Xavier Nathaniel Carballo is currently 4 ½ yrs old and was 2 years old when he was diagnosed with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia. Optic Nerve Hypoplasia (ONH) is a congenital birth condition in which the optic nerve fails to develop normally, leading to blindness. One or both eyes may be affected. It relates to small or underdevelopment of the nerve, which transmits vision signals from the eye to the brain.  This is usually associated with permanent vision loss, which may be mild or severe. Xavier has been diagnosed as being a “legally blind” child and has signs of developmental delay; His ONH involves both eyes with both optic nerves being approximately 10% the size of a normal nerve and his sight is 20/200. Xavier is an extremely happy child who did not walk or crawl for the first 3 years of his life. He began at age 2 to scoot from room to room, this was his way of getting around the house. At age 3 his first signs of crawling showed up! At age 4 he began to stand up with help from mom and dad. Six months later he began taking steps all on his own but still has trouble keeping his balance. Xavier’s body and brain are currently at the functioning level of a two-year-old healthy boy.

Xavier also loves to sing and is very fond of music. He knows lots of songs and will not hesitate to let you hear them! He loves anything that can keep a beat and will try to mimic every sound with his hands. One of his favorite toys is his drum! He has not been able to communicate or interact with other children because of his development delay; this includes not being able to attend preschool.

We have tried to find Xavier help since then with no positive results in the US. After much searching for help or an answer, finally hope came our way! In March of 2008 we found information about Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Transplants that are being practiced in China. Umbilical cord blood is collected from the umbilical cord and placenta after a healthy baby is born. This blood is rich in blood-forming stem cells that can later be transplanted in patients who can benefit from them. After much research, phone calls and emails we are convinced that this treatment is an option for Xavier to improve his quality of life.

The company that is heading these treatments is Beike Biotech (beikebiotech.com) and the following is an excerpt from their website:

“Based on the research and extensive clinical experience, our scientists believe (among other things) that the improvements our patients experience partially result from the growth factors and other "nutrients" from our stem cells reinvigorating living but dysfunctional cells so patients with many neurological diseases do get measurable improvements. However, from practice, we see our best results are for spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, optic nerve hypoplasia, multiple sclerosis, and ataxia. These conditions make up our main focus for treatment and ongoing scientific study”

There have been several cases of children with ONH that have undergone Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Transplant treatments in the last few months with a 80-90% patient satisfaction, improvement and positive results.

We are back from China ! Check out "What's new with Xavier" section to get an update.