---
title: "A Stem Cell Transplant Let a Wheelchair-Bound Man Dance Again"
description: "A man bound to a wheelchair for 10 years by multiple sclerosis (MS) can now walk and dance following an experimental stem cell transplant."
date: "2018-10-26"
modified: "2018-10-26"
authors:
  - name: "Kristin Houser"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/kristin.md"
url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/stem-cell-transplant-multiple-sclerosis"
categories:
  - "Health & Medicine"
tags:
  - "hematopoietic stem cell transplantation"
  - "multiple sclerosis"
  - "stem cells"
  - "the digest"
---

# A Stem Cell Transplant Let a Wheelchair-Bound Man Dance Again

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/stem-cell-treatment.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: In Kyoung Mah/Francesca Mariani\</em\>*

## Stand Up Guy

For 10 years, Roy Palmer had no feeling in his lower extremities. Two days after receiving a stem cell transplant, he [cried tears of joy](<https://www.bbc.com/news/av/health-45906456/walking-again-after-ten-years-with-ms>) because he could feel a cramp in his leg.

The technical term for the procedure the British man underwent is [hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT)](<https://futurism.com/new-breakthrough-treatment-reverse-disability-ms-patients.md>). And while risky, it's offering new hope to people like Palmer, who found himself wheelchair-bound after multiple sclerosis (MS) caused his immune system to attack his nerves' protective coverings.

## Biological Reboot

Ever hear the [IT troubleshooting go-to](<https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/it-crowd-gif.gif?quality=80&strip=all&zoom=1&resize=500%2C275>) of turning a system off and on again to fix it? The HSCT process is similar, but instead of a computer, doctors attempt to reboot a patient's immune system.

To do this, they first remove stem cells from the patient's body. Then the patient undergoes chemotherapy, which kills the rest of their immune system. After that, the doctors use the extracted stem cells to reboot the patient's immune system.

It took just two day**s** for the treatment to restore some of the feeling in Palmer's legs. Eventually, he was able to walk on his own and even [dance](<https://www.cbsnews.com/video/after-stem-cell-transplant-man-with-ms-able-to-walk-and-dance-for-first-time-in-10-years/>). He [told the *BBC*](<https://www.bbc.com/news/av/health-45906456/walking-again-after-ten-years-with-ms>) in a recent interview that he now feels like he has a second chance at life.

"We went on holiday, not so long ago, to Turkey. I walked on the beach," said Palmer. "Little things like that, people do not realize what it means to me."

## Risk / Reward

Still, HSCT isn't some miracle cure for MS. Though it worked for Palmer, that's not always the case, and HSCT can also cause infections and infertility. The National MS Society still considers HSCT to be an experimental treatment, and the Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve the therapy in the U.S.

However, MS affects more than [2.3 million people](<https://www.nationalmssociety.org/Research/Research-News-Progress/Stem-Cells-in-MS/Bone-Marrow-Stem-Cell-Transplant-%E2%80%93-HSCT>), and if a stem cell transplant can help even some of those folks the way it helped Palmer, it's a therapy worth exploring.

**READ MORE:** [Walking Again After Ten Years With MS](<https://www.bbc.com/news/av/health-45906456/walking-again-after-ten-years-with-ms>) \[*BBC*\]

***More on HCST: [New Breakthrough Treatment Could “Reverse Disability” for MS Patients](<https://futurism.com/new-breakthrough-treatment-reverse-disability-ms-patients.md>)***

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinjhouser>)

## More

- [New Stem Cell Transplant May Halt Multiple Sclerosis but It Comes at a Cost](<https://futurism.com/experimental-stem-cell-therapy-for-multiple-sclerosis-comes-with-high-risk.md>)
- [New Breakthrough Treatment Could “Reverse Disability” for MS Patients](<https://futurism.com/new-breakthrough-treatment-reverse-disability-ms-patients.md>)
- [Reversal of Multiple Sclerosis Via Risky Stem Cell Treatment Confirmed](<https://futurism.com/reversal-of-multiple-sclerosis-via-risky-stem-cell-treatment-confirmed.md>)
- [That “Game Changer” Treatment for MS Is Too Good To Be True — Really](<https://futurism.com/stem-cell-treatment-ms-multiple-sclerosis.md>)
- [Immunotherapy Drug Proven Remarkably Successful Against Serious Stem Cell Transplant Complication](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/immunotherapy-drug-proven-successful-against-serious-stem-cell-transplant-complication.md>)
- [World’s First Skin-To-Eye Stem Cell Transplant Successfully Restores Vision](<https://futurism.com/worlds-first-skin-eye-stem-cell-transplant-successfully-restores-vision.md>)
- [New Stem Cell Study Could Be the Start of Personalized Cancer Vaccines](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/stem-cell-personalized-cancer-vaccine.md>)
- [New Stem Cell Treatment Can Restore Sight to the Blind](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/new-stem-cell-treatment-can-restore-sight-to-the-blind.md>)