Nancy Rice

My Story:

 Nancy Rice now lives near Bucharest, but spent most of her life in Texas where before retiring, she was fortunate enough to be a counselor for disabled students studying in a community college. It was there she became aware of the assistance needed by people who suffer from loss of vision even if it is only partial.

About ten years ago when her eye doctor told her that she had early signs of Macular Degeneration, she knew what that meant. She realized that she had to prepare herself for eventually losing a major portion of her sight.

Nancy was disappointed to discover that nothing had been found to treat the onslaught of the drusen that gradually knock out one's central vision. She felt grateful that her situation was not as serious as it could be, but Nancy cherished her ability to see and did not want to lose it.

Stem Cell Therapy
In the fall of 2008, Nancy’s sister mentioned the possibility of stem cell therapy for macular degeneration. Nancy did some research on the Internet and turned up several options, the best of which looked to be the XCell-Center in Germany. In November 2008, she flew with her husband to Cologne where stem cells from her own bone marrow were implanted into her body. The bone marrow extraction was not at all painful, nor the implantation of the stem cells. Nancy had been very apprehensive that she would not be able to tolerate the procedures, but it was not the case. The following day her eyes were swollen and bloodshot and she could see only through tiny slits. This worried her and she was grateful that her husband was with her, even though she could have managed by herself.

Results
The stem cell implants may not have helped her recover lost sight; however, the disease no longer progresses! She has kept up periodic visits to her ophthalmologist in Bucharest. She reports that the drusen are unchanged - the drusen have not gotten worse. The prescription for her glasses is also the same. They have not changed since her visit to XCell-Center even though cataracts interfere, she can still drive, watch TV, and do all those things which she could not otherwise accomplish. Reading small print is not a problem. The Amsler Grid? The lines were beginning to bend, but now she sees a proper grid, just a bit squiggly in some places! Nancy says she feels blessed indeed.