Ministers wife walks again after treatment

After years in a wheelchair, a Tallowood Baptist Church woman can now walk again after receiving a drug that was already inside her body.

In 2001, Debbie Bertrand was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a condition which eventually took the function of her hands and her ability to walk. After hearing about stem-cell therapy from a friend in church one day, she decided to give it a try.

Bertrand got her treatment in 2011 through Celltex Therapeutics, a Houston-based company specializing in stem cell collection and banking. The process works by removing two teaspoons of a patients fat and extracting millions of the patients own stem cells. The cells are then processed and multiplied in a lab over 6 weeks and then infused intravenously.

For Bertrand, the effects were almost immediate. Within the first few days she could stand and walk again after being confined to a wheelchair for years.

I still dont feel confident enough to walk without [the walker], but that gave me so much more freedom, says Bertrand. She has also regained function in her hands, which she had previously been unable to straighten. The treatment has also all but cured her Reynauds disease, a condition that inhibits blood circulation in cold temperatures.

Bertrand and her husband have both been Katy residents for over 35 years and are both members of Tallowood Baptist Church in Memorial, where Bertrands husband, Larry, is an associate pastor. In addition to her treatment, Bertrand also attributes her regained function to the support from her community.

If you could go to our church and see how many people have prayed for me, said Bertrand. They have been overwhelmed by the progress.

Friends and family werent the only ones shocked by her sudden improvement. After her first round of treatments, she and her husband returned to a neurologist who had treated her before she received stem cells.

The first thing he noticed was the walker instead of the wheelchair, said Bertrand. And he just kept shaking his head and said shes not supposed to be getting better, but she is, and he gave me his blessing to continue with another round of treatments.

Since her second treatment, the progression of her MS has slowed and she has not lost any of her regained function. She has also been able to stop taking injections for her MS, which had been destroying the muscles in her arms and thighs. The treatment is also said to be helpful for many degenerative diseases, including Parkinsons disease, arthritis and diabetes. Texas Gov. Rick Perry was Celltexs first patient back in 2011 when he underwent the stem cell treatment to help with back problems.

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Ministers wife walks again after treatment