By Samantha Bresnahan, CNN
Bill Marlette was a long way from home, but he was willing to take the risk, as there were really no other options.
He was tired of the daily pain that made even shaking someone’s hand almost unbearable.
Marlette lost his arm in an accident when he was a teenager, but as an active kid, he didn’t this slow him down. He continued to play football and golf, running track and even wrestling.
But over time, the strain on his remaining arm and wrist took a toll.
So to relieve his pain, he traveled from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to Munich, Germany, with the hopes that a special procedure using stem cells could make a difference.
“There’s no cartilage,” Marlette said of his wrist. “I’m bone-on-bone. It is constantly inflamed and very sore.”
As Marlette grew older, even the simplest things, like tucking in his shirt or putting on a jacket, became incredibly painful.
Regenerating hope
Marlette developed cysts and holes in the bones of his wrist. Doctors prescribed anti-inflammatory medications, but they only managed the pain, doing nothing to actually heal the problem. One day, his doctor, Dr. Bob Van Demark at Sanford Health in South Dakota, where Marlette works in finance, saw a presentation by Dr. Eckhard Alt.
It was about a new treatment using stem cells.
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