April 10, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
We as a family wanted to write and tell you about a procedure that could possibly help our son, Harrison. We have spent many hours researching, praying, and fasting about this treatment.
We will be taking Harrison to the XCell Center in Cologne, Germany for an adult stem cell therapy treatment. You can visit
http://www.xcell-center.com/ for more information about the center and the treatment.
Why aren’t we doing this here in the US? We have chosen to travel to Cologne simply because this procedure is not approved here as a treatment for pediatric cerebral palsy patients. Germany is ahead of the US in this pioneering treatment. At the same time, Germany has the same high medical standards as the US, so we know the Center will be professional and safe.
What is the procedure?The treating physician will put Harrison under general anesthesia and extract stem cells from the bone marrow in his hip. The Center will then treat those stem cells to become neurons (brain cells). A couple of days later, the stem cells will be reintroduced into Harrison’s body through a lumbar puncture.
Both of the procedures are outpatient treatments. As soon as Harrison is safely out of the anesthesia, he will leave the center. All the follow-up care will be via email and phone calls with the doctor in Germany. There is no need for us to stay in the XCell facility after the procedure is complete.
What are the results?There is no guarantee of results, but the doctor has had great success ….60% of the patients have seen results, and 30% of them have had tremendous results. Results typically take 4-6 weeks to become evident, so we will need to be patient. Some of the possibilities could include: better balance, increase in fine motor skills, walking, feeding, speech…the possibilities are endless!
Are there side effects?There are virtually no side effects, because these are Harrison’s stem cells and they’re basically just moving them from his hip bone to his brain. The doctor has performed over 1,000 of these procedures, and has had zero side effects.
Will this be covered by insurance?No. We are leaving the country and our carrier considers this procedure experimental.
We are asking for your help to defray the cost of this procedure. The cost for the procedure is 7,500 Euros, which translates to approximately $12,000US. We anticipate doing this procedure the first week of August of this summer. In order to plan accordingly, we will need all funds by June 15th. We have arranged for Beyond The Mark Foundation, a non- profit 501c(3) organization, to accept donations on Harrison’s behalf. Financial contributions to the Foundation could be tax deductible - check with your tax advisor for assistance. You will receive a written receipt of contribution directly from them.
Monetary Donations can be made by check to:
Beyond The Mark Foundation12649 E. Caley Ave #118
Centennial, CO 80111
Be sure to write “
Harrison Fund” in the memo line. Our deadline for receipt is June 15, 2009. Please do not send money to our home address; use the Foundation’s address above.
Why not do a fundraising event?Planning and executing a successful fundraising event poses significant challenges with respect to time and resources. By asking for your help in this manner, 100% of assistance provided by you will go toward the procedure without overhead expense.
We also need your prayers and faith in behalf of Harrison, our family, and the doctors that will be performing this procedure. We will be having a special fast for Harrison on July 26th. If you would like us to phone or email you to remind you of the fast, or to learn more about this procedure for Harrison, please call us at (720) 493-5161 or email us at jeffandlish@msn.com.
Thank you so much for all you do for our family, especially your faith and prayers.
Sincerely,
Jeff, Alicia, Morgan, Harrison, Caleb, and Andrew
