Cape & Islands News

Barnstable family flies to China for Stem Cells, town sued

By Paul Gauvin, pgauvin@barnstablepatriot.com

In the process of developing the story and reading about stem cell research and treatment, it was clear that some scientists feel the United States is falling behind other countries in an endeavor many believe is the medicine of the future, the panacea, the Holy Grail of well being for many.

Then last week, Harvard University announced it was going to build a 500,000 square foot science building at its Allston campus, at the center of which will be a state of the art stem cell laboratory.

The irony of Harvard’s announcement is that just a few weeks before, Robert Raylove, an acupuncturist and Jonathan’s devoted father, had expressed a hope that someday his son could be treated just an hour’s drive away.

But a lot can happen in three weeks, and now, instead of a closer treatment facility like Harvard, the Rayloves are going to carry Jonathan all the way to China for pioneering stem cell treatment that for them is the only hope of reconstituting Jonathan’s brain cells.“We’re leaving March 13,” Raylove said. “I’m staying a week with my daughter then we have to get back for work and school. My wife will remain with Jonathan for a month.”

Jonathan has hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, brain damage caused by a lack of oxygen as the result of trauma. He cannot see, chew, swallow, walk, laugh. Neither Western medicine nor traditional Chinese treatment holds the promise of a cure as does stem cell treatment, Raylove believes... The rest of this Patriot story is here, and you may comment below.