{"id":2923,"date":"2013-04-11T16:45:00","date_gmt":"2013-04-11T16:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/adult-stem-cells-helping-teen-with-brittle-bone-disease-grow\/"},"modified":"2013-04-11T16:45:00","modified_gmt":"2013-04-11T16:45:00","slug":"adult-stem-cells-helping-teen-with-brittle-bone-disease-grow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/04\/adult-stem-cells-helping-teen-with-brittle-bone-disease-grow\/","title":{"rendered":"Adult stem cells helping teen with ‘brittle bone disease’ grow"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Vatican City, Apr 11, 2013 \/ 10:45 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- A girl whose bones used to break every two months was awarded for her courage in successfully battling her disease during a stem cell research conference at the Vatican.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIt feels amazing to win an award like this,\u201d said Elizabeth Lobato, who was given the Pontifical Hero Award April 11 at the Second International Adult Stem Cell Conference in Vatican City.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI heard I was the first to get this award from Rome and that\u2019s awesome,\u201d said the 14-year-old in an interview with CNA.<\/p>\n

\tElizabeth was diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta, commonly known as brittle bone disease, when she was just 10 months old. People affected by illness \u2013 which is caused by a genetic defect \u2013 often suffer from muscle weakness, hearing loss, loose joints, curved bones, scoliosis, brittle teeth and short stature.<\/p>\n

\tBut the teenager has grown over 13 inches since she began the adult stem cell treatment that involves her receiving bone marrow-derived stem cells from her father.<\/p>\n

\tThe teenager, still small for her age and currently in a wheelchair, is in Rome with her parents attending a conference promoting adult stem cell research.<\/p>\n

\tThe conference began April 11 at the Vatican\u2019s New Synod Hall under the co-sponsorship of the Pontifical Council for Culture and the New York City-based Stem for Life Foundation.<\/p>\n

\tThe first gathering was held back in Nov. 2011, but as the group of physicians, philanthropists and patients assembled in the Vatican hall today, the sense of excitement was palpable.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cSince then it seems the entire world has awakened to a simple reality that adult stem cell therapies have the potential to usher in a new era of health and healing,\u201d said Doctor Robin Smith, chairman and president of the Stem for Life Foundation.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cAdult stem cell therapies hold the promise to vanish countless diseases and dangerous medical conditions, to turn the tide of human suffering, to transform modern-day health care from one that focuses on managing symptoms to one that develops cures,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\tSmith added that in the past 17 months there have been thousands of news stories about \u201cbreakthrough treatments using adult stem cell research.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cPeople have discovered that there already are replacement bladders, tracheas, and skin in a lab,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThere are fortunate individuals who have received these precious replacements for organs by participating in clinical trials.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tElizabeth\u2019s mother called her \u201ca fighter since the moment she was born.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI don\u2019t know if I can find the right words to express seeing your child ill from birth and not being able to do the things children her age can do and should be able to do,\u201d said Mary Lobato.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cNow she can spend the day with her friends without us being there, and she spent a week out of town without us. So it\u2019s nice to see her progressing as it should be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tTerry Lobato, Elizabeth\u2019s father, also underscored that the family is against stem cell research performed using embryos.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cOur faith is very strong, my wife and I were both raised as Catholics and we both believe in God, so that\u2019s why we would never go to embryonic,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cAs her parents we would do anything for her, we would give our life for our daughter, but we couldn\u2019t ask that of anyone else,\u201d he remarked. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\tReflecting on some of the sacrifices involved in caring for his daughter, Terry Lobato said he was \u201cthe fortunate one\u201d to be able to give Elizabeth his stem cells, adding that \u201cit is working and she is growing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tBefore finishing the interview, Elizabeth offered some advice to other children suffering with the same disease.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI would tell them to just never give up, that there is always something, \u201d she said, with a smile on her face.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vatican City, Apr 11, 2013 \/ 10:45 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- A girl whose bones used to break every two months was awarded for her courage in successfully battling her disease during a stem cell research conference at the Vatican.<\/p>\n

\t“It feels amazing…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-vatican"],"yoast_head":"\nAdult stem cells helping teen with 'brittle bone disease' grow<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Vatican City, Apr 11, 2013 \/ 10:45 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- A girl whose bones used to break every two months was awarded for her courage in successfully battling her disease during a stem cell research conference at the Vatican. “It feels amazing...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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