New hope for his heart Stem cell procedure gives man confidence, strength November 7, 2006

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GALESBURG - Dick Watson has completed the journey of a lifetime - a trip to the other side of the globe and back - in hopes of extending his stay in this world a little longer.

Watson, 70, of Lake Bracken, underwent a new procedure in which adult stem cells extracted from his own blood were injected directly into his ailing heart to strengthen it. The operation was done Sept. 26 in Bangkok, Thailand, by a heart specialist there. Only about 80 such procedures had been done at the Bangkok Heart Institute before Watson’s operation, he said.

Watson traveled to Bangkok with his son, Dusti, and they were there for almost four weeks as Dick underwent and then recovered from the procedure. Dusti chronicled their journey on a daily blog, www.dadsdailyprogress.blogspot.com, for family and friends.

Dick returned home Oct. 10, is gaining strength and in good spirits and hoping the operation will rejuvenate his heart, giving him more energy and extending his life.

‘Things weren’t going well’

Dick Watson, a lifelong athlete, still loves to play golf and go inline skating. But he had suffered twice from rheumatic fever when he was a child. His heart was weakened, and after having had operations in recent years that put two artificial valves into his heart and then a pacemaker, he suffered a stroke this spring on a golf course in Florida. By late summer, Watson’s heart was working at only about 11 percent of its capability.

“For the last year or so my dad’s been talking about having the stem cell procedure done,” Dusti said. “He had read articles and was fascinated with it. Finally we were to the point where his cardiologist in Springfield said we had done all we can. My dad had had two mechanical valves and a pacemaker put in. Things weren’t going well at all.”

The procedure by medical research company TheraVitae involves an Israeli-developed procedure where adult stem cells are extracted from the patient’s own blood. They are multiplied then injected directly into his heart in hopes of strengthening it. According to the company Web site, the first such procedure was done in May 2005, and it is an option for some patients with heart disease. The procedure has not been approved for use in the United States, but it has been used in Thailand to treat a variety of disorders, especially cardiovascular diseases.

Famed Hawaiian crooner Don Ho underwent the same type of procedure last year in Bangkok, Dusti said.

Stem cells are said to be “master cells” because they can turn into other cells or blood vessels, depending on where they are injected, said Dusti. They work by regenerating themselves to strengthen organs. The Watsons say they are not in favor of research using embryonic stem cells but that use of adult stem cells such as those in Dick’s case could be a life-saving option for some people.

Rejection, then approval

Dusti said of the four doctors in Bangkok who perform the procedure, three rejected his father because of his age and physical frailty. He said there are two types of procedures done - a coronary procedure where stem cells are injected into the arteries, or direct injection where they are injected directly into the heart.

Bangkok cardiologist Dr. Permyos Ruengsakulrach accepted Dick and approved him for the direct injection procedure. Dick and Dusti boarded a plane for a nearly 30-hour flight to Bangkok on Sept. 15.

Doctors drew blood from Dick to send to a lab in Israel where the stem cells were harvested; the cells then were flown back to Bangkok for the surgery. Dick said because he had so much scar tissue around his heart from past surgeries, it was difficult for the surgeon to make the injections.

“Normally they do 10 injections, but mine took 30,” Dick said. “The operation normally takes about 15 minutes, but for me it was over two hours.”

He made a vow

Dick said when he awoke from the surgery, he noticed curtains pulled around his bed, and he wondered if he had died. He recalls a feeling of great warmth and happiness - then suddenly freezing cold.

“I felt Jesus,” he said. “I felt the love that was terrific, then all of a sudden I was freezing to death. I realized I was still alive and I grabbed one of my fingers and pinched it. I promised Jesus if he saved me I’d donate everything in my life for saving me. I made a vow to Jesus: I said I’ll still play a little golf, I’ll still Rollerblade. But first, I’ll work to convince people to come to Jesus.

Dick also promised his minister, the Rev. Tom Ek of Covenant Church, that as soon as he is able, he will skate on Rollerblades down the hall of the church and into Ek’s office. “Maybe in the spring I can do that,” Dick said.

For now, the Watson family is heartened by Dick’s continued recovery. He goes to physical therapy three times a week in Galesburg. He weighs around 111 pounds; just before the surgery he was just 96 pounds. In late December, three months after the surgery, he should have a better idea how his body is handling the cells injected into his heart. Dusti said doctors told him that at that three-month benchmark his dad’s heart should be working at about a 21 percent rate - which would be considered a success.

The family always had high hopes for his recovery.

“We were very optimistic,” Dusti said. “Before we went, he felt he was at the point where he was sitting around at his home with his head down, very tired. We felt he was down to a month or two left to live. He was not doing well at all, but we were very optimistic. They told us there was a 10 percent chance of death from the procedure and that there was no guarantee this procedure will work. But they said of the 80 procedures they’d done, it had been effective on 85 percent on them.”

Dick’s daughter-in-law, Julie Watson, is a registered nurse and originally was skeptical of the procedure. But after doing research online and learning more she began work to help secure Dick for treatment. Julie met and worked with the founder of TheraVitae, Don Margolis, who was an advocate for Dick’s approval for surgery.

“Though stem cell procedures still are not commonly done, people like me will help change it,” Dick said. “I think it will cut way down on heart transplants.”

A positive, healing attitude

Today, Dusti is back at his job, tuning and fixing pipe organs within a day’s drive all over the Midwest. His grandfather started the third-generation family company, Watson Pipe Organ Sales and Service, in 1929. Dusti regularly works on about 95 organs for his company. Dick is retired. The family slowly is settling back into a normal routine. A week ago Dick and his wife, Patty, met at Happy Joe’s with Dusti, Julie and their two children for pizza.

“I think (this procedure) is remarkable,” Dusti said. “There are other methods of harvesting stem cells but when they come from your own blood, the compatibility issues would be great.”

He said doctors told them this procedure is the future of cardiac treatment.

Dusti said his father’s faith and attitude have been a big aid in his recovery.

“He has a very strong faith and always had a very positive attitude,” Dusti said. “He knew thousands of people were praying for him and he was so grateful. Every day I’d read the comments people would post on the Web site. I think a strong faith and a positive attitude are paramount. It definitely helped him. I know as he gets stronger he hopes to share his story with people to help them.”