Hopeful parents raise money for procedure

   It was a tough sell, to be sure: persuade strangers to open their pocketbooks for an unproven and controversial medical procedure in China, 7,400 miles away.

   But people proved to have a soft spot for 7-year-old Brandon Stewart, a visually impaired Calhan boy. In the last six months they've raised nearly $50,000 to help him travel across the globe in search of treatment his parents hope will restore some of his sight.

   Earlier this year, Brandon's parents, Katrina and John Stewart, set out to raise $75,000 to help him get stem cell therapy for optic-nerve hypoplasia, one of the most common causes of childhood blindness. They were compelled to pursue the treatment after hearing stories from other parents that it helped their children with the same condition see colors and shapes.

   Because the treatment is not available in the U.S., the family will board a plane Aug. 8 for China's Chengchang district, home to the Chengyang People's Hospital. Over the course of a month, Brandon's spinal cord and brain will be bathed in stem cells harvested from umbilical cords. In theory, the yet-unspecialized cells can repair damaged nerve cells and restart development of healthy ones. The procedure, performed by a company called Beike Biotech, is used for a wide array of brain and nerve disorders and injuries, but the company purports some of the best results have come in optic-nerve hypoplasia patients.

   Although the stem cells are not embryonic ones, which have been subject of intense anti-abortion debates, the treatment has its critics.

   Patients and families have praised the results, but many Western doctors point to the lack of scientific proof or data. They fear patients are spending tens of thousands of dollars on untested, and possibly ineffective, science. Unlike the U.S., China does not require double-blind trials and extensive experimentation before introducing new medical care to the marketplace.

   Katrina Stewart has followed the debate, and she's prepared that Brandon may come home unchanged.

   "I don't want to fool myself into believing he's seeing more than he's actually seeing because of all he's gone through. I'm going to be critical of that," she said. She's recently been testing his sight for a baseline of comparison when he returns.

   Yet she and the hundreds of donors who have rallied behind Brandon's cause are hopeful. They are inspired by stories like Cameron Petersen's, a toddler in Port Charlotte, Fla. His grandmother, Carol, told The Gazette in February she'd seen 90 percent improvement in the boy, who was diagnosed with optic-nerve hypoplasia at 3 months old.

   In church, Petersen told The Gazette, Cameron's brother took a toy out of a diaper bag; Cameron looked at the boy and took it back. "I know that there was no way on Earth that Cameron possibly could have done that before," she said.

   Since February, the Stewart family worked to organize several fundraisers, and Katrina Stewart has kept people updated through a blog, brandonsfightforsight.blogspot. com. Fundraisers were held in the Pikes Peak region and in Kansas, where the family lived before moving here in 2004 to enroll Brandon in The Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind. The largest fundraiser, a silent auction at Jill's Country Cafe in Falcon, netted $10,000.

   The family's goal of $75,000 has been lowered to $70,900, Stewart said, because the family found savings on airfare. The money raised so far, about $48,900, covers all but $1,000 of the trip and treatment, Stewart said. She said any surplus money will be donated to help other children with blindness. 

Contact the writer: 636-0198 or brian.newsome@gazette.com

TO HELP

Donations can be made to The Family Fund for Brandon P. Stewart at any Ent Federal Credit Union.

UPCOMING FUNDRAISERS

• A portion of the proceeds of Annihilation IX cage fights,Saturday at City Auditorium, 221 E. Kiowa St., will go to Brandon Stewart’s fund. Organizers will donate $1 a ticket to the Stewarts, and a donation box will be set up at the event. Fight schools are also raising money. For information, call 660-3234 or visit www.nmefighting.com. Tickets are $25-$45.

• Solid Rock Events and Entertainment is holding a free concert at Harmony Bowl 1-5 p.m., Sunday, with some bowling proceeds going to the family. Harmony Bowl, 3845 N. Academy Blvd., will provide 21 lanes for $10 per person for two games, including shoes, with 100 percent going to the family. Performing pop hits will be professional singers Trent Alexander and Thalia Adele, and family members. For more information call 287-2595 or email solidrockevents@hotmail.com.

• Raffle tickets to benefit Brandon Stewart are available for $1, or six tickets for $5. The grand prize is one night’s stay at Womacks Casino and Hotel in Cripple Creek with $20 off dinner for two and $100 in cash. The drawing will be held Sunday at Harmony Bowl at 3:30 p.m. For more information on buying tickets, e-mail Katrina Stewart at kstewart@elpasotel.net.