Diagnosis to Hope
Perth mum and midwife Brenda Munz noticed early on that her baby boy, Brodie, favoured his left side. At 18 months, he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, a condition affecting mobility and life expectancy. By age three, Brodie’s condition had worsened, leaving him unable to walk, dress, or feed himself, and in frequent pain. With the added challenge of a new pregnancy, Brenda’s situation seemed increasingly dire.
Waiting Room Breakthrough
During a visit to her GP, Brenda came across a brochure from a Tonic brochure board, in the waiting room from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. It detailed a stem cell trial exploring the potential of sibling umbilical cord blood to help children with Cerebral Palsy. This brochure became a beacon of hope for Brenda and her family.
Breakthrough and Transformation
When Brenda’s newborn daughter, Zoey, was six months old, she enrolled Brodie in a stem cell trial offered by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. Stem cells from Zoey’s umbilical cord were administered to Brodie. Just two weeks later, Brodie showed remarkable improvement, moving his arm with ease. Now, at seven years old, Brodie runs around and lives a normal life, proudly attributing his recovery to “Zoey’s blood.”
We were in the waiting room, and I saw a brochure for a stem cell trial and couldn’t believe it.
– Brenda Munz, Perth mum & midwife
Source: Seven Network, Cell Care 2022
