This story attracts attention not only because it is about Mr. Eric Lyons – about a man who, although he is thousands of kilometers away, is concerned about disadvantaged children, his rescue was important not only for himself, but the fate of more than 50 children depended on him.
Eric Lyons is the founder of Hope for the Silent Voices, a non-profit organization working to bring attention and resources to underprivileged, struggling, abandoned children and adolescents in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. He humorously admits that these kids are his real boss. In addition to God’s miracles, Eric also believes in scientific achievements.
Life before the injury
Dreams, life goals, ambitious plans, an active lifestyle, sports that included muay thai, basketball, American football, outdoor recreation and traveling to many countries – this was Eric’s life before his injury. However, his lifestyle over the past few decades has led to many accidents, both minor and serious. He was also involved in a major car accident. As it became known later, all these cases caused cumulative damage to his brain already at a noticeable level.
As water fills a glass drop by drop, so craniocerebral (mild and not so) injuries affect the brain. At first, the patient may not recognize significant changes after each injury, but the damage increases each time. When the last drop fills the glass, it acts as a catalyst and shows the results of all the damage.2017 – a strong impact on the door frame became the same catalyst for Eric, he began to gradually lose his mental abilities, problems began on a physical level, his movements became uncontrollable, he could not walk straight, problems with memory and the ability to concentrate also appeared with thoughts and turn them into speech, sleep problems began. At that point, Eric felt only 15% of who he was before the injury. The man enrolled at a brain clinic in Dallas, Texas, where he met 23 of the program’s 24 criteria for treatment. During 2018, more than 100 sessions of nerve feedback restoration, as well as hyperbaric oxygenation and craniosacral therapy were performed. The connection between Eric’s brain and body improved as he gained better body balance, gradually improving his vision, memory and motor skills. He already felt that he had reached 70% of his full capacity. But another 30% of its capabilities were not restored. How to restore them if all methods are used? This is where the story of stem cells begins.
Treatment with mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) – how did it all start and why?
Always active, full of strength and plans, but injuries made their adjustments – Eric’s memory did not fully recover, he could not work longer than 30 minutes. One of the important nuances was that he still lost his emotional control, which he considered very important, since he mainly worked among hypersensitive people. While receiving treatment from neurologists, Eric began to look for other alternative treatments to regain his cognitive abilities. The man learned that infusions of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are one of the treatments for brain injuries, but they are often given as an experimental treatment that has not yet been fully approved. Is it worth it or not? There were many doubts and opinions, so Eric decided to check everything carefully before deciding on stem cell treatment. For 5 months, Eric studied scientific articles, data from clinical studies and trials of cell therapy for neurological disorders. Eric learned that MSCs were being used in research to treat brain injuries like his own, as well as clinical trials showing improvements in stroke, autism and Alzheimer’s patients. Eric was always lucky to be surrounded by wonderful people who supported him. His friend recommended a functional medicine hospital in Ukraine in 2019, which is where a new phase of brain testing and stem cell treatment began. . Eric underwent stem cell therapy. In total, he received 220 million umbilical cord MSCs, mostly via spinal injection, so that the cells could effectively cross the blood-brain barrier and repair the damage present in every part of his brain. Additional intravenous MSC injections also helped reduce inflammation throughout the body and stimulate the body’s own repair resources. In addition to MSC, his treatment protocol included concurrent physical therapy sessions to promote muscle-nerve connection. After treatment, the results of his analyzes and tests improved significantly.
Life today is the state of Eric and his thoughts.
Eric has almost completely recovered from the injury, moreover, he believes that the result of the treatment even exceeded his expectations. Now he is able to work effectively for much longer, he is emotionally balanced, which is extremely important for his lifestyle and environment. He can once again live the lifestyle he had before the accident. From time to time Eric takes part in a marathon. After many months of despair, confusion, mourning, Eric finally understood that in some strange way, the traumatic brain injury was like a test of fate given to him for a certain revision of life and values. We must believe in what we cannot see, but what really works.
Eric’s thoughts for parents and patients choosing stem cell therapy: “Looking back, I realize how limited and small-hearted I was in my ability to believe in something so powerful (and achievable) that could help my recovery. I did my due diligence and went beyond my previous knowledge. No one I knew had researched or tried stem cell treatment, so I felt blind and alone at first. But in the end, I decided that the only real risk was that therapy simply wouldn’t work for me. It would be a purely financial loss. Human nature consists in doubt and fear of the unknown. I definitely had reservations about entering this path, but simply because I had nothing to compare it to and no one around me. But this should not prevent the desire to achieve great achievements. The benefits were impressive and life-enhancing. I truly feel blessed to have found my path to recovery and health.”