A New Hope for Glaucinho

2009-11-26T12:45:00.000-08:00

About Glaucinho

Glaucio Hilario Rangel da Silva was born in Rio de Janeiro on the 23rd of April 2001.

He lives in the capital city of Rio de Janeiro and is 08 years old. His weight is 10.100Kg (it is very difficult for children in this situation to gain weight). His birth was very hard and it caused damage in his brain. The kind of damage is known as Cerebral Palsy.

Although Glaucinho’s life is not easy, he is a very happy child! He's always laughing, joking and rejoicing.

Please, keep reading about Glaucinho’s life and how Cerebral Palsy has affected him.

Head/Neck

Glaucinho has no control of his head. The type Cerebral Palsy which has affected him is the one in which the patient has no control of his upper and lower limbs.

Speech

Although Glaucinho is 08 years old, he can not say words or syllables (only mumbles some sounds). We are aware that if nothing is done to help him it will be very difficult for Glaucinho to ever talk.

Food

It is very painful to feed a child with Cerebral Palsy. Since Glaucinho can not control his head, it is very difficult to grasp in a position where somebody can feed him. He struggles to swallow, because he chokes and can not chew. Due to this, all his food must be in a pasty consistency.

Hands

His hands and arms were very affected by Cerebral Palsy. He can not grab a toy, shake a rattle, touch our faces, can not bring a toy to his mouth, etc. We can see that he tries to do these things, putting a lot of effort into it, but it seems to be a struggle that drains his energy. Usually he gets very exhausted after a few tries.

Legs

Glaucinho’s legs seem strong. When we try to make him “walk” his legs act as “scissors”, crossing one over the other. He always steps on the other foot, which makes him fall.

We know how it will be difficult for Glaucinho to walk if he doesn’t undergo the treatment in due time. He could spend the rest of life in a wheelchair.

Trunk

Glaucinho has no control of his trunk. That is why he is not able to sit.

Intelligence

Cerebral Palsy usually does not affect intelligence. It only affects motor skills. This explains why Glaucinho appears to be so smart. He enjoys interacting with people and shows a lot of curiosity.

As parents, we want to see our son being able to sit, to crawl, to talk, to walk, to pick up objects and so on. We want him to have a normal life, doing everything he can not do now.

This is why we urge you to help Glaucinho overcome these impairments!

After relentless research, we are sure that the stem cell therapy can considerably improve Glaucinho's life.

We can not afford such treatment because it is very expensive, costing USD$ 56,000.00. That is why we had the idea of making this blog: Our aim is to raise funds to take Glaucinho to China expecting that through the treatment he may have a better life.

Can you see why we need your donation? Give, it doesn’t matter the amount, give what is in your heart in order to help Glaucinho. So, if you are touched by Glaucinho’s story, donate or help promote this blog by sharing the blog’s address with your friends and other people you know! Have a great day and may God reward you for what you can do for Glaucinho!

“And let us not get tired of well-doing; for at the right time we will get in the grain, if we do not give way to weariness” (Galatians 6.9).

... While there is a will to fight ...
... there will be hope to win.

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Make your donation

2009-11-26T12:42:00.000-08:00

Your donation is very important!

We can not afford such treatment because it is very expensive, costing USD$ 56,000.00. That is why we had the idea of making this blog: Our aim is to raise funds to take Glaucinho to China expecting that through the treatment he may have a better life.

Can you see why we need your donation? Give, it doesn’t matter the amount, give what is in your heart in order to help Glaucinho.

If you are a Brazilian or have bank account in Brazil you have some more options to give:

Favorecido: Gláucio Rangel Hilário da Silva (Glaucinho)

Banco: Banco do Brasil
Agência: 3517-3
Conta Poupança: 26807-0 - Variação: 01

Favorecido: Gláucio Rangel Hilário da Silva (Glaucinho)

Banco: Itaú
Agência: 0387
Conta Poupança: 70606-2/500

If you need Glaucinho`s CPF in order to transfer the money, please, let us know by E-MAIL and we will be glad to share with you any information you need.

