In July 2021, I was in chronic pain and planning for retirement. I traveled from Amsterdam, Holland, to Los Angeles, CA, for AMBROSE Cell Therapy. I have gone from being in pain all the time to no pain. I feel happier, more energetic, and younger. I am outworking employees half my age and growing my business. You can’t put a price on that. I am delighted to share my story and outcome with you.

The physical trauma started with high school rugby. I felt like a battering ram. The rough players knocked me unconscious a couple of times, banged my head multiple times, injured my neck, and kicked me more than I could count. I also played cricket and field hockey, contributing to my body’s wear and tear.

After university, I founded an industrial engineering company in the Netherlands and went in the opposite direction. As the CEO, I have been sitting in front of the computer, in meetings, or on airplanes all day for 40 years. I have always put in 10-12-hour days, but I would catch a cold or the flu if I worked extra-long days.

Due to the sports injuries and the extended sitting, I lived with chronic neck pain and stiffness, arthritic knees, flares of gouty arthritis in my feet, and reduced kidney function. I take a med for high blood pressure.

In retrospect, the discomfort was depressing. I was so used to feeling a bit down that I don’t think I realized I felt that way until it was gone. Per medical research, the head injuries – not just the pain – may have contributed to that as well.

In Dec 2019, I was ready to schedule my stem cell treatment, but COVID hit. I could not enter the U.S. due to travel restrictions for 18 months. The delay made my unhappy cervical spine even worse. Plus, the constant aching made me reluctant to work out with my trainer.

In July 2021, the U.S. consulate gave me the ok to travel to LA. Upon arrival, I had a consult with Dr. Patel, who developed a personalized protocol using the stem cells and other regenerative cells from my fat (Adipose-Derived Regenerative Cells or ADRCs).

Imaging showed I had three levels of disc degeneration in my cervical spine. But during AMBROSE’s Patient Education process, I learned that the predominant cause of spine pain is an atrophied multifidus muscle as well as arthritic facets joints, not degenerated discs. So rather than targeting the discs, Dr. Patel delivered 12 injections to my multifidus on both sides of my cervical spine (para-spinal injections) and the cervical facet joints. He also shot four injections in each knee and two injections in each foot.

After that, the nurse gave me an IV of mannitol, a sugar alcohol that temporarily opens the blood-brain-barrier, allowing more of the ADRCs to get into my brain. The IV of 79 million ADRCs with 94% viability followed that. The goal of the systemic infusion was to restore health and balance in my kidneys, brain, and the physiologic systems that support them.

The recovery from the procedure was uneventful. I did not take any meds for pain after the liposuction, rested for a couple of days, and flew back to Holland.

Ambrose advised me that it usually takes four to six weeks to notice a benefit, but my neck started feeling better after two weeks. Less pain, but it was still a bit stiff. My chiropractor thought it best to let the stem cells do their thing. He was right. By October, the stiffness was gone. My left knee and right toe were the slowest to recover; they would get better in due course.   There were two interesting, positive surprises: I started to sleep better and had a general feeling of a new life.

At about three months, my kidney function (GFR or glomerular filtration rate) had improved from 35 to 38. My doctor, who was not in favor of stem cell treatment because the Dutch medical authority (FDA) had not approved it, dismissed the improvement. But my gout seems gone forever. Since excess uric acid is associated with poor kidney function, I consider being symptom-free a good indicator that my kidneys are filtering better. At the same time, I observed my neck, knees, and feet were pain-free. I felt happy too.