Chris Roark, croark@cherryroad.com
On a quiet Friday afternoon Grant Kunz sits on his couch inside his family’s Midlothian home with headphones on. He’s deeply emersed in his iPad.
His stepfather, Ed Bullard, said that’s where Kunz became fascinated with garbage trucks and catching bad guys.
“You said 10 bad guys were littering?” Bullard asked Kunz.
“Ten thousand,” Kunz said excitedly.
“Did you give them a ticket?” Bullard asked.
“Yes!” Kunz yelled.
To Kunz, the iPad is all he needs. But his mother, Lauren Witte, knows there are so many opportunities to make his life even better, and she’s working with the community to continually make that happen.
Kunz was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was 4 months old. The condition affects his brain and nervous system. He’s now 17 years old, but Witte said he is at the level of a 5-year-old cognitively.
With love and determination from his family Kunz has defied the limits that doctors placed on him years ago.
Some of that determination has been costly, though.
Witte and Bullard are organizing a fundraiser to help send the family to the Stem Cell Institute in Panama City, Panama.
There, Kunz would receive another round of stem cell treatment to help improve his abilities. It’s an expensive process but one Witte said is well worth it after seeing how much it has helped her son.
Seeking answers
Kunz was born June 9, 2007 along with his twin brother Gavin. They were born at 35 weeks, and both needed oxygen so they were placed in NICU.
Witte said when Grant was 12 hours old he coded for about 12 minutes, 38 seconds. That took his oxygen level down, which led to his cerebral palsy, Witte said.
“They told us he would live in a vegetative state due to the amount of brain damage he had,” Witte said. “I wasn’t going to take that.”
For most of Kunz’s life, Witte has gotten him involved in anything she could to help him grow mentally and overcome his physical challenges.
He started at Our Children’s House in Waxahachie with physical therapy/occupational therapy and speech therapy.
When Kunz was 3, Witte took him to Campfire Creek Therapeutic Riding Center in Waxahachie to help with his physical and mental growth. She said after two sessions he was able to sit up on his own, and soon he was able to go from using two side walkers to one.
“We have always strived to think outside the box to see what we could do to get him treatment,” Witte said.
But a big idea came about seven years ago when Witte’s friend, who has a daughter with autism, messaged her and said she had taken her daughter to the Stem Cell Institute in Panama and that, “we needed to get our butts over there.”
She said her father told her about an episode of Joe Rogan’s podcast in which actor Mel Gibson was on the show talking about the institute.
“God just kept showing things,” Witte said.
Witte later saw a news story on TV about longtime Ennis High School football coach Sam Harrell and how he received stem cell therapy at the institute for MS. She said after receiving the treatment Harrell, who had been in a wheelchair, was able to walk again and returned to coaching.
“I was like, ‘OK, I’m listening, God,’” Witte said.
The Stem Cell Institute
The Stem Cell Institute opened 21 years ago and is led by Dr. Neil Riordian. The institute provides stem cell therapy for chronic conditions, cerebral palsy, autism, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, heart failure and more. It also treats injuries and provides for general wellness.
Families who are interested in receiving treatment must first apply to the institute, a process Witte said usually takes two to three weeks. She said she heard back in two days.
“So that was another sign,” Witte said.
Witte took Kunz to the institute for the first time in 2018.
Once accepted the family flies to Panama City for two days of preparation, four days of treatment and one day of follow-up observation.
During treatment, the patient receives stem cell injections through an IV.
According to its website, the institute uses specially selected mesenchymal stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood donations of healthy, full-term births. The institute has termed those “Golden Cells.”
The cells are processed at Medistem Panama, Riordan’s state-of-the-art stem cell lab that is licensed to collect, isolate, process, grow and store a variety of stem cells, including the Golden Cells.
Witte said the stem cell clinics in the United States treat a patient by using stem cells from their body, whereas the Stem Cell Institute uses the stem cells from the donated umbilical cord. The institute’s website says that works better than using other stem cells.
The website states for every donated 100 umbilical the Stem Cell Institute receives it uses fewer than 10 of them.
