About

My name is Ashley Thomson, I am 28 years old.
In July 2000 I was play-fighting with some friends and was slammed upside-down onto my neck fracturing my C5/C6 vertebrae resulting in tetraplegia (that is no movement from the chest down). My injury is incomplete which means my spinal cord is not severed. I have great sensation over most of
my body and good upper-body strength.
I have worked hard to maintain my level of function by staying fit and active and living a relatively healthy lifestyle.

A friend told my dad when I had my accident not to give up hope because there was new research on these things called Stem Cells that could help me one day. Since then my dad and I have been following the amazing leaps Stem Cell technology has been making over the years, waiting for when I felt it was the right time to make my move. Around 8 months ago I stumbled across a website of a woman called Amanda Boxtel. She sustained a complete spinal cord injury at T11/12 making her a paraplegic. On June 25, 2007 she was the first US Citizen to undergo Human Embryonic Stem Cell (HESC) Therapy with Dr. Geeta Shroff in Delhi, India. Since her first stem cell treatment, and after 15 1/2 years of being in a wheelchair she is now able to walk with the aid of leg braces and a walking frame. She is truly an inspiration to me.
For the past year I have been researching all about Dr Shroff’s program and Embryonic Stem Cells on a whole and see that this treatment could seriously improve my quality of life and give me greater independence.

Two months ago I wrote to Dr Shroff requesting to go over there for treatment. She wrote back that I needed to supply her with all my medical history since my injury and to make a short video demonstrating my physical capabilities. I did this and sent it all off to her and within three anxious weeks she replied back accepting me for the treatment.
So this is my mission. As far as I’m aware I will be the first New Zealander with a spinal-cord injury to undergo this therapy. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! In the next few pages is some information on Dr Shroff’s treatment and what I’ll be pursuing. Please read it carefully and if you have any questions please feel free to contact me. My contact details are below.

Namaste,
Ash