Product Description
Stem cells and stem cell therapy! Many believe that stem cell therapy may lie somewhere in the future. That is not the case, and I am living proof that stem cell therapies are already available. They are repairing hearts, rebuilding livers, assisting in the cure of cancer and a multitude of other diseases. Popular broadcast and print media led me to believe that stem cell therapy is a long way off, held back by presidential order and political factions. I am one of the lucky ones. I found my way into a stem cell clinical trial that repaired my badly damaged heart and restored my life after I had come too close to death for comfort. There were only 24 of us in the Phase I stem cell clinical trial. We had all come for the same purpose; to ease the frightening pain in our chests and to try to stay alive. We were just a few of the tens of millions of people with similar problems who would ultimately benefit if the therapy under test proved to be successful. All 24 patients were very lucky to be selected for the pioneering stem cell clinical trial. In current medical practice, patients with such severe heart disease suffer episodes of severe heart pain (angina) and die slow deaths from congestive heart failure, their lungs filling with blood that their weakened hearts could not pump out to their bodies. We no longer face this grim prospect because of the amazing capabilities of stem cells. Uniquely, they can multiply themselves into large numbers and change themselves into any type of cells needed by the body, including brain cells, muscle tissue, and liver and kidney tissue.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 6 reviews)

"Real deal" without affectation on a personal view of the potential for stem cell therapy

This is the best book I have read on the potential for stem cell therapy from the patient's perspective. It is written in the most straightforward manner possible, focused not on polemic but on being helpful. So much so, that the author takes nothing for granted, even the patient's knowledge about the Internet (a few plodding pages on that topic alone) but also on the practicalities of using pluripotential cells. The book is also exceedingly honest: the author recounts his experiences (and transient recovery) during the placebo arm of a trial of stem cells. My one quibble is that after giving us so much detail about the wind up to the transplant, we get very little detail on the author's outcome after the stem cell infusion. Did it last longer than the placebo? How many years out has it been effective? This part of the review may be grossly unfair as I have no idea how sick the author was when he wrote this. Maybe he was in a hurry to get the word out and did not have much follow up time to report on. Despite among the driest writing styles I have experienced in many years, I find the story of this book has stuck with me.
February 03, 2008

Enthusiastically recommended for its inspirational message to never give up hope

Stem Cells Saved My Life: How to Be Next is the true-life story of author Bernard Van Zyl, who suffered from severe heart disease that could not be brought under control by conventional surgery or therapy. Yet an FDA-approved clinical trial transformed his life - adult stem cells were harvested from his own body, and used to bolster the strength of his heart, transforming him from a dying invalid and giving him a new leash on life. Stem Cells Saved My Life does more than tell his story; it presents what he has learned about stem cell treatments, FDA-approved clinical trials for stem cell therapies that are currently helping thousands of people, and advice for readers who may be in need concerning how to locate and get into such clinical trials. Written in plain terms for readers of all backgrounds, Stem Cells Saved My Life discusses adult, embryonic, fetal, and umbilical cord stem cells, and is enthusiastically recommended for its inspirational message to never give up hope to anyone struggling with a medical problem that can potentially be helped through stem cell treatment.
April 07, 2007

Fascinating Read, and Eye Opening

This book has given me a new perspective on Stem Cell research. Especially as it pertains to real science as opposed to rhetoric. The book presents an interesting case study about a specific kind of treatment, but it also delves into the various research that is going on in the field of Stem Cells. It was informative and well researched.
February 08, 2007

Worth reading

As a librarian, I am often asked to help patrons find information on health conditions. I have found that these patrons aren't just looking for cold facts, they are also seeking the human side, the human impact of their medical condition. One of the aspects of the book Stem Cells Saved My Life: How to Be Next I enjoyed the most was the balance of these two needs.

I highly recommend this book to libraries large and small, to those with similar conditions, and especially to those whose families are affected.

December 06, 2006

This could be a life saver! Very Inspirational!

Mr. van Zyl describes the severe heart condition which resulted in death, resuscitation, and a six way bypass which left him totally disabled. Severe fatigue prevented him from leading a normal useful life. After being turned down as a candidate for a heart transplant the doctors indicated there was no hope for improvement and no further medical treatment was available. Mr. van Zyl would not give up that easily. He researched the internet to find experimental medical clinical trials that could result in improvement in his condition. He found a clinical trial using adult stem cells that are injected directly into the heart. If successful the damaged heart muscle would be repaired and the function of the heart improved. The lengthy study was being conducted in the Boston area and Mr. van Zyl lives in Florida which presented a physical challenge for him to travel each month to receive the treatments. His dedication and determination resulted in a marked improvement to his heart and he now leads a useful and purposeful life. His story is an inspiration to all people with a desperate medical condition for which there appears to be no hope and no further standard medical treatment is available. This book is a "must read" for people in this condition and for all people who want to learn more about the potential of adult stem cell research.
November 25, 2006

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Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Therapy: The Gift of Healing from Healthy Newborns
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Miracle Stem Cell Heart Repair: (For Heart Attack, Heart Failure and Bypass Patients)
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Cell of Cells: The Global Race to Capture and Control the Stem Cell
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How Adult Stem Cell Therapies Saved My Life: Medicine's Best-Kept Secret Can Save Your Life, Too
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The Proteus Effect: Stem Cells and Their Promise for Medicine
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