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www.chateausuites.ca VOLUME 77
NUMBER 45
24 PAGES
Thursday, Th d November N b 8, 8 2012
www.sylvanlakenews.com
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Remembered
- Wayne Sundell, Bob Hamelin and Laverne Asselstine were among members of the Sylvan Lake branch of the Royal Canadian Legion who planted crosses on the graves of veterans at Lakeview Cemetery Monday, in advance of Remembrance Day. The group, which also included Gordon Graham, Cliff Halvorson, Butch Bouchard, Larry Neis and Warren Pubanz, placed the crosses on 115 graves in the cemetery. Crosses were also placed on eight graves at Kuusamo Cemetery, one at Burnt Lake and one at Alto Rest in Red Deer. The Legion branch is hoping to gather information about veteran’s graves at Benalto so they may be marked next year. The Remembrance Day service in Sylvan Lake takes place Sunday (Nov. 11) at the multiplex beginning at 10:30 a.m. STEVE DILLS
Family looks to stem cell treatment to improve son’s vision by Aleisha Bosch Sylvan Lake News
Beau Gallipeau is almost four, and he runs and plays like any other boy his age. When picked up by his mother, Becky Bossert, he is curious about the flowers on the table. He reaches a hand towards them, and shouts in frustration when he
realizes they’re too far away. A couple years ago, he wouldn’t have been able to see the flowers, or realize they were too far away. Beau is legally blind, and has septooptic dysplasia. The condition affects his vision and his pituitary gland, which is a quarter the size it should be. The pituitary gland
produces a number of hormones, including human growth hormone. As Beau’s pituitary is so small, he has to receive replacement hormones every day. In addition to his hormone deficiency, Beau also has vision problems. A couple years ago, he could only see from a small portion of his left eye. Now,
he can see five feet in front of him from both eyes. His vision improvement can be attributed to stem cell treatments, received in China. The cells are obtained from umbilical cord blood and administered to Beau through intravenous injections and lumbar puncture. Bossert said she noticed an improve-
ment in her son after a few treatments, though the full results can only be seen after a year. Since Beau received his first round of treatments nearly two years ago, Bossert said she has not seen any negative effects. The stem cells can generate different tissues in the body, and the results are permanent. Bossert first learned
stem cell treatments could help her son after research and communication with the Chinese hospital. She later found out about a distant relative who had received the treatment for the same condition Beau has. The treatment is only offered in China, where it has been practised for over 10 years. It is not yet completely
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trusted by the Canadian medical community, said Bossert, because doctors don’t have control of the cells once they are in the patient’s body. “The way we view it is if it helps him, great,” said Bossert. “They were very good at what they did and very polite.” Continued on Page 10 Canadian Tire #329 • 2510 Gaetz Ave., Red Deer, AB 403-342-2222
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