2009-11-25T02:29:00.000-08:00

An interview with Glaucinho’s parents

Glaucio, a taxi driver and Simone, a housewife, are Glaucinho’s parents. They have been married for fourteen years.

Their biggest dream was to have a baby. After four years of marriage they decided to have a child. They were totally open to having either a baby girl or a baby boy (dad had a little preference for a baby boy). Of course they didn’t plan to have a “special” child. Despite all Glaucinho’s limitations, they love him unconditionally.

Keep reading the interview and see why Glaucinho really needs your help.

Pregnancy

Question: How was your pregnancy? Did you have any problem that could give any “clue” about what was going to happen to Glaucinho?

Answer (Glaucio and Simone): My pregnancy process was wonderful. All the exams were fine and showed not a single problem. It was a special moment in our life.

Birth

Question: How was Glaucinho's birth?

Answer (Glaucio and Simone): The labor was okay up to the delivery time. The doctors tried normal birth because they thought I had passage.

It was so much work at the labor and after trying so many times Glaucinho was born. However, we were able to see that he was not crying, had a weak pulse and the doctors had to put a lot of work in order to reanimate him.

As a mother I was not able to see him because they took him to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). We were down. It was not what we had dreamed about. As a mother I had done everything right but at the most important moment all my effort was useless.

A few days (and a few exams) later Glaucinho was diagnosed with a Neurologic Damage. This is called Cerebral Palsy.

The "days after"

Question: What happened in the following days?

Answer (Glaucio and Simone): Glaucinho stayed 39 days at the ICU. We went to the hospital every single day. He was in coma for a week using artificial ways to breathe and having convulsions. Every day the nurses had to use a tube through his nose to the lungs in order to aspirate the secretion (a lot!). Then, the doctors would ask us to leave the room because it was very shocking to see him in this condition. After 15 days we were able to hear him crying for the first time. It was not a strong cry but enough to make us happy because all the news we were getting from the hospital were bad news.

At this time he was also being fed through a tube that would pass through his nose to the stomach.

The discharge from hospital happened only when he was able to be fed using a nursing bottle. Before sending him home the doctors made several restrictions requesting medical care such as neurological, respiratory physiotherapist and speech therapist.

At home

Question: How is it to have a baby with Cerebral Palsy?

Answer (Glaucio and Simone): Cerebral Palsy affects motor skills and it is not easy to hold him. He has involuntary movements and cannot grab objects, he cannot sit and control his head. It makes it difficult for him to breathe and swallow. Glaucinho has problems to drink any liquid because he chokes many times. We feel anguished because we know his organism needs liquid.

Because he is not able to eat normal food, all his food must be in a pasty consistency.

Despite all the limitations we have mentioned before, Glaucinho is a very happy child. He is always ready for a smile! He speaks with his eyes as they are observing everything around. He loves songs that talk about God (he also has his preferences). He hears a song only one time and if he likes it he will not forget anymore. In his way he asks for attention, for someone to talk, play, shaking his body and to talk using a different voice. He enjoys all of it! Our son is a blessing in our life, he fills our home with joy and love.

“See, sons are a heritage from the Lord; the fruit of the body is his reward” (Psalm 127.3).

Plans for Glaucinho – The purpose of this blog

Question: What are you doing and what are you planning to do to help Glaucinho?

Answer (Glaucio and Simone): Today, Glaucinho does every therapy we can afford. The Brazilian Government doesn't offer anything, so, we looked for a philanthropic institution where Glaucinho receives some treatments.

However, we are aware that all these treatments are trying just to "remediate" Glaucinho's problems. Researching through the Internet we found many successful stories of Cerebral Palsy patients who benefited from Stem Cells Treatment in China. Here in Brazil we don't have this treatment available.

We cannot afford such treatment because it is very expensive, at the total cost of USD$ 56,000.00. That is why we had the idea of making this blog: Our aim is to raise funds to take Glaucinho to China expecting that through the treatment he may have a better life.

As parents we want to see our son being able to sit down, to crawl, to speak, to walk, to grab things. We want him to have a normal life, doing everything that he can't do today.

