HOPE FOR ARI: Healing Our Little Girl

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Many of you know our little angel, Ariana. If you know Ari, you know how she is a sweet, enchanting, and loving spirit who shares with everyone her brilliant smiles, her enthusiastic waves, and her joyous laughter. You also know that she has Cerebral Palsy, and hard as she may try, she cannot live the life of a regular little girl.

Ariana and her twin brother, Gabriel, were born almost seven weeks prematurely via natural delivery on February 19, 2007. Ariana was tiny, but she was as healthy and as perfect as she could be. After the birth, all the doctors reassured us that the twins were faring very well and that they would go on to live healthy, normal lives.
On Ari's twelfth day of life, all of that suddenly changed. Ariana began seizing uncontrollably, and she had to be air-evacuated to St. Joseph’s Hospital NICU in Phoenix, where it was discovered that Ari had suffered a Grade III brain bleed, a stroke, and other life-threatening complications. Ariana’s MRI showed that she had endured serious irreparable brain damage due to the lack of oxygen to the brain resulting from the stroke. Assuming she survived, the doctors told us that there was no treatment for what she had endured, that her brain was permanently scarred, and that the best we could do was to hope things turned out better than predicted.
The following months were very difficult and fraught with a constant regimen of medications, tube feedings, machines, painful reflux, food refusal, daily therapies, and constant doctor appointments. By the grace of God and with the support of our community, we got through the most challenging time in our lives. We grew closer as a family and learned how just how precious those simple moments and healthy days really are.

Our baby Ariana is now two years old. She has brought immeasurable joy and love in our home and has made each day in her presence a pleasure. Ariana is a hero who loves life and hardly ever complains even though her road is arduous. However, at two years of age, Ari is not crawling, walking, talking, or moving freely. Her own body betrays her. Ariana is aware of her limitations, and she desperately struggles to overcome them. Our prayer is that God will open the doors to give her the opportunity to one day enjoy regular life experiences like other children.

We believe that Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cell Therapy may be one of these open doors.

Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Therapy is the administration of stem cells taken from the umbilical cords of healthy live newborns in an attempt to restore damaged cells and tissue. Currently, the United States is still in the process of conducting research trials with cord blood stem cells. This technique most likely won’t be made available to the American public for a number of years. However, even early U.S. research trials have yielded remarkable results for many neurological conditions, most notably, Stroke and Cerebral Palsy.

Abroad, however, these medical techniques have already been tested and safely practiced for many years. In China, hospitals report over an 86% success rate for Stem Cell Therapy in patients with Cerebral Palsy. When Ariana was first diagnosed a stroke victim, Jacob and I made her and each other a promise that we would go to any lengths to give her the best medical treatment available and the best quality of life possible. In accordance with that promise, Jacob and I have decided that we are going to take Ariana to either China ( http://www.stemcellschina.com/ ) or Mexico (http://ramirezdelrio.com/) for stem cell therapy (we are still researching locations). This treatment is basically achieving what was once thought to be impossible – to heal the brain.

Stem cells work in amazing ways. An umbilical cord stem cell is a non-differentiated cell that that can give rise to any number of different types of cells, including healthy brain cells. The results that Stem Cell Therapy can potentially yield are nothing shy of miraculous. Many children with Ariana’s condition have gone from previously nonverbal to talking, immobile to crawling or walking, spastic (overly tight) to mobile and loose, even in a matter of mere months. Most patients see some results in as little as 24 hours post-treatment. Down the road, this treatment may mean the difference of Ariana living independently versus relying on others in adulthood. This may mean walking and having an active lifestyle versus being confined to a wheelchair. It could mean conversing, getting an education, and having a family and career, versus being unable to have any of those normal life experiences which so many of us take for granted. While this treatment, like anything, is not considered a cure-all, it is the closest thing that there is! We believe that Ariana deserves the chance to be the healthiest, most whole person that she can be.

The cost of Stem Cell Therapy can run $30,000. Jacob and I would gladly save every spare penny over the course of our lifetimes in an attempt to accumulate enough funds to take our baby girl for treatment. But, unfortunately, Ariana does not have the time to spare. Stem cells are most potent and successful in children ages 4 years and under. The critical window for cell repair is quickly closing, and we’ve only just begun the process. So, with hesitant but eager hearts, we are asking for those who are able, to donate whatever small amount you can spare to help give Ari a chance at recovery and a full life. We are setting a goal of $40,000, which will cover the cost of treatment and airfare. If we can get 2,000 people to donate just $20 a piece, we will reach our goal! Please pass this message around – you never know who might be looking for the chance to help change someone’s life for the better.

On behalf of all our family, I want to express our gratitude for all of your continued emotional support. During challenging times like this, we realize how fortunate we are to have such a wonderful family, friends, and community. We could not have made it this far without all of you. Please continue to pray for a miracle for Ari to be seizure-free and to have a normal life one day. Our humble thanks from our family for your generous donations, and more importantly, for helping Ari’s light shine that much brighter.
Your Friends,
Elisa & Jacob Taylor

Donations can be submitted through Paypal or credit card via the Chipin widget on our blog's sidebar or you can send check or money order to:

Ariana Taylor 2783 E. Lantana Dr. Chandler, AZ 85286

If you would like to be a part of the fundraising effort for HOPE FOR ARI by volunteering to spread the word or participate in organizing fundraising events, please contact me by email at ElisaMTaylor@Hotmail.com or by phone at (602)881-4141.

(www.jschomaker.com *mention Hope for Ari upon booking*)