Thanks To Science, This Once Paralyzed Man Is Walking, Again

Is it possible to walk after dealing with a spinal injury? Scientists say yes, following a groundbreaking cell transplant surgery that helped Darek Fidyka, 40, regain this ability. 

Fidyka of Poland was paralyzed in 2010 when he was stabbed multiple times in the spine. Researchers found that a new therapy that transplanted cells from his nasal cavity into his spinal cord proved successful in helping him soon recover, and relearn his first steps. 

"When you can't feel almost half your body, you are helpless, but when it starts coming back it's like you were born again," he said, via Design & Trend.

Fidyka went through two operations--one in which the patient's olfactory bulbs are removed to produce further growth, and the other, in which they are transplanted back two weeks later into the spinal cord. Researchers said this helped produce 500,000 new cells.

Following 100 microinjections of OEC's that were intiated above and below the injury, researchers then gave Fidyka four thin straps of nerve tissue were transported from the patient's ankle to the left side of the cord.

Six months following surgery, Fidyka began to retrace his small steps by using leg braces and support from a physiotherapist. He even recovered some organ sensation and sexual function, as well.

Now, just two years after the surgery, Fidyka's regained his ability to walk. It's "more impressive than man walking on the moon," said Professor Geoff Raisman, who led the U.K. research team behind the surgery, via The Daily Beast.

Sir Richard Sykes, chair of the UK Stem Cell Foundation, added the following, via the news organization: "The first patient is an inspirational and important step, which brings years of laboratory research towards the clinical testbed.

"To fully develop future treatments that benefit the 3 million paralyzed globally will need continued investment for wide scale clinical trials."

More information regarding the miraculous results can be seen via the journal Cell Transplantation.