Stem Cell Hope For Autistic British Boy

Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News

The British parents of a non-verbal autistic boy are hopeful that a crowdfunding campaign will raise enough money to send the 10-year-old to Miami for groundbreaking stem cell treatment.

Picture Credits: CEN

Danny Bullen, who lives with his parents on the Spanish island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, was diagnosed with autism in 2010 when he was two years old after “his development and communication stopped almost overnight”.

The cherub-faced 10-year-old, son of British writer Lee Bullen and Spanish teacher Irma Guanche, will hopefully travel to Miami, USA, in March and again in August if his parents can raise the 30,000 EUR (26,500 GBP) needed for the adult stem cell treatment.

Young Danny, who is still unable to speak and requires his family’s assistance for basic tasks such as using the toilet, attends a specialist school in his hometown of Candelaria and has already gone through various different protocols.

His concerned parents sent their “withdrawn son” for numerous tests and started him on a gluten and lactose-free diet to improve a number of gastrointestinal disorders and autoimmune conditions.

With the help of specialised parents’ groups and online communities, Lee and Irma heard about the fantastic results being achieved with autistic children in the field of adult stem cell therapy.

Lee, who wrote a book about coming to terms with Danny’s condition called ‘Beset’, told Central European News (CEN): “With the treatment we are looking at, doctors will introduce umbilical cord blood stem cells as well as cells from the patient’s own bone marrow and adipose tissue.

“There are several options, and it is safer to undergo stem cell therapy over two or three visits rather than at once, but the results with autistic children have been incredible in recent years.

“All symptoms related to ASD have completely disappeared in many of the young patients.”

Danny’s parents hope to send him to the Art and Science Surgicenter in Miami, Florida, in March for stem cell therapy costing 10,000 EUR (8,820 GBP) and again in August for treatment totalling 15,000 EUR (13,230 GBP) as the second option includes umbilical cord cells.

Danny will be under the care of Dr. Omar Lopez, who has many years of experience working with stem cell therapy, and will travel with his mother and sister Nadia.

To help with the costs, Danny’s parents have launched a crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe where they hope to raise 30,000 EUR (26,500 GBP) for the two sessions and some of the travel and accommodation costs.

If anyone would like to make a donation, please visit: www.gofundme.com/manage/stem-cell-treatment-for-autistic-10yo-boy.