By Tammy Gray-Searles
Like her grandmother, longtime Holbrook resident Twyla Taylor, two-year old Ariana “Ari” Taylor has a sunny spirit and determination. At first glance, you might never know that young Ari, smiling in pictures, has battled seizures, a stroke, a brain bleed, reflux and cerebral palsy. Her determination, however, has brought her through a tough first two years of life.
The positive outlook on life, “can-do” attitude and refusal to give up against the odds extend not only to Ari and her grandmother Twyla, however, it also includes her parents, Elisa and Jacob Taylor. Told that there was no treatment for their little girl, and that her brain was permanently scarred, they have not resigned themselves to the doctor’s bleak prediction of Ari’s fate.
Though not an accepted medical practice in the United States, Ari’s parents are looking to umbilical cord stem cell therapy to give her a chance at a normal life.
“Umbilical cord stem cell therapy is the administration of stem cells taken from the umbilical cords of healthy live newborns in an attempt to restore damaged cells and tissue,” Jacob and Elisa explain. “Currently, the United States is still in the process of conducting research trials with cord blood stem cells. This technique most likely won’t be made available to the American public for a number of years. However, even early U.S. research trials have yielded remarkable results for many neurological conditions, most notably stroke and cerebral palsy.”
Although the therapy isn’t available in the U.S., it has been practiced for many years in China and Mexico. According to Jacob and Elisa, there have been amazing successes in those countries.
“Many children with Ariana’s condition have gone from previously nonverbal to talking, immobile to crawling or walking, spastic (overly tight) to mobile and loose, even in a matter of mere months,” Elisa writes on Ari’s Web page.
Although still considered experimental, and though significant cost and travel will be required, Jacob and Elisa have decided that any risk is worth the potential benefit it could have for their daughter.
“When Ariana was first diagnosed a stroke victim, Jacob and I made her and each other a promise that we would go to any lengths to give her the best medical treatment available and the best quality of life possible. In accordance with that promise, Jacob and I have decided that we are going to take Ariana to either China or Mexico for stem cell therapy,” Elisa notes. “This treatment is basically achieving what was once thought to be impossible: to heal the brain.”
The successes in umbilical stem cell therapy in China and Mexico have been great, but only for certain patients. Those under the age of four have had the greatest success, and Jacob and Elisa are in a race against the clock to have Ari treated before she reaches four years old.
A non-profit organization, Hope for Ari, has been created to receive donations, and Ari’s grandmother Twyla has been working tirelessly to raise awareness. The estimated cost of the therapy is $40,000. So far, $1,770 has been raised.
The couple has been able to set up a unique donation program, in which donors receive grocery gift cards in exchange for donations. Elisa notes that the couple has been reluctant to ask for financial help, and this is a way that they can give back to those who help.
For more information, or to donate to Hope for Ari, visit jaketaylorfam.blogspot.com and click on the “Hope for Ari” button, or email Elisa at ElisaMTaylor@hotmail.com. You can also click on the button below to visit the Hope for Ari website.
