My name is Celeste Cuellar and I need any help I can get for my dad. His name is Manuel Cuellar but people call him "Poncho".  My father needs $14,100 for his Stem Cell Therapy. This is his last chance at getting better and we need your help to achieve this goal!

 

His struggle: My dad was born with Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy marked him with a disability that effected the left side of his body, but mostly his leg. His left leg had severe immobility issues that hindered his ability to walk properly. At age 4 to 12 he went under 5 surgeries on his leg to help him walk without any assistance. He finally had his “Forest Gump” moment and was unchained from his leg braces. Ever since that moment he has embraced the signature limp in his walk.

 

At age 16 on a rainy day in Mexico my dad was driving. The road was slippery causing the vehicle to go off the road and flip multiple times. He cracked two of his lower vertebrae and had to go under the knife for a lower back fusion.

 

My dad's back problems grew and grew over the years. I remember as a child he couldn't walk for long periods of time, go on rollercoasters or lift very heavy things. The pain and numbness took over. Working as a chef for a total of 25 years took a toll as well. An MRI revealed the deterioration of the discs in his spine. He was able to get by on steroid shots for some time, but the pain got even worse. Eventually, the steroid shots stopped working which lead to him moving on to epidural shots.

 

Being an executive chef was a very busy and demanding job. But, in fear of not fulfilling a 14 year long career position and not providing for a family, he had to persevere and keep going.

 

In April 2011 an awful car accident occurred. My dad was faced with another roadblock. Before the accident he would be fine with an epidural shot that would subside a lot of the pain for about 2 weeks. After the accident a single epidural shot did not affect his pain whatsoever. His back problems grew exponentially bigger.

 

In December 2012 my dad went through an 8 hour long surgery. During his recovery he lost his 14 year position as the Executive Chef and Kitchen Manager of Superior Grill. It was a devastating time but he was finally feeling better. It wasn’t until 6 months into his recovery that things turned for the worst and his recovery started going backwards. The screws in his spine became loose.

 

In the midst of all of this my dad was struggling to survive with paying the mortgage, buying groceries and go about everyday life.

 

 In April 2014my dad went through another back surgery, making it his third. Unfortunately things did not get better and in fact got worse. The screws that were being fixed in his spine caused damages to his nerve which made half of his right foot numb. The surgeon informed us that it would go away after full recovery but until this day he still lives with this permanent numbness. It is especially hard because the nerve damage is in his "good" leg and his left leg already limps. A full recovery was not the case, his back pain started rising up to his mid back.  Now my father has to depend on a cane in order to support himself. 

 

The doctors decided to do an MRI and CT scan to see his progress one year after the surgery. That's when the doctors told my dad that nothing can be done and that he would live with this pain for the rest of his life.

 

If you know my dad, you know that he doesn't give up easily. He started searching for alternatives and after a year of research he concluded there is only ONE more hope for him. Based on the intensity of his physical problems he has concluded that his only option is Stem Cell Therapy.

 

His quote: "I am willing to take a chance because I can't live with this pain for the rest of my life, especially knowing that it's going to get worse. I have a beautiful daughter and son that I have to take care of."

 

First he has to get a cell extraction procedure done from his fat tissue which is $6,500. This procedure was already done. The extraction is very important because it determines if he is a good candidate for this procedure and it allows us to know how much work he needs to get done. 

 

The doctors said that there are 2 options, you can get an IV or Injections. One IV treatment is $13,000 and one injection is $3,000. The doctors said that the IV goes through the blood so it treats multiple areas in the body and it would be much more effective than the injections. This could not only help his back but other problems in his body. On the other hand, the injections go directly to the problematic areas and not to mention it is cheaper.

 

My dad was trying to get as much information as possible to finalize his decision. He asked the doctors what the average amount people usually get for this type of procedure was and they said people don't usually receive more than 3 injections or 1 IV.

 

So my dad thought he wouldn't have to spend more than $13,000, but when the results came back from his extraction this wasn't the case. First, the doctors said that he had to get an IV. The injections weren't going to be very helpful for his specific case. Secondly, they said he needed 3 IV treatments period. 

 

It was a surprise because we didn't think his back issues were going to be that extreme. Now we were looking at over $30,000. The doctors also told us that each IV treatment would have to be separated by 3 days. My dad has to go out of town to get this done so airplane costs, lodging and food are another $2,000 that will add to the expense. Bottom line is that the entire procedure would cost $43,000.


 

My dad is completely deserving of this and we need your support to fulfill this goal. We ask you to strongly consider to donate and spread the word. Our family has put in as much support as they can and we only need $14,100 more dollars! Thank you so much for taking the time and reading!

 

~Celeste Michelle Cuellar