Hello Everyone. Things have been busy so I have not had a chance to get caught up on my blog until now. There have not been any more physical changes that you can tell just by looking at me, but I have been able to be outside with my wife and kids more this year than all of last year put together. The high's have been in the mid 80's here with some humidity. It has been wonderful to be able to stay outside and not worry about overheating because at this time last year with the same type of temp's and conditions if I were to have gone to one of my kids soccer games or anywhere for that matter I would have to stay inside the truck withthe A/C running full blast. This had been getting worse every year since my accident so I just wanted to say thank you to the doctors in China and everyone else from Beike that has made this possible.

Hello everyone. Just a quick update to let everyone know that things are still going great and that improvements are still occuring especially in my abdomin and back. Rehab is going great along with the workout that I get at the gym 3-4 days a week. My bladder and kidney function is better than has been since my accident. Talk to everyone later.

Hello Everyone. Just wanted to put in a quick update. Things have been going great. The toe movement and sweating above my level of injury are still the same. I joined a gym about a week ago and have been working out hard every other day and can feel a huge difference in the stength and sensation levels increasing in my abdomin area. Talk to everyone later.

Hello everyone. Man what a flight, but we made it home. Our family was there to greet us and seeing them there had to be one of the greatest feelings I have ever experienced. I will get back to therapy in St. Louis on Thursday, but in the meantime I have been doing some of the exercises that I learned in Shenzhen. There has not been any more changes lately, however, I think it help once I can get back in the full swing of rehab and exercises. Well I have to keep it short because it is time to get the kids ready for school. Talk to everyone soon.

Last Day

Hello everyone. What a crazy week it has been trying to get some last minute errands done! The whole trip has been absolutely worth it and I know that it could not have happened without the support of every person out there hoping and praying for us. We had a final dinner tonight with all of the friends we have made from all over the world from such places as Chile, Brazil, Canada, U.S.A., Turkey, Spain, & Hungary. All of these people hold a special place with us because we have been through this process together. It is sad to go, but man I can't wait to get home.
To all of the doctor's, nurses, and staff here at Nanshan Hospital I thank you for the care and treatment that I received here. To all the staff with Beike, thank you for your effort, hospitality, and your commitment in helping us with whatever we needed.
To anyone who is considering having this done, all I ask of you is to keep an open mind, research it heavily, ask many questions, and finally make sure that it feels right to you. To me has been totally worth it. Now I am not saying that I wasn't a little timid coming over, but deep down I knew it was the right thing because of everything that I had just mentioned along with a lot of prayers. I am not trying to preach at anyone who may not have a faith they believe in, but for me it truly came together when I turned it over to God and prayed. Like I said, it is your business what your faith may or may not be. All I am trying to tell you is what helped me the greatest to feel that this is the right thing to do. To everyone out there who is coming I hope and pray the best for you. To everyone out there who feels it is not right for you, I hope and pray the best for you as well.
I will continue to update the blog with the improvements I receive after I return home. Good night everyone.
Kelly - I love you and I'm coming home.

Hello everyone. Rehab was especially fun today. The therapist was telling one of the ladies from the office that he is very pleased with my progress. I told her to tell him that I was very happy with the treatment that I received here and that I am thankful that he pushed me everyday to the limit (even beyond it somedays) so that I would do my best. I guess that was the wrong thing to say because he smiled and said try harder. I would have probably been in a fight if this was any other situation because there was pushing and shoving going on than ever before. After about 10 minutes of this sitting balance routine with me holding my arms out at shoulder level, I realized he wasn't going to quit until I did. He got his way, but not for about 5 more minutes because my arms felt like they weighed a hundred pounds each. He just smiled real big and said good job. Next time I'll just say thank you and leave it at that. Two of the head doctors are going to give me a final examination tomorrow to compare what I could feel and do when I arrived to what I can feel and do now. So lets pray those little toes are working good for them. I want to leave with a thank you to all of you who have been there to help out with Kelly, Blake, Bailey, & Allison. So many of you have sent letters, called, took them out to eat, brought food over, picked the kids up from school, spent time with them, gone out of your way for them and most importantly prayed for them. I don't think I can put into words all of the thoughts and emotions running through me knowing that you have been there for them. So as I hold back a few tears- from the very depths of my heart-Thank You. May God bless each and everyone of you.
Talk to everyone soon.

Hello everyone. We had a quiet weekend here. We just walked around the streets to get some exercise and took a couple of cab rides for an adrenaline rush. Not much else to report on so we are going for breakfast and rehab. Let the countdown begin. Just four more days. The trip has been absolutely worth it, but we are ready to get home. Talk to everyone soon.

