how much of this is mental?

When we first met Dr. Ashish, the doctor second in command to Dr. Shroff, he said something to us about how something like 20% of these stem cells working is all mental. He talked about how a big part of this would be yoga, and meditation, and really willing the stem cells to work.

Dr. Shroff even suggested we paint Ryan's toenails blue or orange, because the stem cells like that. We're still on a mission to find toe nail polish in Delhi - I'll paint mine too, just in case it helps.

Part of the mystery of these stem cells, and why Ryan is getting injections into all parts of her body (not just her spinal cord, which is a much more intense procedure that she'll have done for the first time sometime this week) is that they are able to move through her body and go directly to the places that they are needed most. For Ryan, this is her spinal cord, where her injury was, and parts of her legs, where she has various scars and skin grafts. Possibly her brain, too. Just kidding.

With that said, I'm not sure how much of the success of this experience will actually be scientifically based. They don't even really know how it works! But it's obvious that the most important thing that Ryan needs to receive some benefit from the stem cells is a positive outlook and some strong determination. All of that certainly can't hurt from the rest of us, either!

Last night, I decided that the stem cells needed some welcoming into Ryan's body. She's had six shots now, so she has a few thousand stem cells swimming through her bloodstream and lymph system as we speak. We put some temporary tattoos on her legs and feet that were encouraging for the stem cells. I think that the stem cells will like this contribution just as much as blue or orange toe nails - at least until we find some nail polish in the markets!