By Noah Trister The Associated Press Hockey great Gordie Howe watches the Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks play during an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, B.C., on November 14, 2013. DETROIT Gordie Howes family says the hockey great has made a dramatic improvement after he participated in a stem cell clinical trial. The 86-year-old Howe had a serious stroke in late October, but in a statement released through the Detroit Red Wings on Friday, his family said his physical therapists have been astonished by his progress. Executives from Stemedica Cell Technologies contacted the family and facilitated Howes participation in the clinical trial. He had a two-day, non-surgical treatment earlier this month. The treatment included neural stem cells injected into the spinal canal on Day 1 and mesenchymal stem cells by intravenous infusion on Day 2, the family said. His response was truly miraculous. At the end of Day 1 he was walking with minimal effort for the first time since his stroke. By Day 2 he was conversing comfortably with family and staff at the clinic. The family says Howe has been able to help out with daily household chores, and when tested, his ability to name items has … Continue reading →

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DETROIT - Gordie Howe's family says the hockey great has made a dramatic improvement after he participated in a stem cell clinical trial. The 86-year-old Howe had a serious stroke in late October, but in a statement released through the Detroit Red Wings on Friday, his family said his physical therapists have been "astonished" by his progress. Executives from Stemedica Cell Technologies contacted the family and facilitated Howe's participation in the clinical trial. He had a two-day, non-surgical treatment earlier this month. "The treatment included neural stem cells injected into the spinal canal on Day 1 and mesenchymal stem cells by intravenous infusion on Day 2," the family said. "His response was truly miraculous. At the end of Day 1 he was walking with minimal effort for the first time since his stroke. By Day 2 he was conversing comfortably with family and staff at the clinic." The family says Howe has been able to help out with daily household chores, and when tested, his ability to name items has gone from less than 25 percent before the treatment to 85 percent. "Although his short-term memory, strength, endurance and coordination have plenty of room for improvement, we are hopeful that … Continue reading →

Hockey legendGordie Howehas made strides in his recovery from a stroke after underdoing adult stem-cell treatment earlier this month inMexico. The 86-year-old Howe had a significant stroke in October and his family said in an update on Friday that he has shown significant improvement since participating in a clinical trial. In a statement issued through theDetroit Red Wings, the family described the procedure and his recovery: "Following the press coverage of our father's deteriorating medical condition, the Howe family was contacted in late November by Dr.Maynard Howe(CEO) andDave McGuigan(VP) ofStemedica Cell Technologies. McGuigan knew our family as a result of his previous employment with theDetroit Red Wings. "Stemedica is abiotechnologycompany that manufactures allogeneic adultstem cellsin itsU.S. governmentlicensed,cGMP facilityinSan Diego,California. Although no relation, Dr. Howe and his brothers Drs. David and Roger are hockey players and bigGordie Howefans, having grown up inMinnesota. They wished to help our father by generously facilitating Dad's participation in a stem cell clinical trial at Novastem, a licensed distributor of Stemedica's products inMexico. Novastem (www.novastem.mx) is currently conducting federally licensed andInstitutional Review Boardapproved clinical trials for several medical conditions, including stroke, using Stemedica's stem cell products. At the time, we were contacted, Mr. Hockey had been … Continue reading →

DETROITGordie Howes family says the hockey great has made a miraculous improvement after he participated in a stem cell clinical trial. The 86-year-old Howe had a serious stroke in late October, but in a statement released through the Detroit Red Wings on Friday, his family said his physical therapists have been astonished by his progress. Executives from Stemedica Cell Technologies contacted the family and facilitated Howes participation in the clinical trial. He had a two-day, non-surgical treatment that included neural stem cells injected into the spinal canal and mesenchymal stem cells by intravenous infusion. For the first time since the stroke, Howe has been able to walk with minimal effort and converse comfortably with family. The treatment included neural stem cells injected into the spinal canal on Day 1 and mesenchymal stem cells by intravenous infusion on Day 2, the family said. His response was truly miraculous. At the end of Day 1 he was walking with minimal effort for the first time since his stroke. By Day 2 he was conversing comfortably with family and staff at the clinic. The family says Howe has been able to help out with daily household chores, and when tested, his ability to … Continue reading →

Updated DEC 19, 2014 6:19p ET Call it a Christmas miracle. That's pretty much the way Gordie Howe's family is describing his extraordinary recovery -- thanks to an experimental stem-cell treatment -- from a series of strokes that appeared to threaten the 86-year-old hockey legend's life only a few weeks ago. "This is truly a Christmas miracle," said Dr. Murray Howe, a Toledo physician and one of Gordie's four children. "I would not have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. " Howe, gravely ill at the time, underwent the treatment on Dec. 8 in San Diego. "As a family, we are thrilled that Dad's quality of life has greatly improved, and his progress has exceeded our greatest expectations," the Howe family said Friday in a news release in which it thanked a legion of fans praying for its father's recovery. "Once again, we cannot emphasize how much you have fueled Mr. Hockey's recovery, and we thank everyone for their continued prayers and support." The neural stem cells were injected into the spinal canal on Day 1 and mesenchymal stem cells by intravenous infusion on Day 2, according to the release. "His response was truly miraculous," … Continue reading →