighboring countries.
After hearing that Cooper and I were going to be in China, she flew over from a nearby province where she was working to visit us. It was the first time we had actually ever met in person! Fezia showed up with several gifts and food items for us. She brought Cooper some therapeutic items, hot cereals and yummy treats for me! She also used some of her wonderful knowledge on Cooper and showed me some new massage techniques. Cooper smiled when he met her and often laughed when she worked with him. I was able to get her a room at the hospital so we could spend every possible moment she had together. It was such a treat to have my dear friend meet up with us in China!