Auckland five-year-old twin Maia Friedlander has become the first New Zealander to undergo experimental treatment in the United States using her own umbilical cord blood.
The Epsom girl was born with a form of cerebral palsy which left her brain damaged, affecting her speech, balance and movement.
While her twin sister, Arielle, reached all her developmental milestones, Maia struggled to talk, walk, and even eat without choking.
However, a re-infusion of her umbilical cord blood at Duke University, North Carolina, in August has already brought about improvements which give hope to her parents, Daniel and Jillian. "Just a few days after the procedure her eyes started to look more alert, she lost the unfocused, dreamy kind of look," Mr Friedlander told the New Zealand Herald.
"Her arms and legs began to straighten out, and her physical co-ordination improved.
"Since Maia's return home (to Auckland) she's continued to make progress and is now attending pre-school five days a week."
Paediatric oncologist Joanne Kurtzberg, who oversaw Maia's treatment has re-infused 50 children with their own cord blood for treatment of cerebral palsy and brain injury since 2003.
Maia's treatment is not yet available in New Zealand and her family paid for travel to the United States and the procedure.
Cord Bank is the only New Zealand organisation in which parents can store their child's cord blood. The privately owned company, licensed by MedSafe, charges an initial $2500 fee, and $200 a year for storage.
Mr Friedlander encouraged other parents to bank their children's cord blood as insurance.
NZPA