Autistic Boy will Travel to Abroad for Adult Stem Cell Treatment

By Steve Gehlbach, Fox News, December 10, 2007

A trip overseas is in the works for a seven year old boy named Matthew from Central Florida. The boy and his family are traveling not for a vacation, but with the hope of curing the boys autism, which was diagnosed when he was 18 months old.

"He wasn't born with autism," Matthew's father Daniel Faiella said.

Matthew began to lose his ability to speak as he got older.

The last few months have shown promise. He is beginning to interact with others and can now draw. This change in behavior can more than likely be attributed his use of a hyperbaric chamber to increase blood flow and get more oxygen to his brain.

While researching their son's condition, Matthew's parents learned of a non-controversial stem cell treatment being offered in Central America. The stem cells used at the Central American clinic are harvested from umbilical cord blood, and not embryos.

The Faiella's believe that much like the chamber, the stem cells will help repair the damage, but at a much faster rate.

"In essence, adult stem cells are creating more blood vessels to the brain, more oxygen to he brain, where it's rejuvenating brain cells," Faiella said.

The family expects the potential of a full recovery to be within grasp. Earlier this year, a South Florida girl made tremendous improvement following treatment for autism at the Institute of Cellular Medicine.

"He's reaching back through his world, and we're reaching back and we're grabbing a hold of him," said Matthew’s father.

At the end of February 2008, Matthew and his parents will depart on their journey.