Flu postpones clinic trip

BY KAY BLUNDELL

The Mexican swine flu outbreak has delayed a Levin family's hunt to find a miracle cure for their daughter.

Jaide Pearson, 8, is a blind quadriplegic who suffers from epilepsy and cerebral palsy. Her mother, Jayne, and grandfather, Norm, planned to take her to a pioneering clinic in Tijuana next month after she was accepted for experimental stem cell therapy.

But the flu outbreak in Mexico where 727 people have been infected and more than 100 are thought to have died has forced the family to delay their trip until September.

Jaide suffered a haemorrhage while still in the womb and was born with brain damage and severe physical disabilities.

Ms Pearson provides 24-hour care and gets tearful discussing her hopes that Fernando Ramirez's clinic can provide a miracle cure for her daughter, who cannot speak but beams and chuckles when her mother taps her knees.

"We just want her to have a better quality of life. We could not risk taking her there with swine flu. We will have to wait till the risk is over."

Mr Pearson said the therapy, which involves inserting stem cells into Jaide's brain from the umbilical cords of healthy full-term babies, had the potential to cure her. "We would be delighted if she could see, it would be wonderful if she was able to walk. I would love her to be able to put her arms around me and give me a cuddle."

The family have been told to expect improvements within 180 days of the procedure, which is not medically approved or available in many countries, including New Zealand.

Their hopes were sparked by a television documentary screened in February showing two-year-old Dunedin cerebral palsy sufferer Caleb Turner's remarkable improvement after undergoing the treatment in Mexico. An eight-year-old legally blind American boy who also featured in the documentary was reported to have recovered almost perfect vision as a result of the therapy.

Jaide's GP, Andy van de Vyver, said he hoped there would be a positive result for the family.

"Jaide is severely handicapped. There have been some very good results with stem cell research. I am not sure of the outcomes. One can only hope that, in this poor little girl's unfortunate circumstances, there is hope."

The family have opened a trust account with the aim of raising about $50,000 for the trip and treatment. The therapy will cost about $36,000.

The Levin branch of The Warehouse staged a fundraising fashion show last week, in which Jaide was a star model. An auction is also planned, which will include two autographed Welsh rugby squad jerseys, and a charity concert is in the wings.

Anyone wanting to make a donation to Jaide's trust fund can visit any branch of the BNZ.

SWINE FLU UPDATE

Health authorities are beefing up swine flu screening at airports.

Twenty-two passengers are in isolation after another suspected swine flu outbreak on a Qantas flight from Los Angeles yesterday.

Six passengers who arrived in Auckland on flight QF26 were assessed as "suspected" swine flu cases. They and 16 close contacts were being treated with Tamiflu.

Deputy-Director of Public Health Fran McGrath said: "There is no evidence of community transmission in New Zealand that means that, to date, all of the cases have recently returned from travelling to affected areas or are close contacts of cases."

At the moment, only travellers arriving from "countries of concern" are being screened at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown airports. But, by tomorrow night, passengers from all international flights will be asked to fill in passenger-locator forms to enable public health staff to trace contacts if required.

There are six confirmed New Zealand cases, and the number of "probable" cases went up one to 15 yesterday. Another 92 people are being treated as suspected swine flu cases and 309 people remain in isolation or quarantine.

- © Fairfax NZ News