“They’re very selective on what they put in the body,” Witte said.
Seeing improvement
Witte said it didn’t take long before she started noticing improvements in her son’s life.
For example, she said that before receiving the stem cell treatment in 2018 Kunz would have eight to 12 seizures a day.
“We immediately, after the treatment, saw those decrease to about one to two a month,” Witte said.
She said Kunz’s occupational therapist at school previously had him try to stack coins.
“He couldn’t do it because his hand shook,” Witte said. “The Friday before we left for Panama they had him try that. The Monday we got back he was able to do it, and I got a tearful video from his teacher.”
She said Kunz was also able to take steps on his own, with adults by his side, following the treatment.
Witte said Kunz has cortical vision impairment due to his brain injury.
“We saw a change in that,” Witte said. “And cognitively we saw a pretty big difference.”
The family took him back to the institute in 2019 and saw more growth after the treatment.
When they went again in 2020, Witte said, they saw Harrell receiving more stem cell treatment for MS. They also saw rock singer Ozzy Osbourne getting treatment for Parkinson’s Disease, as well as two members of the San Francisco 49’ers receiving treatment for injuries.
“I don’t care how much money someone has,” Witte said. “What I do care about is they have that money and that’s where they choose to go.”
Witte also cares about Kunz’s progress, which she said has come despite what doctors skeptical about stem cell therapy told her.
Witte said a doctor told her she was wasting her money and should not go to the institute.
“I did not tell him we had gone the last time we saw him,” Witte said. “He looked at Grant and said, ‘Wow, he’s doing very well.’”
Witte said she took Kunz into the hallway where he took five steps by himself in front of the doctor. She said that brought tears to the doctor’s eyes.
“They (the doctors) told her, ‘He’s going to be a vegetable. Take him home, and just love him,’” Bullard said. “Well, you know what? He can walk with a walker. He can tell you that he’s hungry. He can talk, he can swallow food. There is so much stuff that he can do that has overcome the odds of what the professionals have said.”
After going to the institute in 2020 the family paused the trips because of COVID and because of the cost. Five years later, they are looking to go back, and Witte said this time she hopes the treatment will help his legs improve more. He’s expected to receive 80 million stem cells.
“Every time he goes it will regenerate damaged cells,” Witte said. “He’ll never be fully healed, but he can continue to improve, which is what we want. The best quality of life for him.”
The fundraiser
Witte, with help from friends and family, are organizing a fundraiser to help pay for the trip, which she said is expected to cost $50,000. That includes the treatment, week-long hotel stay, meals, airfare and any extra expenses.
The fundraiser is set for 4-7 p.m. April 5 at Midlothian Bible Church, 4250 FM 663. It’s expected to include live music, a classic car show from the Dallas Car Club, bounce houses and face painting.
The fundraiser is free to get in. There will be different types of activities for children that will cost between $3-$5 each. The dinner is $15 for adults and $10 for children. It will include either a pulled pork or chopped brisket sandwich, sides, dessert and a drink. There will be boxes for those who’d like to grab a meal and go.
There will also be a live and silent auction, with many of the items donated. In fact, one of the items includes a painting by a local girl who has craniofacial issues, Witte said.
Other items that will be donated include a glider ride experience, cabin stays in Tennessee and East Texas and more. Restaurants have donated gift cards.
Anyone who can’t attend the fundraiser but is interested in donating can go to stemcellsforgrant.com. There is also a bank account set up at InterBank, set up under Deborah Lauren Witte for the benefit of Grant Kunz.
Going forward
Witte said the family will continue to keep Kunz as active as they can, such as horseback riding and Special Olympics, where he has won several medals and trophies.
And the family wants the community to see all of his accomplishments. They set up a TikTok account, Grant K, where people can see videos of his achievements, as well as a Facebook page, Stem Cells for Grant, that provides updates on his journey.
“We’re trying to get the word out, but also we want people to see his everyday living,” Bullard said.
As far as future trips to the institute in Panama, Witte said it all depends on finances.
“If we could go once a year, I would go as often as we could,” Witte said. “Because the benefits of this have been tremendous.”