We are sure that Stem Cells Treatment can make all these things come true for Glaucinho.

Can you see why we need your donation? Give, it doesn’t matter the amount, give what is in your heart in order to help Glaucinho. So, if you are touched by Glaucinho’s story, donate or help promote this blog by sharing the blog’s address with your friends and other people you know! Have a great day and may God reward you for what you can do for Glaucinho!

“And let us not get tired of well-doing; for at the right time we will get in the grain, if we do not give way to weariness” (Galatians 6.9).

A dream dreamed alone is a dream,

a dream dreamed together is a reality.

Give, your donation is very important!

What is Cerebral Palsy?

2009-11-24T13:49:00.000-08:00

Source: BBC

Cerebral palsy isn't a particular disease or illness. The term means a physical condition that affects movement as a result of an injury to the brain. Every person with cerebral palsy is affected in a different way.

What is it?

There are several different types of cerebral palsy. While some people are severely affected, others have only minor disruption, depending on which parts of the brain have been damaged.

The main types of cerebral palsy are:

• Spastic cerebral palsy - some of the muscles in the body are tight, stiff and weak, making control of movement difficult.
• Athetoid (dyskinetic) cerebral palsy - control of muscles is disrupted by spontaneous and unwanted movements. Control of posture is also disrupted.
• Ataxic cerebral palsy - problems include difficulty with balance, shaky movements of hands or feet, and difficulty with speech.
• Mixed cerebral palsy (Glaucinho's case) - a combination of two or more of the above.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms of CP may take some months to become apparent and depend on the type. There may be abnormal tone (stiffness or floppiness) of the limbs and odd postures.

In spastic cerebral palsy (70 per cent of cases), the limbs become stiff and may be drawn in. In athetoid cerebral palsy (10 per cent of cases), the child develops involuntary irregular writhing movements.

There may be incoordination of the muscles of the mouth, causing feeding problems such as slow feeding, gagging and vomiting, delayed motor milestones, such as crawling and walking, weakness or paralysis of the limbs, an abnormal gait and slowness in developing speech and social skills.

As many as one in three children and adolescents with cerebral palsy also has epilepsy (Glaucinho had epilepsy until he was 4 years old).

Other common problems include:

• Difficulty with walking, writing, eating, talking, dressing (Glaucinho is not able to do any of these things),
• Problems with balance and coordination,
• Difficulty controlling and maintaining posture (they may need help to sit upright),
• Visual difficulties,
• Hearing problems.

A common misconception is that people with cerebral palsy inevitably have learning difficulties. This may have arisen because people with cerebral palsy can have problems controlling their facial movements and speech, and it can be difficult to understand them at first.

However, just as in the rest of the population, there's a range of intelligence. Some people with cerebral palsy have moderate or even severe learning difficulties, while others are extremely intelligent.

What causes it?

It's easiest to think of cerebral palsy as a condition in which part of the brain hasn't developed properly. This might be because of a variery of events occurring before, during or after birth. Most people think of cerebral palsy as a condition caused by problems during labour and birth. However, it's now generally accepted that complications at this time are an important factor in a only minority of cases, around one in ten.

The most common cause of cerebral palsy is something that damages the brain while the baby is growing in the womb. These antenatal factors can be found in 80 per cent of those affected and include genetic problems, malformations of the brain and maternal infection (rubella, toxoplasmosis).

Better maternity care has meant fewer babies are born with cerebral palsy due to birth trauma, but this has been offset by the improved survival of premature and low birthweight babies, who may be up to 50 times more at risk of cerebral palsy.

Infections when a baby is young (especially encephalitis or meningitis) can also lead to cerebral palsy.

In a number of cases, it's difficult to pin down the exact cause with any certainty.

What is the treatment?

Researching through the Internet we have found many successful stories of Cerebral Palsy patients who benefited from Stem Cells Treatment in China. Here in Brazil we don't have this treatment available.

