For the past 15 years, I have studied stem cells, including technology and research advances, as well as market trends. I have been fascinated with them for most of my adult life, founding BioInformant as the first and only market research firm to specialize in the stem cell industry.
As a result of this decision, I have had the honor of serving thousands clients from across the stem cell industry and been interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Business Journal, Xconomy, and Vogue Magazine.
However, it was only recently that I experienced the power of stem cells to impact my own life and health.
Stem Cell Patient
In February of 2014, I made a life-changing decision. I choose to believe in the power of the stem cells to heal, in part because I had studied the area for years, but more importantly, because I had few other options.
Prior to that time, I competed on the USA Rugby Team for years and spent time playing overseas in New Zealand and Australia. I was featured as an “International Athlete of the Year” and played rugby across four different continents in a single calendar year. I was at the peak of my game.
Unfortunately, that experience led to me requiring back-to-back knee surgeries that I had in May of 2012 (Auckland, NZ) and 2013 (Washington, DC, USA). After the surgeries, I lost nearly complete function in my knee. Every time I attempted to run, my knee would react, swelling up the size of a grapefruit and quickly filling with fluid.
In an effort to resolve the surgical damage, I saw over two dozen different specialists, including orthopedists, physical therapists, massage therapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, certified dry needle practitioners, a knee brace specialist, and too many others to count.
I was trying to address the pain and swelling that I was experiencing, but nothing would reduce it.
Next, I chose to have the swelling in my knee drained several times. It was a painful and expensive treatment approach, but each time gave me short-term bursts of (somewhat) normal knee function. I was prescribed high-doses of both oral and topic anti-inflammatories, which actually worked temporarily, but they never addressed the underlying cause of the damage. More importantly, I could not take them permanently without health consequences.
That all changed when I had an autologous stem cell procedure in early 2014, in which bone marrow derived stem cells were extracted from my hip and re-injected into my knee.
I received the treatment at the National Spine and Pain Center in Fairfax, VA, performed by Dr. Mayo Friedlis. To comply with FDA standards, the procedure I had was a same-day, autologous (“self-derived”), minimally manipulated procedure. Regenexx also offers a culture expanded version of the procedure at their Cayman Islands location, which involves expansion of a patient’s stem cells in the laboratory before re-administering them. However, this version of the procedure is illegal for U.S. patients.
The procedure, while painful, has changed my life. I included a photo below from immediately after receiving my stem cell procedure. It was much less invasive than prior surgeries.
Recently, I celebrated the one-year anniversary of my stem cell treatment. Fittingly, I was reminded of the event, because I was reading a review article about stem cell applications, when I received the one-year “Follow-up Questionnaire” in my inbox.
I paused to appreciate the moment, because like so many life-changing moments in life, when they pass, they pass quietly. I now have full function of my knee back. I am pain-free. I have my physical strength and power back. I am training daily again, in the gym for strength and on the track for speed and endurance.
I have also returned to playing rugby at an elite level, competing in international competitions and representing the United States at the FIT World Cup in Coffs Harbour, Australia. It is one of the world’s largest and most renowned sporting events of the year, and I again had the honor of competing for my country.
Needless to say, I am grateful to understand the power of stem cells to heal, both on personal level as an athlete and on a cognitive level as a scientist. As we like to say at BioInformant, “We are not made of drugs, we are made of cells.”
If you have questions or are thinking about becoming a stem cell patient, let’s connect on Twitter or LinkedIn.
About BioInformant
BioInformant is the first and only market research firm to specialize in the stem cell industry. BioInformant research has been featured by the Wall Street Journal, Nature Biotechnology, Xconomy, and Vogue Magazine. Serving industry leaders that include GE Healthcare, Pfizer, Goldman Sachs, and Beckton Dickinson, BioInformant is your global leader in stem cell industry data.