Posted on 02/09/2009 10:31:00 AM PST by BGHater
The parents of an eight-year-old boy with a rare blood disorder have amazed doctors by finding a cure for him after refusing to give up hope.
Reuben Grainger-Mead suffered a condition so rare that doctors did not even have a name for it.
The schoolboy suffered from a low level of red blood cells, which left him with a weak immune system and needing blood transfusions once a month. Doctors compared his condition to living with a permanent hangover.
But after years of research his parents Michelle and Peter, discovered Reuben lacked vital amino acids and proteins and put him on a course of dietary supplements.
Now his red blood cell count his above average and he is catching up to his school friends in height.
Mrs Mead said: "We are dumbfounded at how successful it has been. We did live in hope but always had the doubt as all the medics were saying there was nothing else we could do."
The success of Reuben's treatment has led to doctors planning a study to see if similar therapy works on other ill children and adults.
One expert has described it as a medical breakthrough that could eventually lead to a cure for some cancers among other diseases.
Dr Jose Delafuente, an eminent haematologist at Imperial College, London, said: "Reuben has been given amino acids as part of a diet of supplements and this seems to have a positive effect on him. They seem to be helping his cells grow normally and as a result he is starting to grow properly."
The story mirrors that of Lorenzo Odone, who was diagnosed with an incurable brain condition in 1984 aged six – and was turned into Hollywood film "Lorenzo's Oil" starring Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Reuben Grainger-Mead suffered a condition so rare that doctors did not even have a name for it....and also suffered from a stupid hyphenated last name.
It’s actually spelled ‘lupus’. Just like the right-fielder in ‘The Bad News Bears’! (Timmy Lupus)
Maybe his symptoms are similar but different to the point of being a different disease.
I thought it looked funny but I didn’t run spell check. I liked House but he’s definitely anti-religious to the point of being offensive.
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