Team Thorne: Step Up For Stem Cells

Silence isn’t golden at all! #teamthorne #stemcellsforthorne #nonverbalautism

In 1848, a proverb was recorded which reads: “Speech is silver and silence is golden.” However, the argument can be made that having a voice is platinum. Being able to communicate is diamond! This is an attribute that many take for granted each day…until the ability to speak at all is gone or simply lost.

Meet Thorne Athens McCullough. An inquisitive, adventure seeking, puddle jumping, sweet and happy spirited, Disney loving, five year old boy. Soaring to “infinity and beyond,” progressing and growing quickly from infancy to toddlerhood, he had no issues with developing words and phrases. Thorne had an extensive vocabulary. His mother, Harli McCullough, my friend and co-worker, described this experience: “It wasn’t until he turned 18 months old, when all words stopped suddenly. It was like a switch had been turned off.” She sought after answers and became an avid researcher to identify ways to help Thorne find his voice again.

To combat his loss of speech, Harli and Thorne’s father, Trace McCullough, began early interventions. Thorne was introduced to sign language which looked to be a promising avenue; perhaps this could help them to meet his needs and lessen the communication gap. However, he picked up only a few signs; he was still struggling to communicate.

Thorne was officially diagnosed with nonverbal autism at almost 3 years old. It was recommended to participate in multiple therapies such as occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, and applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy. As an educator, Harli knew the importance of these therapies and quickly enrolled him in all of them. In addition, at school, they incorporated the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) which he was not a fan of. Shuffling to and fro, attempting every strategy, she kept a graceful smile on her face, faithfully researching and praying for something more to help her precious son communicate proficiently.

Because society is built around communication and communication is interwoven in every facet of life, Harli continues her quest. Through her research and discussions with both medical and educational professionals, it has been concluded that there isn’t “an exact answer” as to what happened or what causes autism. There are a lot of theories floating around and each medical professional has their own thoughts.

It was when a long-time family friend and customer at the family’s bakery, Ashley Norman Johnson, introduced Harli to a book entitled “Educating Marston” by Dr. Eric Weiss and his wife Christine Weiss, she felt a glimpse of hope for Thorne. The book chronicled their journey with their son, Marston, who was diagnosed with autism. Reading this book made Harli feel instantly connected to this family and their journey. They shared similar theories, experiences, and feelings. After learning about Marston’s success with Stem Cell Therapy, Harli spoke with Dr. Weiss about Thorne. He and his team are very hopeful that Thorne will also find some success from this therapy. They can’t predict how much, but any progress is better than none.

Regenerative Medicine, namely umbilical cord stem cell therapy, has shown safe, statistically significant improvements in children with Autism through multiple university studies including Duke University Medical School. Notably in this research, children with a higher baseline nonverbal IQ had the greatest improvements. Because stem cells are regenerative, using bone marrow stem cell infusion therapies can fix damaged or immature neurons, therefore possibly correcting social communication skills that may have been suppressed or lost. (Dawson et al., 2017)

As exciting as this opportunity is, it comes with a big price tag. This is where we come in. As a community and circle of friends, we can make this happen quickly. Please consider donating or sharing Thorne’s story. Walt Disney said, “All of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” How amazing would it be for the world to hear Thorne’s sweet voice again? Or watch him progress and grow toward some independence? Believe in the impossible, “If you can dream it, you can do it!” (Walt Disney)

References

Dawson, G., Sun, J. M., Davlantis, K. S., Murias, M., Franz, L., Troy, J., Simmons, R., Sabatos-DeVito, M., Durham, R., & Kurtzberg, J. (2017). Autologous Cord Blood Infusions Are Safe and Feasible in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Results of a Single-Center Phase I Open-Label Trial. Stem cells translational medicine, 6(5), 1332–1339. https://doi.org/10.1002/sctm.16-0474

Weiss, E. (2023).Regenerative Therapy for Autism. https://northfloridastemcells.com/