Emerson Stem Cell Update – 6 Weeks Later
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Emerson Bonine's Stem Cell Journey
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Emerson Bonine's Stem Cell Journey
I wanted to finally sit down and write a little update about Emerson’s stem cell treatment. We have been so busy since getting back from Arizona that I honestly didn’t know what to write yet, which is why the blog hasn’t been updated.
This Tuesday will be 6 weeks since Emerson received her stem cells in Arizona. From everything we were told, it’s usually around 6–8 weeks before you really start to see changes or gains, so we’re just now getting into that window. Because of that, there haven’t been a lot of big updates yet, which is why I wasn’t sure what to say. For now, we’re mostly in the waiting phase and letting her body do its thing. The first few weeks and even still now, she's been extremely emotional about everything. We were warned that is very normal and actually can be a good sign. It means the cells have made it to her brain and where they're supposed to go. A good analogy was it's like adding a bunch of new players to a football team and it takes a while for them all to get into sync and takes a lot of practice.
The trip to Arizona itself went really well. Emerson did amazing on the flight, which made me so happy because she had never flown before and I had no idea how she would handle it. She completely surprised me and did great.
The doctor at the clinic was wonderful and took so much time making Emerson feel comfortable. There was also a technician there named Bianca that Emerson absolutely adored. We actually made sure Bianca stayed with us through the whole appointment because Emerson thought she was just there playing with her the entire time. It kept her so distracted that she didn’t even notice most of what was going on.
Day one was about a 5-hour appointment. They spent a long time explaining everything and making sure Emerson was really comfortable. They thoroughly numbed the area in her lower back where they collected the cells. The process to remove them is similar to a liposuction procedure. I was honestly nervous about how she would handle it, but she was so comfortable she didn’t seem to notice anything happening.
Once they collected the cells, we left for lunch while the lab processed them and came back about an hour and a half later.
When we returned, they did several different applications with the stem cells:
✨️Some were administered nasally so they could bypass the blood-brain barrier.
✨️Some were injected into her lower back (intrathecal).
✨️They also injected a more diluted solution along the muscles near her spine, similar to treatments athletes sometimes use.
Since doing that, I actually do feel like I’ve noticed a difference in her posture. Even her therapist here locally at Britain noticed it and said Emerson seems to have better trunk control and is sitting up better.
Day two was much shorter—about 2 hours.
On day 2 they did Hyaluronidase injections, which are a more advanced approach compared to the Botox we’ve been doing here. Instead of just temporarily paralyzing the muscle like Botox does, this treatment targets the hyaluronic acid buildup in the muscles, which is believed to contribute to spasticity. The goal is to address more of the root cause rather than just temporarily weakening the muscle. Those injections were done along her back, hamstrings, and adductors (inner thighs).
That could also be contributing to the posture improvements, so it’s hard to know exactly which treatment is responsible, but we’re encouraged by the small changes we’re seeing.
That day Emerson also did Shockwave therapy, which is kind of like a very fast massage gun used to help break up muscle tone. She actually loved it and even tried to help the therapist during the treatment.
After that, she did an HBOT (hyperbaric oxygen) dive in a hard-sided chamber, and she handled that really well too.
Overall, she did so great through both days, and we were really proud of her.
The plan moving forward is to return in 3 months (April 22) for platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatments. The PRP helps reactivate the dormant stem cells and give them another boost.
Before that, we’re also heading to St. Louis on March 30th for a 3-week DMI intensive. The goal is to really maximize the stem cells she received by pairing them with intensive therapy while her body is in this window of healing and potential growth.
For now, we’re just continuing therapy, watching closely for changes, and giving her body time to work. We’re hopeful and excited to see what the next few weeks bring.
Link to see a video
🔗https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP84JjueU/
Thank you to everyone who continues to follow Emerson’s journey and support her along the way. It means more to us than you know. 💜
#teamEmmie
This Tuesday will be 6 weeks since Emerson received her stem cells in Arizona. From everything we were told, it’s usually around 6–8 weeks before you really start to see changes or gains, so we’re just now getting into that window. Because of that, there haven’t been a lot of big updates yet, which is why I wasn’t sure what to say. For now, we’re mostly in the waiting phase and letting her body do its thing. The first few weeks and even still now, she's been extremely emotional about everything. We were warned that is very normal and actually can be a good sign. It means the cells have made it to her brain and where they're supposed to go. A good analogy was it's like adding a bunch of new players to a football team and it takes a while for them all to get into sync and takes a lot of practice.
The trip to Arizona itself went really well. Emerson did amazing on the flight, which made me so happy because she had never flown before and I had no idea how she would handle it. She completely surprised me and did great.
The doctor at the clinic was wonderful and took so much time making Emerson feel comfortable. There was also a technician there named Bianca that Emerson absolutely adored. We actually made sure Bianca stayed with us through the whole appointment because Emerson thought she was just there playing with her the entire time. It kept her so distracted that she didn’t even notice most of what was going on.
Day one was about a 5-hour appointment. They spent a long time explaining everything and making sure Emerson was really comfortable. They thoroughly numbed the area in her lower back where they collected the cells. The process to remove them is similar to a liposuction procedure. I was honestly nervous about how she would handle it, but she was so comfortable she didn’t seem to notice anything happening.
Once they collected the cells, we left for lunch while the lab processed them and came back about an hour and a half later.
When we returned, they did several different applications with the stem cells:
✨️Some were administered nasally so they could bypass the blood-brain barrier.
✨️Some were injected into her lower back (intrathecal).
✨️They also injected a more diluted solution along the muscles near her spine, similar to treatments athletes sometimes use.
Since doing that, I actually do feel like I’ve noticed a difference in her posture. Even her therapist here locally at Britain noticed it and said Emerson seems to have better trunk control and is sitting up better.
Day two was much shorter—about 2 hours.
On day 2 they did Hyaluronidase injections, which are a more advanced approach compared to the Botox we’ve been doing here. Instead of just temporarily paralyzing the muscle like Botox does, this treatment targets the hyaluronic acid buildup in the muscles, which is believed to contribute to spasticity. The goal is to address more of the root cause rather than just temporarily weakening the muscle. Those injections were done along her back, hamstrings, and adductors (inner thighs).
That could also be contributing to the posture improvements, so it’s hard to know exactly which treatment is responsible, but we’re encouraged by the small changes we’re seeing.
That day Emerson also did Shockwave therapy, which is kind of like a very fast massage gun used to help break up muscle tone. She actually loved it and even tried to help the therapist during the treatment.
After that, she did an HBOT (hyperbaric oxygen) dive in a hard-sided chamber, and she handled that really well too.
Overall, she did so great through both days, and we were really proud of her.
The plan moving forward is to return in 3 months (April 22) for platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatments. The PRP helps reactivate the dormant stem cells and give them another boost.
Before that, we’re also heading to St. Louis on March 30th for a 3-week DMI intensive. The goal is to really maximize the stem cells she received by pairing them with intensive therapy while her body is in this window of healing and potential growth.
For now, we’re just continuing therapy, watching closely for changes, and giving her body time to work. We’re hopeful and excited to see what the next few weeks bring.
Link to see a video
🔗https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP84JjueU/
Thank you to everyone who continues to follow Emerson’s journey and support her along the way. It means more to us than you know. 💜
#teamEmmie
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Julie Ramlo
Katie Jamison