Hello everyone. Just wanted to apologize for that three letter word in my last blog. I realize that some of you read this with your children and it was totally uncalled for. I did not realize that I had done it until I looked at it this morning, so I went back and erased it. Talk to you later.

Hello everyone. Today has had to be one of the tuffest days so far in rehab. It seemed the harder I tried the harder they pushed, but in the end it was worth it because I feel like I have more energy now than I did before my therapy session today. They have added a couple more acupuncture needles in each leg which feels good because I am starting to get a little more sensation in my legs. Only seven days left and man I can't wait to get home. Don't get me wrong now because the trip has been totally worth it, but I have some people back home that I can't wait to see. I was talking with my wife, Kelly, today at lunch which was about 9:30 p.m. her time and she is exhausted. Not only has she been taking care of our three children Blake-7yrs old, Bailey-5yrs old, and Allison-4yrs old who are all in school, play sports and been sick, but she is self-employed so she has had to keep up with all of her paperwork and clients as well as worrying about me over here. I talked about a couple of the other guys and their wives here in some of my earlier blogs and how their wives have been here supporting them, but you have no idea how much it means to me that Kelly stayed home to take care of things. I have been able to focus on my therapy much better knowing that she has been there to take care of our children and everything else. You see, she is one of the strongest women I have ever met when it comes to taking charge and getting things done. She has loved and supported me in everything that I have tried and done since my accident, even when my acting like a total idiot almost drove us apart and for that there is not enough room on this computer to put into words the love, thanks, and appreciation that I have for this woman. I ask that everyone keep her in your thoughts and prayers.
Kelly-I love you forever, for always, and no matter what.

Hello everyone. Well the final injection went just as smoothly as the others so we will finish up with a weeks worth of rehab before we come home. I believe that my body is beginning to regulate its temperature better because I am not feeling cold all the time now and I am not needing to wear two or three shirts to try and stay warm once the temperature dips below 70 degrees. I could not be happier with the blessings that I have received so far because I know they are truly gifts from God and that anything is possible through him. I also want to take a minute to tell you about a man who has been such a special part of my life even when I did not realize it - my dad Rick Melton. He truly wears his heart on his sleeve because he is always willing to help someone when he can and is amazing in a crisis situation. Just to let you know too, that our relationship may have not always been the closest over the years, but I can definitley say that was my fault. The good Lord knows that I tried his patience on more than one occasion (which is probably why the man don't have much hair left), but he has never stopped loving me. Although there were times when I thought he was being to strict with me I know that he was only looking out for me to keep me safe. I thank God everyday for him being here with me. To my friend, my father, my hero - I love you.
There are others I want to talk about as well, but the doctors are wanting to talk with me so I must go. I will talk with everybody soon.

Hello everyone. Another good day today. The therapist has once again changed the rehab regiment to help me to continue to push myself as hard as I can everday. He had me sitting on the edge of the mat with my feet on the floor holding a .5kg stick ( I know it isn't much ) with my arms straight out in front of me and lift it over my head, repeatedly. Had I tried this two weeks ago I would have fell over and not been able to stop myself, but today I held up strong. By the end of the workout, I can feel every abdominal muscle that I have burning which is awesome considering I have not been able to use the muscles this much since my accident. The sweating is still the same and the toe twitching is still happening. I concentrate on it several times a day and although it doesn't happen every time just yet, I can tell the difference between me doing it and the muscle having a spasm causing the toe to move.
I wanted to let everyone know that you need to go and get a Business Week magazine that is out now and check out the article on the stemcell refugees. Last injection is tomorrow so I will get an update back on as soon as I can. Well I need to get going because dad is performing wheelchair maintenence for someone and needs some assistance. Talk to everyone later.

Hello everyone. I apologize for not getting back on here sooner, but things have been busy here. Not to much has changed latley, but that's okay because we didn't come into this expecting a cure or even a huge change overnight. There is one more injection to go on Wed. here and then a nine day stretch till we come home on the 16th. Well I guess that's it for now. It's suppertime here so I got to run. I will talk with everyone soon.

Hello everyone. Just a quick update to let you know that we are doing good today. I feel good after last injection so Dad, Kirk, Jessi, and myself got out today and went to a two story Wal-Mart and a four story mall next to it. Did not buy much except some groceries, but had a good time none the less being away from the hospital for a couple of hours. We are fairly wore out so we are going to turn in after I got some exercising done. Talk to everyone later.
P.S. My thoughts and prayers go out to anyone living in or who has family in cental Florida that was affected by the storms.

