Layton Man to Travel to China for Stem Cell Transplant

January 5th, 2007 @ 4:16pm

Ed Yeates Reporting

After a tragic snowmobile accident two years ago, a young man from
Layton is going to China for a stem cell transplant directly into
his damaged spinal cord.

Though the snowmobile accident left him a quadriplegic, 23-year-old
Kirk Green has come a long way over the past two years. He now
drives himself to therapy at Neuroworx in Salt Lake. He's regained
partial use of his arms, has enough strength to hold himself up, and
according to Jessi, his wife, more is yet to come.

Jessi Green, Wife: "Even now he's more independent. He's brushing
his teeth. He's shaving. He's learning new things every single day."



Although China has been doing stem cell transplants five to six
years now, Kirk's realistic. Obviously, he hopes for the best
possible scenario but would feel comfortable even with small pieces
of recovery. He's talked with other transplant recipients, including
a young man from Florida.

Kirk Green: "He got a lot of feeling back, a lot of hot and cold
sensation, and he has the ability to stand up in parallel bars now
and kind of stand on his own weight."

Jan Black, MS, PT, Clinical Director, Neuroworx: "There's four
different countries out there doing this stuff. It's really the
family, through their research, that decides their loved one or
family member is a candidate for what this specific group in China
is doing."

University of Utah graduate students will actually be following
Kirk, setting a baseline before he goes to China, and then following
his progress when he comes back for two years.

In a first of its kind study, the Ph.D physical therapy students in
the College of Health will document every change that occurs with
Kirk, on a daily basis.

Again, what is Kirk's goal? He wants more independence, the
opportunity to be able to do his own thing.

Kirk Green: "I hope to pursue a career in business. That's what I'm
going to school for."

Kirk leaves for China later this month. The blood stem cells used in
the transplants come from newborn discarded umbilical cords.