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Annie Ballantine Jellum was just 18 months old when she was told that she would be confined to a wheelchair for life. She was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, an autoimmune disease that has caused inflammation in nearly all of her joints. At 30-years-old, Annie will undergo a cord blood transplant that could help to cure her condition.
As Annie approached adolescence, her symptoms started to diminish, and her family thought that the worst was behind her. Annie’s symptoms returned when she was 16-years-old, and she has since lived with the full effect of the disease.
Annie and her family recently contacted Dr Richard Burt, who performs stem cell transplants on patients with cancer, diabetes and multiple sclerosis. He suggested that a cord blood transplant could potentially ease her symptoms, which Annie is more than willing to try.
“The way he describes it, it’s sort of like rebooting a frozen computer. They’re rebooting my immune system.”
Since Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease, the cord blood stem cells are expected to replace the diseased cells that caused the condition. Annie’s doctors are hopeful that the stem cells will provide therapy necessary to improve her condition, which will help her to live a normal, healthy life.
Annie is scheduled to undergo her blood work on September 4, which will then be sent to Dr. Burt in Chicago. Provided the tests show a “good” blood cell count, Annie will travel to Chicago later in the month to prepare for the cord blood stem cell transplant.
*Note-This is an experimental procedure and is not a routine clinical procedure.