'This is giving him hope': Sherwood Park man undergoes experimental surgery in Miami
A paralyzed Sherwood Park man who is determined to walk again has undergone a Schwann-cell transplant in Florida as part of a medical trial.
Landon Smith had 15 million Schwann cells transplanted into his spinal column on Tuesday morning at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.
Schwann cells, named for the 19th century physiologist who discovered them, play a role in nerve development and regeneration.
"I'm feeling quite relieved now that the surgery is over," said Brenda Smith, Landon's mother.
Smith, 20, was paralyzed in January 2017 after he jumped into a foam pit at a Sherwood Park trampoline park.
He has repeatedly said he is determined to walk again.
In October, he moved to Miami to be one of 10 participants in the Miami Project, a medical trial at the University of Miami that will evaluate the use of Schwann cells to repair an injured spinal column.
Smith trained for months at the university to prepare for the surgery.
"This is giving him hope by introducing and having the surgery and possibly having the myelin sheath regrow around the nerves that have been damaged," Brenda Smith said.
"It could end up being an improvement in his bowel and bladder, improvement in his motor functions. We just don't know yet, and we won't know that for a while."
Smith will stay in Miami to continue the trial. Over the next five years, the Miami Project team will continue to monitor his progress.
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Travis.mcewan@cbc.ca