We cannot afford such treatment because it is very expensive, at the total cost of USD$ 56,000.00. That is why we had the idea of making this blog: Our aim is to raise funds to take Glaucinho to China expecting that through the treatment he may have a better life.

As parents we want to see our son being able to sit down, to crawl, to speak, to walk, to grab things. We want him to have a normal life, doing everything that he can't do today.

We are sure that Stem Cells Treatment can make all these things come true for Glaucinho.

Can you see why we need your donation? Give, it doesn’t matter the amount, give what is in your heart in order to help Glaucinho. So, if you are touched by Glaucinho’s story, donate or help promote this blog by sharing the blog’s address with your friends and other people you know! Have a great day and may God reward you for what you can do for Glaucinho!

“And let us not get tired of well-doing; for at the right time we will get in the grain, if we do not give way to weariness” (Galatians 6.9).

Cases that have already worked

2009-11-24T13:48:00.000-08:00

Some examples of successful cases using Stem Cells

Some renowned TV programs and newspapers around the world are publishing cases of patients using Stem Cells Treatment. This page is to show you that Glaucinho has a HUGE chance to get better if he goes to China.

Cerebral Palsy Cases

Cases shown here are from patients in the same condition as Glaucinho. Some of them are even worse. What matters is that these children have got great improvements in their life using Stem Cells. In some cases we can say they got cured.

Dallas Hextell (Most impressive case)

One little boy who’s made a dramatic recovery from his diagnosis of cerebral palsy thanks to some cutting-edge treatment using Stem Cells.

See the NBC video and read about this case (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23572206/).

Gabor Bocskai

A dramatic improvement for a 19-Year-Old Hungarian Cerebral Palsy sufferer after Stem Cell Treatment

* Some information about Gabor's Treatment in China (videos that show before and after treatment),
* Press release about Gabor's case in China,
* More information about Gabor's Treatment avaliable in CerebralPalsy.org.

Did you see? Unfortunately we don't have this treatment in Brazil.

We can not afford such treatment because it is very expensive, at the total cost of USD$ 56,000.00. That is why we had the idea of making this blog: Our aim is to raise funds to take Glaucinho to China expecting that through the treatment he may have a better life.

As parents we want to see our son being able to sit down, to crawl, to speak, to walk, to grab things. We want him to have a normal life, doing everything that he can't do today.

We are sure that Stem Cells Treatment can make all these things come true for Glaucinho.

Can you see why we need your donation? Give, it doesn’t matter the amount, give what is in your heart in order to help Glaucinho. So, if you are touched by Glaucinho’s story, donate or help promote this blog by sharing the blog’s address with your friends and other people you know! Have a great day and may God reward you for what you can do for Glaucinho!

The treatment and the cost

2009-11-24T13:42:00.000-08:00

Stem cell transfusions will be done of umbilical cord from Glaucinho’s body (without the blood, only the stem cells). The stem cells have the function to regenerate the dead cells and give life to the dead tissues of the brain. Then, he can be able recover his movements and be a normal boy being able to sit, walk, talk… and having a better quality of life.

The treatment at the Beike Biotech in China is done through some applications. They will examine Glaucinho and decide which will be the best method. The maximum number of applications is 8. The stem cells are the ADULT stem cells from the umbilical cord.

The treatment will be done in a huge company called Beike Biotech. You can see bellow information about the company:

Beike is a bio-technology company that was founded with capital from Beijing University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Shenzhen City Hall. It is also supported with funds from the China State National Fund. The research and clinical work comes as a collaboration of Beijing University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, No. 3 Army Medical University, Zhongshan Medical University, Guiyang Medical College and Zhengzhou University. Throughout all collaborating laboratories, Beike has over 60 Ph.D. researchers focusing on stem cell research. The company was formed in January of 2005 after the collaborating scientists felt comfortable enough with their years of research and clinical experience to begin treating patients with stem cells on a commercial scale.

Website: www.beikebiotech.com

The cost of the treatment

The total cost of the treatment is USD$ 56,000.00. This amount covers expenses with 8 shots, accommodation in China (45 to 50 days) and air tickets.