Former Hollywood Stuntman Raising $10,000 For His Stem Cell … – DNAinfo

Len Richard (left) and actor Terrance Howard on the set of "Empire" in 2015. View Full Caption

Provided by Len Richard

CHICAGO Len Richard used to fight in movie scenes as a stuntman, but now hes fighting for his life.

Diagnosed with liver disease in 2009, hes been placed on the liver and kidney transplant list to replace his rapidly failing organs. Hes opted to have stem cell replacement therapy in place of the transplant, but his insurance wont cover it, so hes raising $10,000 through YouCaring.

The 44-year-old Englewood native said hes desperate to live a healthy life and doesnt want to risk trying the transplant. Theres the fear that the new organs wont work for long and hell constantly get sick from the anti-rejection medications hell have to take, he said.

Once I understood how stem cell works and how it cures people, it was a no-brainer, Richard said. I rather do that than have someone's organs.

More than 5,000 liver transplants in the United States take place each year, according to the "Stem Cell Therapy for Liver Diseases," a review article published in the Journal of Stem Cell Research and Therapy. About 20,000 people are waiting for a transplant, but only 7,000 procedures are performed each year, and up to 1,500 patients die each year waiting.

Use of stem cells to cure liver diseases has been proved beneficial in most of the conditions, according to the article. Scientific literature reveals the role of stem cells in treatment and cure of various diseases like liver cirrhosis, end stage liver failure, genetic liver disease and also the liver cancer. The stem cells possess the ability to renew and multiply by them or stem cells possess special characteristics of regenerating themselves.

Besides being hospitalized twice in eighth grade for a high fever and an enlarged liver and spleen, Richard has lived a fairly healthy life, he said. He had no major health problems in high school or college.

As an adult, he worked behind the scenes in the control room at Channel 50, before moving to Los Angeles in 1998 for a similar television job. Thats when his life changed.

He was at a gym working out and got invited to train with a group who worked as stuntmen, he said.

A stunt coordinator saw me and said that I looked like Omar and Cuba Gooding, Richard said. He hired me for 'Baby Boy.' Thats how I got into doing stunts.

That job led to other jobs in major films, including "Barbershop" and "Transformers."

Everything was going well for Richard, he said, until 2008 when he tore his rotator cuff during filming for the movie "First Sunday," starring Ice Cube and Katt Williams.

I had surgery, and the person I was seeing at the time noticed that I started losing weight and was going to the bathroom a lot, Richard said.

When he went to the doctor for a routine checkup, he learned that he was diabetic. The doctor reviewed his medical history and asked if he has ever been evaluated for a liver transplant.

In 1987, when he was 13, he mysteriously became ill, he said. He was in the hospital for a high fever and the doctors noticed that his liver and spleen were enlarged, but didnt know why. He was sent home only to return a few days later.

I spent the whole summer in the hospital, Richard said. They did exploratory abdominal surgery and took a sample of all of my organs. They sent it to the CDC and other labs and came back with nothing.

Now that hes on the transplant list, Richard is hoping that hes able to raise enough money to travel to see a doctor in Mexico who was recommended by another patient and have the alternative procedure instead.

I want to avoid the transplant and keep my organs, Richard said.

He said he misses his old life, although he did more recently work on the show "Empire." Hes on disability now, but wants to return to work and the gym.

I was always in the gym, used to go hiking a lot, but now I work out when I feel like it, he said. I have low energy, and its kind of hard right now. I'll ride a bike and try to do air squats, but I was doing crossfit before it became too much for me.

Nobody wants to be sick. Id like to be back in California, moving around. I just get tired of going to doctor, getting poked and having having them tell me I need a transplant. Its mentally draining, and it's scary.

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Former Hollywood Stuntman Raising $10,000 For His Stem Cell ... - DNAinfo

Bone Marrow Transplant gives local cancer patient more time with his family – KTBS

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Bone Marrow Transplant gives local cancer patient more time with his family - KTBS

Fair rallies around Ratzloff after cancer diagnosis – Southernminn.com

OWATONNA Its the first time in six years that Matt Ratzloff hasnt been working as part of the Steele County Free Fair grounds crew, but hes not far from their thoughts or their hats.

Ratzloff, the grandson of longtime Fair Board member Gene Fisher, first joined the grounds crew at age 16 and returned every year since. Hes taking a break this year, though, for a very good reason: he was diagnosed in January with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, and spent the first half of the year undergoing chemo, transplants and innumerable doctor visits and hospital stays, as well as being one of the featured cancer patients in this springs From The Heart Run/Walk in Owatonna.

He says its a little weird this year not being out on the fairgrounds with his former coworkers.

I was on the grounds crew for about five years, and grew really close with a lot of these guys, and through grounds crew, got really close with the fair board as well, Ratzloff said. Grounds crew was kind of my summer job when I was in college.

Instead, Ratzloff is only recently returned home from Rochester, where he received a stem cell transplant in June. Normally, he says, doctors want patients to stay close at hand in case of complications for 100 days after such a procedure. In his case, he was able to return home on day 45.

Since then, its just been keeping a close watch on my body, going in for weekly checkups and just trying to recuperate from everything thats happened, he said.

His friends at the fair havent forgotten him. Each year, the grounds crew receives a t-shirt for that years fair, and this years shirt includes a cancer ribbon as the I in the word FIGHT as well as Ratzloffs initials. And his grandfather, Fisher, and fellow fair board member Scott Kozelka went even further, supplying the crew with hats embroidered with Ratzloffs nickname, Ratz.