4th injection

Hello everyone. I had my 4th injection yesterday and everything went good. My therapist has switched my treatment regiment again. So now instead of sitting in the center of a big mat and doing my different sitting balances, I now have to sit on the edge of the mat with my feet on the floor and that changes everything. I can now sit with my arms out in front of me fully extended and not fall over (most of the time anyhow), so I can definitely tell a huge diference in the strength of my trunk muscles. My body seems to be getting better at trying to regulate its temperature with the surroundings that I am in because I am having a lot fewer hot and cold flashes and the sweating seems to be getting better also. I hope and pray that everyone is doing well and I will talk to everyone soon.

Hello everyone. Had another good day today. Rehab session was a little more intense so I am wiped out. I have my fourth injection tomorrow so I will let everyone know how it goes. I will talk to everyone later.

Hello everyone. Another good day today. My trunk muscles are ever so slightly getting stronger and I was able to twitch my toes again for some of the therapists. It seems like the right foot is easier than the left for now anyhow. Dad and I went with a couple from Utah, Kirk and Jessica, out to eat and to do a little window shopping. It was a relief to get out of the hospital for a couple of hours and just roam around. Kirk is an extrordinary individual. His has a spinal cord injury as well, but his is a higher break than mine so he has less use of his hands and arms, but the size of his heart and the determination in his mind are as strong or I should say even stronger than my own. His wife is as amazing also. She is always there for him, but she gives him the distance he needs to push himself and the love that he needs to continue to believe not only in himself, but in them as a couple as well. That is about it for now. It is getting late so I shall talk to everyone later.

Hello everyone. Another great day today. Therapy was great. My therapist is changing my sitting balance exercises around and making them tougher because my trunk muscles are getting stronger. The hardest thing for me is trying to keep myself from falling forward, but now I can slow myself down significantly and even sometimes stop myself from going to far forward. I know it is just the beginning, but man what a wonderful feeling to have your abdominal muscles burning again after an extreme workout. After the second session I was able to move my toes for my therapist and was as excited as I am every time I can do it. We are having a going away party tomorrow for our friends from Canada, George & Melissa. We will miss them much. George is an extremely strong and confident person, but loves to make people laugh and feel good as well, who is handling his situation with more strength and character than I could ever imagine. Melissa is an extrordinary woman, devoted wife, and a loving mother. I highly encourage everyone to checkout his blog. That is it for now, but I do want to take a second to thank everyone that I know and don't know who is praying for me and my family. When things are getting at their hardest, I can close my eyes and feel the blessings coming down to lift me up. From the bottom of my heart I can't thank everyone enough, but to say that I will never give up and I hope that someday someway you will receive a blessing as great as I have and I can be there to pray for you. Talk to everyone soon.

3rd injection - IV

Hello everyone. Had a great day today. I am feeling much better and had a great therapy session. Everyday it feels like I am trying to use my abdominal muscles more and more during rehab and even while I am just sitting in my chair. After therapy, I came back upstairs for a foot and leg massage and while sitting there on the couch relaxing afterwards I looked down at my feet which were propped up in the air and I thought to myself " I wonder?" With everything I had I tried it and it worked. My big toe twitched. Had to be a fluke. Try again. It worked. Other foot. It worked too. Now mind you, it is not a wiggle or even barely noticeable, but it is there. I called dad over to show him and he smiled so big. I literally wore myself out after about four tries so I am waiting until tomorrow after I have rested to see if it will happen again. I had my IV treatment shortly after that and feel great. Dad and I got out and went to KFC tonight. I have to say that it is just as good as back home and it is more popular here than McD's. That's about it for now so I guess that I will go stretch out. Talk to you later.

Weekend

Hello everyone, things have been good here. Had a quiet weekend and am feeling a little under the weather so I did not go out with the rest of the group today. They went to another small theme park which I think was more or less a kind of history lesson on China and everyone had a good time. I am looking forward to my next treatment on Monday. I hate to leave this short, but I am going to go back to the room and stretch out, but I will let you know how the treatment goes. Talk to everyone later.

