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Blind infant's help might be overseas
King George grandmother is raising money to give her granddaughter a chance at sight
Date published: 7/6/2009
BY CATHY DYSON Beth Allison's life changed when a doctor said her granddaughter was in total darkness. "It just ripped my heart out," she said. The King George County nurse suspected something was wrong with Summer Grace soon after she was born a year ago. Beth's daughter, Mandy, is Summer's mother. Mandy is 19, and she and Summer live in Presidential Lakes subdivision with her parents, Beth and Ricky, and her brother, Ricky Jr. Soon after little Summer came home from the hospital, relatives started cooing at the brown-eyed baby. Summer never looked at them. She just stared into space, or her eyes darted back and forth as if she were tracking what was going on in the room. The family suspected a vision problem, but was devastated to learn that Summer is blind. "It was like we were on top of the world one minute, and then the rug was pulled out from under us the next," Beth said. Summer was 4 months old when she was diagnosed with septo-optic dysplasia, a rare disorder in which the optic nerve doesn't develop. The condition also can affect the pituitary gland, muscles, hormones and intestines, although Summer doesn't have any of those problems. Doctors told the Allisons that nothing could be done to correct the baby's vision. Beth, a registered nurse for five years, wouldn't accept that. She started researching and found out about an American company in China that does controversial stem cell therapy. RAISING HOPE, AND MONEY Since 2005, Beike Biotechnology has given 3,700 patients injections or intravenous doses of stem cells from umbilical-cord blood. According to statistics from the company, almost 90 percent of patients have noted some improvement. Beth gets excited talking about the company's Web site, which is filled with success stories about children with the same conditions as Summer. She mentions an 8-year-old girl named Rylee who has been able to read 36-point type and make out images since her trip in China. Another child was able to distinguish colors. A boy named Brayden tracked the doctor's penlight during an eye exam for the first time. These stories give Beth hope. They also come with a price, and that part dampens the grandmother's enthusiasm.
Date published: 7/6/2009
Right wingnuts ???
(posted by
, July 14, 2009 3:21 pm)
I guess I'm a right wingnut. I don't believe other babies
or...anyone should have to die to save another...that being
said I believe stem cells are a wonderful "Saving Grace"
when it is done in the way this article suggests. I also think
it is great that people are asking about the father of
Summer Grace. Too often this is over looked because
families of today are not like those of years ago. Summer
Grace has a wonderful father and another set of wonderful
Grandparents that love her..I know this to be true.
get the facts straight
(posted by
harmony
, July 13, 2009 11:03 pm)
people get the facts straight before jumping to conclusions about things you know nothing about. Did you ever learn to not believe everything you hear and even less of what you read.
treatment
(posted by
poss
, July 7, 2009 6:46 am)
the larger issue here is where the family will have to go to
get any kind of treatment. I guess the right wingnuts
believe it is their "god's" will the little girl is blind! her
treatment and possible cure is against their morals so the
little girl is better off blind! is that what helps make this the
most powerful country in the world?
Ridiculous
(posted by
thermokin
, July 6, 2009 7:23 pm)
Come on people, This article has everything to do with Summer and nothing else. Don't make this a political argument or some cheap shot at her father for simply not being mentioned in the article. I know of this family and they are great people and the father loves his daughter. The stem cells she needs are not from fetuses but from the umbilical cord. Shame on you for asking about personal issues that have nothing to do with Summer getting the treatments.
What does it matter?
(posted by
MarHeflin
, July 6, 2009 5:52 pm)
Did the father's presence or absence cause this child's blindness? Let's all be thankful that she's well loved by the people that she's with and that they are doing all they can to help her! I commend the FLS this time for not "going there". It doesn't change the story or this child's need. The father's story didn't need to be reported except to satisfy the gossip biddies who need to make this their agenda.
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