Izabelle Evans, 4, sees mum and dad for first time after stem cell operation.

 

A little girl who has been blind since birth has now seen her mother and father for the first time - at the age of four (Solent News)

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/850497-girl-4-sees-mum-and-dad-for-first-time-after-stem-cell-op#ixzz18DtZt3wX                 

Izabelle Evans can now see up to 90cm (3ft) in front of her after travelling to China for stem cell treatment.Parents James Evans and Hollie McHugh and friends raised £50,000 for the therapy, which is not available in Britain, to improve her sight, speech and mobility.But the month-long stay in China’s Qingdao Chengyang People’s Hospital was not easy for the family as they watched Izabelle endure uncomfortable medical treatment five days a week.
However, her parents said nothing could beat the feeling of the first time their daughter looked into their eyes and said: ‘Mummy’ and ‘Daddy’.Miss McHugh, 24, of Hayling Island, Hampshire, said: ‘The results were better than we could ever have dreamed of.‘If you walk past she can see you and say “hiya”.

It is amazing because doctors here said she couldn’t see anything at all before we went.’Izabelle was born with septo optic displasia – a condition which affects just five in a million babies and also causes hormone deficiency and mobility problems.But after the family launched an appeal, well-wishers donated £50,000 in just over a year and a70-year-old man even did a skydive to raise the money.The procedure involves injecting the spinal canal with cells taken from the umbilical cords of healthy babies which then rebuild the optic nerves.Mr Evans, 24, said: ‘We’re going to wait six months because the stem cells continue to work for six months if she stays healthy.’

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/850497-girl-4-sees-mum-and-dad-for-first-time-after-stem-cell-op#ixzz18Du1Z970