This incredible little girl and her family have faced amazing odds ..
The web-site her parents have created and the story they shared, had me in tears as it showed how far this little girl has come .. The video shows how her life is truly a testament to her parents strength and love (and of course her strength).
Her parents are raising funds to enable them to take her to receive a new medical treatment - stem cell treatment, in Mexico.
This is from the home page of the site : http://www.darylann.co.nz/index.html
From Daryl-Ann's Parents
When Daryl-Ann was born, she didn’t draw her first breath until six minutes after her delivery. Daryl-Ann was left fighting for her life from the very beginning, an MRI scan showing extensive damage to virtually all of her brain. We were told that Daryl-Ann would probably never eat, drink, walk or talk – in fact, she would probably not even see her first birthday. We should have been rejoicing at the glorious birth of our first baby– instead we were left devastated and heartbroken, watching with disbelief as she lay so beautifully in her incubator, looking perfect in every respect, but hiding the true battle she was fighting.
Daryl-Ann proved she was a fighter. Now two years old and against all odds, among other things she has learned to feed, play, stand and walk with assistance and, just recently, showed us she can giggle – a most infectious laugh that you can’t help but join in with! Daryl-Ann’s future remains guarded, as the lack of oxygen at birth has left her with severe cerebral palsy and developmental delay, a smaller head due to the lack of growth in her brain and a life threatening form of epilepsy. Each day with Daryl-Ann is precious as we never know if we will see her tomorrow.
However, a new medical miracle has given us hope for Daryl-Ann that we had never previously let ourselves dare imagine – hope to fix damage caused to her brain.
A recent article on TVNZ’s Close-Up screened the story of Ryan Schneider who made a miraculous complete recovery from Cerebral Palsy after receiving stem cell treatment. The treatment is not to be confused with controversial embryonic stem cell treatment, but is a treatment utilising the blood inside the cord of a healthy newborn baby – previously treated as medical waste but now a medical miracle. Stem cells from the cord are injected into the body using a remarkably simple method. The cells then zero in wherever required to repair damaged tissue, for example regenerating new cell growth in the brain in the case of cerebral palsy.
Ryan’s recovery after only one week of treatment as well as other incredible cases of spectacular recovery and improvement of CP sufferers has encouraged us to seek out treatment for Daryl-Ann. The treatment is not yet available in New Zealand but is offered abroad by Dr Fernando Ramirez del Rio, at a clinic just across the American border in Mexico (the treatment is still in the process of obtaining regulatory approval before it can be administered in America). The treatment uses cord blood stem cells from the national cord blood bank in America, where the cells are also tested and prepared. The results of treatment administered by Dr Ramirez to children with cerebral palsy so far have all resulted in measurable improvements.
Dr Ramirez has agreed to accept Daryl-Ann for treatment as soon as we are able to attend. We are now in the process of fundraising to make this miracle treatment a reality. We have set up a charitable trust and hope to raise $40,000 before February 2009 so treatment can begin as soon as possible (the brain naturally doing most of its growing before the age of three). We would love you to read our web site to learn more of Daryl-Ann’s story and this incredible treatment available. We hope you feel touched to help Daryl-Ann and make a donation towards the costs as it is only with the help of people such as yourselves, that this treatment can become a reality. We will keep a blog to keep everyone informed, as well as hoping to provide a forum for CP sufferers and their families to discuss this treatment and others. Please let your friends know about this site, and feel free to leave your comments on the forum. We are very greatful to you for taking the time to explore Daryl-Ann’s website and special thanks to all those who have already helped us so much to date. If you would like to make a donation, please click on this link to take you to the donation page. Thank you.
Janine and Rob
Daryl-Ann’s parents
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