Jay Shetty had a very difficult start to life. He was delivered via an emergency C-section after doctors noticed that he was no longer moving in the womb. Jay’s doctors discovered that he was deprived of oxygen due to a punctured lung. They frantically delivered resuscitation to save his life.
He was rushed to the NICU and then on to the high dependency ward at the hospital. Due to the condition of his lungs, Jay could not breathe on his own and had to be placed on a ventilator. He was also unable to regulate his body temperature and required around the clock care.
For Jay’s parents, Ray and Shilpa Shetty, it felt like they were in a nightmare. They constantly stayed by his crib, praying for his survival. After 10 agonising days, it appeared that their prayers had been answered — Jay began to breathe on his own.
Their joy was short lived however, as doctors told them that Jay was likely to have Cerebral Palsy due to oxygen deprivation. Cerebral Palsy is a debilitating illness that can be caused by brain damage. While it was a major setback, Ray and Shilpa were still excited to take their son home.
They did not realise that the birth of their son was the start of a long journey that would take them around the world.
Ray and Shilpa began to look for therapies that could help Jay. They discovered a number of treatments that relieved some of Jay’s symptoms, however, they could not address the root cause of his cerebral palsy — the damage to his brain.
What is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral palsy is a group of movement disorders that are caused by the abnormal development of the brain or brain damage. It has many symptoms including difficultly moving, poor coordination, weak muscles, tremors, problems speaking, and difficulty swallowing. People with the condition may struggle to think clearly or to solve problems.
Cerebral palsy most commonly occurs to a baby during pregnancy or shortly after birth. However, it can also occur as a result of injury to a person’s brain later in life. Cerebral palsy is the most common movement disorder in children and there are currently more than 30,000 children suffering from cerebral palsy in the United Kingdom. There is currently no cure for cerebral palsy.
Using cord blood to treat Cerebral Palsy
When Jay was 5-years-old, his parents read an article discussing the potential use of cord blood as a treatment for cerebral palsy. The research project was being conducted at Duke University in the United States.
Scientists have long suspected that they could use cord blood as a treatment for cerebral palsy. The results of early clinical trials at Duke University had been very positive and Jay’s parents were eager to enrol him in the next stage of trials.
To enrol in the trial Jay, they would require access to cord blood that was a suitable match. Shilpa decided to have another child to obtain the cord blood they needed. After a few months, Shilpa became pregnant again and later gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Kairav. His umbilical cord blood was processed and stored by Cells4Life.
Duke University initially looked at using autologous cord blood as a treatment for cerebral palsy. Autologous means stem cells that have come from the patient’s own body. The trial they began in November of 2015 focused on the use of sibling cord blood. Siblings have a 25% chance of being a perfect stem cell match and a 50% chance of being a partial stem cell match.
Ray and Shilpa put Jay forward as a candidate for the trial. Because they had preserved Kairav’s cord blood, they have an ideal source of stem cells available for the Jay’s trial. Jay was approved to participate in the clinical trial and will receive his first treatment in 2017! The family is preparing to travel to the United States so Jay can receive this ground-breaking stem cell treatment.
How you can help!
Ray and Shilpa Jetty must raise £105,000 to cover the cost of transport to the United States and Jay’s therapeutic treatment until 2017. Cells4Life is committed to helping Jay’s family reach this goal. We are also doing our best to raise awareness of cerebral palsy and the incredible regenerative power of cord blood stem cells.
Cells4Life is excited to be a part of Jay’s journey and are looking forward to seeing the improvements that his treatment will hopefully bring. If you are interested in helping Jay, here are the details on how to donate!
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