West Fargo boy has stem cell treatment in Germany

Doctors gave Ethan Radtke a dose of his own medicine on Thursday.

Now, the West Fargo boy and his parents must wait to find out if it worked.

Five-year-old Ethan underwent a stem cell treatment in Dusseldorf, Germany, to treat the cerebral palsy that causes stiffness and muscle spasms in his legs and forces him to use a walker or crawl.

“Ethan came out great,” his mother, Lisa Radtke, said after the procedure. “He ate a sandwich, happy, giggling.”

The treatment, not available in the United States, involved collecting stem cells from Ethan’s bone marrow and re-injecting them into his spinal fluid. The cells will travel to his brain, where it’s believed they replace dead cells and help injured cells heal.

Lisa and her husband, James Radtke, said doctors at Dusseldorf’s Xcell-Center told them the treatment’s full effectiveness won’t be known for six to eight weeks. But every case is different, and some patients have shown improvement in a matter of days, Lisa Radtke said.

“We would love to see something occur where his legs are able to carry him, if he can use crutches or walk with his walker better, or from a miraculous point, being able to walk unassisted,” she said. “But if we see even a little change in his tone, that’s for us a success.”

Fargo media outlets, including The Forum, told Ethan’s story in May, generating what Lisa Radtke called a “phenomenal” response from people interested in the treatment and willing to help cover Ethan’s medical bills. The family raised $20,000 without a fundraising event and received support from friends, family, doctors and strangers, she said.

“The support of the Red River Valley for us in this procedure is amazing, through both their kind words and their generosity,” James Radtke said.

Ethan and his parents landed in Germany on Saturday. James Radtke said they got an emotional boost when they met with a therapist whose son had cerebral palsy similar to Ethan’s and was walking after the treatment.

“You keep hearing stories like that, so you keep your chin up and hope that we’re one of those fortunate ones,” he said.

During Tuesday’s bone marrow extraction, doctors harvested 5 million vital stem cells – 3 million more than average, his mom said, giving better odds to Ethan, who was napping when his parents spoke to The Forum via Skype.

The family went sightseeing Wednesday, riding the bus and subway, visiting an aquarium and indulging Ethan’s desire for sauerkraut and sausage.

“He loved it,” she said.

They met two U.S. families there for the treatment, including one from Sioux Falls, S.D., she said. A friend from San Francisco who recently graduated from film school tagged along, filming the experience for a documentary.

The family will fly back to Fargo on Sunday.

Lisa Radtke said she’s heard from many people who became interested in the treatment because of attention to Ethan’s case.

“It really has come full circle with educating people and really bringing it about to make an impact on people’s lives,” she said.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Mike Nowatzki at (701) 241-5528

Tags: west fargo, stem cell, ethan radtke, moms, news, health, germany, fccnetwork