Benefit aims to seld woman to Thailand for stem cell treatment September 6, 2007
Posted by TheraVitae in : VesCell in the News , trackback
At first blush, it’s hard to believe Tammy Henderson is a hair’s breath away from being on the heart transplant list. She doesn’t look frail, she doesn’t look sickly. But underneath the good exterior beats a heart that has been battered by treatments for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a massive coronary attack and two surgeries to install a heart pump and repair the mitral valve.
“Even the doctors say I look good, but my doctor says you can have a shot engine, but a beautiful car,” said Henderson, who grew up in Westland and now lives in Garden City.
Tammy and John Henderson and their two children - Cheyenne, 13, and Colton, 8 - have turned their front porch into a drop-off site for can and bottle donations in an effort to raise money for the Vescell Adult Stem Therapy Tammy needs to repair her severely damaged heart.
Henderson has managed to avoid the heart transplant by taking CoQ10, a supplement that has helped her heart beat faster, but she wants to do something more. She wants to have Vescell Adult Stem Cell Therapy, in which her own immature stem cells would be used to try to repair the damaged portion of her heart.The only thing holding her back is the $50,000 cost. The treatment isn’t covered by insurance nor is it available in the United States. Henderson has to travel to Bangkok, Thailand, to get it.
A sign on the front lawn is a testament to the lengths her family has gone to get the money to send her to Thailand. It’s the sixth one they’ve put out asking for donations of returnable bottles and cans.
People stop by to drop off returnables. Even the Garden City High School swim team, doing a similar collection to buy new swimsuits, left the Hendersons three bags with a note, saying they needed the returnables more than the team.
There’s also been garage sales, where people have bought $10 worth of stuff with a $50 bill and told the Hendersons to keep the change.
Her sister Kelly Moyer’s employer has made a sizable donation and even her mother and father, Sandra and Donald Moyer of Westland, are raising money.
“My parents are regulars at the Red Apple Restaurant in Wayne and they’re collecting for Tammy,” said Moyer, who also lives in Westland.
All together, they’ve managed to collect $13,000.
But Henderson is on borrowed time. All her doctors can tell her is she is stable. So to get her sister to Thailand, sooner rather than later, Moyer is organizing a pasta dinner at the Wayne-Ford Civic League Sept. 8, in hopes of raising the rest of the money.
“People have been so generous and helpful, the response has already been so overwhelming,” Moyer said. “It just really gives you a different look at the person next to you.”
Henderson grew up in Westland and graduated from John Glenn High School. She married her high school sweetheart, John Henderson. They have two children, Colton, 8 and Cheyenne, 13.
But Henderson will tell you quite honestly that she’s been through the wringer, and it all started in 1990 when she was diagnosed with stage II Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She underwent radiation and chemotherapy, and in the middle of the treatment, put on a wig and a wedding gown to marry John.
Worried that the wig would come off from all the hugging, she removed it and wore a hat for the reception.
“Tammy has always had good spirits,” John Henderson said. “All of the rest of us are more of a mess.”
Henderson had been cancer-free for 11 years, when she suffered a massive heart attack July 23, 2001. Five days later, she had another “episode,” and doctors operated to install a heart pump. That evening, she had a mini-stroke. The next day, she had emergency bypass surgery.
In January 2002, she was told by the Henry Ford Transplant Center to start the tests and process for a heart transplant. But she knew before then she needed a new heart.
“They sent an intern in and upon waking up from the bypass surgery, he told me that if I didn’t have a heart transplant, I’d die in six months,” Henderson recalled. “Nobody was around, I think they were all at my Mom and Dad’s. I called them hysterical.”
She went through the process and was within a week of being added to the list when they determined she had improved her heart’s pumping power by taking the CoQ10 supplement.
She also takes blood thinners, limits her fluids and sees her doctor every six months. Her next checkup is Aug. 28, when she plans to quiz her cardiologist about another patient who had the stem cell treatment in December.
“She should know something by then,” a hopeful Henderson said.
The treatment would require Henderson to be in Thailand for 14 days. As soon as she arrives, blood will be drawn and sent to laboratories in Israel, where her own cells will be used to create immature stem cells.
“They’ll reinject me and the stem cells will immediately go to where the damage is,” Henderson said. “It could take one to six months. A lot who have had this get 76 percent pumping power. I hope my age will play a major role in my doing well.”
Her goal is to go to Thailand in December. That’s when her older sister, Sheryl Landskroener of Brighton, would be able to accompany her. Henderson admits it’s hard to ask people for money, to even ask for help, but she “desperately” wants to live to raise her children with her husband.
“So many people want to help, so many people want to give,” she added. “My original thought was 50,000 people giving $1. I know it’s a lot of money, but I’m determined to go.”
People who would like to help Tammy Henderson can visit her Web site at www.tammysheart.com. More information about Vescell Adult Stem Cell Therapy can be found online at www.vescell.com.
Tammy’s Heart benefit
Tammy’s Heart Italian Dinner fund-raiser will be 6-11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, at the Wayne-Ford Civic League, 1645 N. Wayne Road, Westland.
Dinner will be served 7-8:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for children 12 years and under for salad, mostaccioli, vegetable, roll, dessert and beverage.
There also will be a disc jockey, cash bar and raffles 9-10 p.m. Among the raffle items are a gift certificate for exterior detailing by Ziebart, a $20 gift certificate from Angelo Brothers Restaurant, two large pizzas (eat-in only) at Rogala’s Bar & Grill, six free oil changes with tire rotation and balancing from Belle Tire, free haircut and 13 free eyebrow waxings from Fouad’s Styling Station and six bottles of wine from One Stop Liquor.
Tickets are available in advance by calling (734) 788-8690 or (734) 765-0771. They also are available at the door.
Organizers will be collecting empty returnable bottles and cans at the event.
People who are unable to attend, but would like to make a donation, can send it to Tammy Henderson, P.O. Box 1584, Garden City, MI 48135.
Margo’s helps out
Sheryl Landskroener, sister of Tammy Henderson, is a nail technician at Margo’s of Northville Salon and Spa. That businesses has raised nearly $800 for the cause. They will be holding a raffle, giving away services at the salon, and are currently selling tickets for the Sept. 8 fund-raising dinner. Stop at the salon (141 E. Cady Street) or call (248) 348-9130 for more information.
smason@hometownlife.com | (734) 953-2112
