Adult stem cells at work in Canadaigua

 What’s the connection between Canadaigua (NY) and Portugal?  Paul Rudat. 

A Canadaigua native, he is the 100^th person to be treated at a clinic in Portugal with his own adult stem cells. 

August 2007 Updates:  Paul's on his feet! ATV Fundraiser Ride August 26

Paul's mother Jean reports about the new development: "It was absolutely amazing to see my son upright taking steps in those braces!  It was a beautiful sight!  He is doing great with his balance.  The AWESOME therapists have him working on things like standing/balancing upright, and "putting" a golf ball into a can.  They play "catch" with velcro mits and a tennis ball while he stands as well.  He's really gearing up for this upcoming trip to Atlanta, GA and I think we'll see some great gains.  He's had muscles working for him in his torso since he's been working at the Thompson rehab dept, lots of burning in his legs and also lots of muscle spasms in the legs.  Things are trying to wake up! "I am just so thrilled with where things are right now.  I am especially happy with Paul's positive attitude, which has been with him from the day this happened.  I am very proud of him."

Paul’s life changed abruptly as a result of injuries to his spinal cord when he dove into a pond the day of his high school graduation in 2004.  Although he had been in the pond before, for some reason this time he hit an obstacle below the surface of the water. 

His injuries resulted in major paralysis, from the chest down.  Hard work at physical therapy helped his hand movements, but walking was out of the question. 

He was accepted at a clinic in Portugal where experimental surgery takes the patient’s own adult stem cells from the nasal mucosa, an area very far back in the nose, and transplants the cells into the place in the spinal cord that has been damaged. 

He has “new sensations in his arms and added activity in his hands” since the surgery in Portugal and he is determined to walk again. 

Always a sports enthusiast, he is figuring out ways of adapting sports equipment so it can be used by people who, like him, have been disabled in some fashion.  And he does the physical therapy essential for his recovery. 

If you would like to read more about Paul and his treatment, check out his website www.paulspath.com

If you would like to help him, also check out the website, because they may have information about upcoming fundraisers.  Paul would like to be able to go to Shepherd Center, a specialized hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, for concentrated physical therapy, and his family and friends would like to get him there.

Updated on RARTL July, 2007