Dilated Cardiomyopathy is a condition in which the heart muscle gets progressively weaker. Patients with this condition usually have low energy, sleep a lot, and their quality of life isn't very good. The prognosis for Dilated Cardiomyopathy is almost always negative. There is no cure or treatment for this condition other than medication which only treats the symptoms, but does nothing to improve it.
3 years ago, Leonard Narracci, a Florida native, was diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy. He was always tired and listless. He had almost no energy. Faced with his diagnosis, Leonard had little hope of getting better.
Leonard thought there must be a way for him to get better. He heard about Adult Stem Cell research and how Adult Stem Cells may help patients with his condition. He attended a stem cell seminar in Florida and contacted the doctor at the seminar who was treating heart patients in the Dominican Republic.
The doctor from the seminar tested him and declared him a possible candidate for the stem cell therapy. Since he would be using his own stem cells and he had nothing to lose, Leonard said he was ready and expressed his desire to have the stem cell treatment immediately.
In October, 2008, Leonard went to the Dominican Republic and had his own Adult Stem Cells implanted into his heart muscle in a simple procedure using a catheter.
Exactly one week after the procedure, Leonard was already feeling better than he ever had in the previous 3 years. Two weeks after the stem cell treatment, Leonard had an echocardiogram to test his ejection fraction. It had risen from 20% to 28%. His heart had also decreased in size and his heart apex was now normal.
Seven weeks after his own Adult Stem Cells were implanted, Leonard was tested again. There was even more improvement this time. His ejection fraction had gone up to 33%. His heart muscle was thickening as well showing that the stem cells were regenerating his heart muscle that had previously been nonfunctional and wasn't contracting.
Leonard's quality of life has improved immensely and he is hoping the stem cells will help him even more as time goes on. These days, stem cells are helping more and more patients. Stories like Leonard's give Dilated Cardiomyopathy patients reason to hope.
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