Samantha "Sammie" Stiles, age 3 at the time of her treatment for spina bifida on 7-4-2012
Little Samantha came to SCRI wearing braces and using crutches to get about which made it possible for her to walk albeit with great difficulty.
In the months following her treatment by SCRI doctors using primed stem cells Samantha's mother Jennifer reported she is walking more independently and appears to have gained strength in her legs. She added that Samantha "..walks often holding onto my hand or her little toy cart which she was not strong enough to do, she has a lot more confidence. I feel like she has gained sensation further down her legs. She says she can feel her great toes and she tells me she has to go to the bathroom more often like she has gained some sort of feeling. We have had to move her crutches up 3 notches because she has grown taller. I haven't noticed any more ankle strength but more muscle tone and strength in her legs and now is standing taller & straighter with more confidence without her braces".
More recently, Jennifer Stiles wrote SCRI that Samantha is has been getting ever stronger and as-a-result does not use her crutches at all anymore and is now walking and dancing all over the place using only her little braces. The Stile family are hoping that Samantha will be able get rid of her braces in the near future.
View this video of Samantha walking independently (note the huge grin)
Samantha's video
If you need a viewer, here is a free download that we at SCRI used to watch this video: