It’s normal for most children to run around and play in the yard. For 7-year-old Tucker Beau Hyatt and 23-year-old Sarah Hughes that was never possible due to them both having Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (SJIA). Sarah was diagnosed at 11 months of age, while Tucker was diagnosed at 2 years of age.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a form of joint inflammation that affects children who are less than 16 years old. The SJIA variant affects between 10-15% of children who have JIA. Like all forms of arthritis, SJIA is an autoimmune disorder. The body believes that some of its tissue is foreign, so tells the immune system to attack it. As the immune system attacks healthy cells, inflammation occurs, which is very painful and debilitating.

Other symptoms of SJIA include rashes, fever and joint pain. The fevers are recurrent, which means they go away and then return in a matter of hours. The inflammation can also affect internal organs including the heart, spleen, lymph nodes and liver.

Only a few months ago they were both confined to wheelchairs, in too much pain to walk let alone run.   Both Tucker and Sarah had a poor prognosis and doctors estimated that Tucker only had 6 months to live prior to the stem cell transplantation.

A Houston-based stem cell banking company called Celltex met with the families of Tucker and Sarah, informing them about the possibility of a stem cell transplantation. They were both listed as terminal and a stem cell transplant was their final chance.

The pair had to travel to Cancun in Mexico to receive the stem cell transplantation, because it is not currently available in the United States. Within weeks of receiving the treatment, both Sarah and Tucker were able to walk again. Their symptoms have greatly improved and their lives are no longer at risk thanks to stem cell therapy.

Source: Stem Cells save the lives of two Houston kids

{{cta(‘3fe0aac7-7562-46dc-b8b9-c706d9cfd6b1’)}}

{{cta(‘fec594e9-5433-4350-9180-2bdd371eb399’)}}