Name: Annie Gifford
Sex: Female
Country: Australia
Age: 60
Diagnosis: Huntington´s Disease


Reason for treatment:
Annie experienced a string of unfortunate events leading up to her coming to China for stem cell treatment. She suffered a stroke, was in a car accident, was diagnosed with Huntington´s disease and finally fell and broke her hip in a short period of time. Despite all of this, Annie managed to stay positive and searched for ways to get better. This led her to China and stem cell treatment.

Beginning of treatment: Jun 11, 2008

Treatment: 4 stem cell injections via lumbar puncture + nutritious stem cell cocktail treatment (intravenous).

Condition before treatment: See Videos: before1, before2

On arrival in China, Annie was unable to walk by herself. She was confined to a wheelchair and needed assistance to do all daily tasks. She was not able to go to the bathroom by herself or move around. She could sit straight but required assistance to get in to a sitting position.
Due to her broken hip, she had not been able to walk for a long time, during which, her Huntington´s had progressed making her very stiff and rigid. Her legs were therefore bent so that she was always sitting with her legs crossed or in a sitting position with her knees bent at a 90 degree angle. She could not straighten them out. Her hands were also bent into an angle, stiff and immobile making it difficult for her to grab things by herself. Her hands were so stiff that she always had to hold a sponge in her right hand in order to protect the palm of her hand from her fingernails.
Annie was not able to speak well. Some words were understandable and she could still communicate with her daughter and the nurses but it was not possible to have a full conversation with her.
Annie´s arms and legs would also move uncontrollably, making it impossible for her to sit still, feed herself, comb her hair, brush her teeth or get dressed. The movements would also make it hard for her caretakers to do these things, as she was always moving around.
She had problems with her eating and drinking and would often choke on her food. This meant that she had to add thickeners to water in order to be able to drink, and that food could not be too wet or too dry. During meals she would be helped by a caretaker or relative.
Annie was completely dependent on care. Although she has an upbeat personality and a positive attitude, her daily life and any of her everyday chores were impossible for her to carry out by herself.

After the treatment: See Videos: after1, after2

During the course of her treatment, the biggest improvement in Annie´s condition was that her movements became much more controlled. This meant that she was able to eat by herself. It also made it easier for her to be taken care of by the caregivers and even made it possible for her to do some things on her own.
Her hands relaxed a little bit, especially on her right side. This meant that she could be without the protective sponge. Her right arm was also less rigid making it easier to get dressed.
Annie´s legs also stopped moving around, she could lay on the bed with her legs calmly in one position instead of rigidly moving as before. This meant that changing and dressing had become much easier for her and her caregivers.
The physical therapists taking care of Annie were encouraged by her improvements and felt that Annie´s condition would continue to improve after she returned to Australia.
Annie and her daughter Tanya were also encouraged by the improvements and left China positive and hopeful about the future.