Stem cells are now being used by doctors to help cure children suffering from acquired hearing loss. One of the patients undergoing this kind of treatment is Madeline Connor, a two-year-old girl.
According to her mom, Stephanie, she was pregnant with her when she had a herpes virus known as CMV which is one of the causes of hearing loss in babies. She figured back then that her baby would be deaf. And she was right.
Madeline lost her hearing but Connor didn’t give up hope that someday her child can hear like normal people do. She decided to let her join an FDA approved study that involves using umbilical cord blood in restoring hearing.
The study is sponsored by Dr. James Baumgartner at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in Texas. According to him, the study is safe and utilizes effective treatment that can help children hear well enough to be able to speak normally. The study will last for a year and involves following 10 children aged six weeks to 18 months suffering from acquired hearing loss and are registered with the cord blood registry.
The study is still in its early stage but Connor already noticed some remarkable changes in her daughter. Madeline started speaking in January and hopefully she will continue to progress.
http://www.nbc-2.com/story/18610064/stem-cells-used-to-regenerate-hearing
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