Throughout all this, the fair has been very supportive of my journey as well, Ratzloff said. Im very fortunate to have these guys.

Fisher said the entire fair community, even extending into the vendors and carnival workers, have rallied around his grandson.

You cant ask for more out of a community than how they treated us, he said, noting hed received several donations just Friday morning from vendors to support Ratzloffs family. Its great to have that kind of community.

And even when the fair packs up on Sunday, the community will continue. Theres a benefit for Ratzloff and his family, to offset some of the considerable costs of his treatment and the months spent in Rochester, planned for next Saturday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Owatonna VFW banquet hall. Fisher said there will be live and silent auctions, food from Godfathers Pizza, and other activities, with tickets available at the door or in advance.

Ratzloff, who finished his bachelors degree in criminal justice in December and plans to re-enroll in police academy in Rochester this fall, said hes very thankful the fair has his back.

Its a little different [seeing his friends wear his name on hats], but Im very supported in what the fair has done for me, he said. I wish one day Ill be able to repay all of these people, but its tough to.

William Morris is a reporter for the Owatonna Peoples Press. He can be reached at 444-2372; follow him on Twitter @OPPWilliam

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Fair rallies around Ratzloff after cancer diagnosis - Southernminn.com

Global Stem Cells Group Signs An Agreement With Recell Centro … – Digital Journal

Help people suffering from cancer, establishes opportunities for patients to increase the quality of their lives and will be able to extend the life expectancy

New treatment adds years to cancer diagnoses and quality of life during final years.

Global Stem Cells Group, a global network of doctors, researchers, and students that work together to share information and advancements in the study of stem cell develop and extraction today, this week made a very strategic and important agreement with Recell Centro Clinica, Dr. Ramon Gutierrez in Santiago de Chile.

The agreement, which will provide doctors around the world with protocols that help people suffering from cancer, establishes opportunities for patients to increase the quality of their lives and will be able to extend the life expectancy of those living out their final years battling cancer.

The potential for stem cell integration and advancements with regards to cancer are tremendous, said Dr. Benito Novas, Founder and Owner of Global Stem Cells Group. We are honored to be working with such a regarded institution today, and are confident that our knowledge and infrastructure behind stem cell development will complement Recells cancer research.

To complement the agreement, Global Stem Cells Group and Recell Clinica will be holding their first training this November 10, 2017. The two-day training program will provide doctors with the ability to learn cellular immunotherapy and how it can be implemented with cancer patients. The program will wrap up by going over the protocols necessary to administer the immunotherapy, and equips each student with real-life knowledge and expertise moving forward.

As a clinic that is passionate about providing our patients with a cutting edge chance at survival past a cancer diagnosis, we look forward to our collaboration with Global Stem Cells Group, said Dr. Ramon Gutierrez.

Recell Clinica is the only private clinic in the eighth Latin American region that has an integrated pathological anatomy unit that guarantees full traceability of procedures.

For more information, call +1 305-560-5337 or send an email to info@stemcellsgroup.com.

About Global Stem Cells Group

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Global Stem Cells Group Signs An Agreement With Recell Centro ... - Digital Journal

‘It’s been a nightmare’ | Couple stranded after medical emergency – WXIA-TV

Phillip Kish and Kaitlyn Ross , WXIA 6:37 PM. EDT August 18, 2017

An Atlanta man stranded in California after a serious illness is trying to get back home to spend his final days with his family.

Everything has been thrown into question for the Long family ever since Jeff Long got seriously ill during an experimental treatment in Mexico.

The Long family was running out of options after Jeff Long was diagnosed with ALS in 2014 and degenerative Lyme disease in 2015. Their doctor suggested they try an embryonic stem cell treatment only approved in Mexico.

He's been to heck and back, it's been a nightmare, a nightmare for him, Stacy Long, Jeff's wife, said.

In Mexico, Jeff came down with pneumonia and had to transfer to a hospital in San Diego. He's now so sick, doctors will only release him through a medical flight, which costs $22,300.

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The Longs depend on Medicare after Stacy quit her job to care for Jeff full time.

We've both always worked, up until he was disabled, he was a hard worker, always paid our insurance, Stacy Long said. And then when you really badly need it, where's it at?

Stacy said they can't pay for the flight; they're already broke from the experimental treatment.

"If it works, great, if it doesn't, we tried, but never did I imagine in my wildest dreams we would be where we are, ever, she said.

They say they want nothing more than to get back to Atlanta to have the support of their family, but right now, there's no possible way for them to afford it.

Provided by family

It's been so heartbreaking to see him go through this when he wants to go home so badly, Stacy Long said.

For a week, their dog, Elmo, kept Jeff company in the hospital in California, but Jeffs mother had to pick Elmo up.

He can't go back on the medical flight with us, Stacy Long said.

The Longs say their medical insurance refuses to pay to get Jeff home from California, but if they had purchased travel insurance, they would have been covered.

Its such a sad thing, and I don't even know how much travel insurance costs, but if you're in a position like we are, it would be worth it, every cent, Stacy Long said.

Provided by family

Stacy Long says she didn't know much about travel insurance before they went to Mexico.

Especially with his condition, I would have purchased that, she said.

The Longs have a GoFundMe page. For information on how to donate, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/teamlongals-com

2017 WXIA-TV

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'It's been a nightmare' | Couple stranded after medical emergency - WXIA-TV