Corben Brooks is en route to a medical clinic in New Delhi, India, where he’ll receive embryonic stem cell treatment not yet available in the United States.
A year and a half ago, Corben suffered a devastating spinal cord injury during a football scrimmage at Mount Shasta High School, where he was just beginning his senior year.
Now nearly 19 years old, Corben has regained considerable use of his arms, and has some sensation in his toes, feet and legs. Though he’s still categorized as a quadraplegic, Corben’s never stopped working toward a full recovery.
His journey to India is the next step in that direction, and though he’s aware that some don’t agree with the use of stem cells for treating injuries or illnesses, Corben said it’s an opportunity he can’t pass up.
His decision to try the treatment was made after months of research into the topic, said Corben’s mother, Ronna.
She explained that Dr. Geeta Shroff, who runs the clinic they’ll be visiting, began her career as an infertility specialist.
Using a single donated fertilized embryo that would have been destroyed otherwise, Shroff found a way to cultivate stem cells without the use of animal products.
Laws in the United States which essentially ban stem cell research have recently been lifted, but Shroff has been involved in the field for 10 years, Corben said, and her results are very encouraging.
Shroff’s patients include people with a variety of diseases and injuries, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimers, cerebral palsy and Lyme’s Disease, and all of them have reported some recovery, Corben said. None have reported side effects.
During his three months in New Delhi, Corben said he’ll be injected each day with embryonic stem cells in his legs, arms, and directly into his spinal cord near the injury site.
The injections will be coupled with a physical therapy regimen similar to what he’s already been doing for the past year.
The hope is that as Corben works to move different parts of his body, the injected stem cells (which are undifferentiated and have the potential to develop into any tissue) will locate the damaged nerves and work to repair them.
“I’ve heard that some people have seen results with this treatment on the first day,” Corben said. “Obviously, nothing’s guaranteed. I’d love to get everything back, and I’m going to shoot for that. But I’m not being unrealistic. I’m going to work as hard as I can the whole time I’m there, because for me, anything I can get back would be huge.”
Several factors weigh in Corben’s favor. He’s one of the younger patients Shroff has treated, and his injury is relatively new.
“People over 50 are going in with injuries that are 15 years old, and they’re seeing results,” Corben said.
“I was never against [stem cell research] before, but I didn’t really have a reason to look into it,” he said. “I think if the people who oppose stem cell research were put in the shoes of people who need it, their minds would change... if it has the potential to help so many people, why would anyone be so against it?”
While in India, Corben said he hopes to do a little sightseeing and perhaps visit the Taj Mahal.
Corben said he’s prepared for very warm weather when he arrives, like that of Las Vegas in the summer, and at the end of his stay, India will be headed into monsoon season. “So we’ll get to see a little bit of everything,” he said.
Corben, Ronna, and Corben’s father, Kevin, were scheduled to fly out of Sacramento airport on Wednesday morning, March 3. They’ll make connections in Denver, Colo. and Newark, NY, and from there, they’ll fly 14 hours to New Delhi.
Corben said he’ll begin treatments on March 8, and any recovery he makes while in India is only the beginning.
“Stem cells keep growing, maturing and changing over time, so what I see there isn’t necessarily all I’ll get... I could keep getting better.”
When he returns home in June, he’ll be in Mount Shasta for about three weeks before heading to San Diego for another session of Project Walk, a physical therapy program specifically designed for people with spinal cord injuries. Then, Corben could wait six months and go back to Dr. Shroff for a second round of treatments, he said.
“Some people go and get the results they want the first time,” Corben said. “Other people go back for another round, it just all depends on what your goal is.”
Though Corben believes that he would eventually recover on his own with intense physical therapy and hard work, the stem cell treatments will help him along his way.
“This should speed everything up,” Corben said. “I just want to get as much out of it as I can.”
Corben plans to keep in touch with his father (who will stay in India for three weeks), his brothers Bryson and Mason, his sister, Cami, and countless friends through YouTube, Facebook, and email, he said.
The cost for 12 weeks of treatment, lodging and meals for Corben and one other person while at the New Delhi clinic is $50,000, he said.
“The money from all the community fundraisers has helped a lot with this, and I’m really, really grateful.”
Ronna agreed. “The bottom line is, this treatment gives us hope. Whatever improvements Corben can get from it will only enhance his quality of life.”