Hello everyone. Sorry it has taken me so long to get back on here, but things have been extremely busy here. Therapy is going great. The heat sensations are still about the same from the acupuncture and the sweating has improved just a little, but I am still thankful for what I have gotten so far and very optimistic with what can still develop. The weather here has been great, usually between 65 and 70 degrees during the day and 50 to 55 at night. I have three more treatments left to go. One on Monday the 29th, which is only an IV drip where as the others are are done through the spinal cord injections. The next one is Friday the 2th and the last one is Feb. 7th then we come home on Feb. 16 just before the Chinese New Year kicks off. I am still working on getting some pictures posted. We are not sure what the problem is, but it might be that dad bounced the laptop off the pavement on the way over. We are sending off our friends, Gary and Rachel, back to Australia today. She is an extremely strong woman who came here for some help with her condition which is Ataxia. If you get a chance everyone should log on to the website www.stemcellschina.com and look at hers and the many others that are on there. Well I got to go and beat the rush for breakfast. I will be back as soon as I can.

Second injection

Hey everyone. I had my second injection last night and I am feeling much better this morning compared to the first one. Therapy is going great. I can now start to feel heat down in my muscles from the acupuncture needles while they are hooked up to the electrodes. I am not yet able to tell the difference between hot and cold on top of my skin but it is an absolutley wonderful and blessed feeling to continue to see and feel small changes of recovery. I am still working on the pictures and hope to have them posted by this evening. Talk to you later.

Daily events

Hello everyone. I thought I would take a few minutes to give you a summary of my daily events. Wake up at around 5 a.m. to get showered and dressed then somewhere around 7 a.m. will leave the room to come down to the computer room to see if I can get on the internet (which by the way is very hard since they had an earthquake near Taiwan before we got here and has caused major problems with the internet service so I apologize if it takes me three or four days to get logged on and leave a new post) and to talk with the nurses who are getting a good laugh while they try to teach me some Chinese. I have therapy six days a week that starts at 9 a.m. with a 30 minute round of acupuncture in my legs followed by a 30 minute session of electronic stimulation of the muscles in my legs ( which is about the same as what I do in St. Louis). From there I get a Chinese massage on my legs for 20 minutes followed up by a 30 -40 minute stand in their standing frame. Sometimes they will have you pitch a soft foam basketball around while standing to help strengthen your stomach muscles. Then we get to break for lunch and resume therapy at 2 p.m. This starts with another 30 minute round of muscle stimulation followed by a series of extreme therapy that includes different sitting balances such as sitting with no back support and holding my arms out at shoulder level and twising from side to side. Then I must hold them up and hold my balance while my therapist (whose favorite words are Try Harder!)tries to push me over. Then we pass the basketball around again while I am sitting there. All of this lasts for an hour then I go stand up for thirty minutes followed by a 20 to 30 minute workout of lifting weights. So that pretty much sums up my day. I have my second injection this afternoon so I need to get going because they tell you not to eat starting six hours before your injection and for six hours after your injection so I need to go stock up like a bear getting ready for hibernation so I will be back on as soon as I can with some updates and pictures. Oops, I almost forgot to let you know that there was a reporter here from Business Week magazine last night and he interviewed several of us and said the article should be coming out in the next 2-4 weeks. I think that is it for now so I need to go eat. Thank you everyone for your prayers because they are truly uplifting. Talk to you later.

The nurses and staff here at the hospital are extremely polite and helpful. Just about everyone speaks a bit of broken English and they are always asking how to say new words and in the process, will try to teach you some Chinese if you want to try. Like I said in the last post we are making friends with people from all over the world, such as U.S., Canada, Hungary, Australia, Chile, & a few other places that I can't think of right away. I am hoping to be able to start posting pictures before to long because dad and another guy from Utah went to go get a digital camera. Well it's off to round two of therapy for today so I will be talking to everyone later.

Fun day out

Hello everyone. We had a fun and busy day today. We went to a theme park called Windows of the World with several other of the patients today. Things are going good here. We are making friends here from all over the world. The city is quite interesting to get around in considering that traffic laws don't and I mean don't mean a darn thing here. I have to make this a short post because I have to go and get some medicine so I will get back here as soon as I can to fill in some more details on how things are going.

Finally up and running

Hello everyone. Sorry it took me so long to get this going but we have been busy. Things are going good here. I received my first injection Friday afternoon. It was not bad, but I had to lay flat on my back for six hours afterwards and that got to be old fairly quick. I did start to sweat a little on the back of my head and my neck for the first time in almost four years so that is exciting. Dad and I got out and walked around the city blocks for a little while and found a grocery store to do our shopping in. We will be posting some pictures hopefully the first part of next week. I need to go and get some medicine now so I will be checking in in a day or so to talk some more. Hope everything is going good back home for everyone.

See you soon, Chuck