Mehal Utampersad is an amazing little 4-year-old boy diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The name Mehal means a ‘palace’. However, after being diagnosed with autism, this little boy’s hope of interacting with his mum and dad is only a dream without urgent intervention.
According to Autism South Africa, ASD and Autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. Symptoms in younger children include speech delay, poor eye contact, sensitivity to sound and difficulty with social interactions. This means his family must act fast and get him the help and therapy he needs to improve his long-term development.
Stem cells assist in generating new and healthy cells to replace damaged cells in the brain. Research is ongoing on stem cell treatment that may assist children with disorders of brain development.
Contact was made with NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute in Navi, Mumbai – one of India’s first dedicated centres for stem cell therapy and neuro-rehabilitation, founded by Dr Alok Sharma. This institute is one of the few that have reported positive neurological changes in about 91% of the children they treated.
Mehal needs to receive stem cell treatment in Mumbai, India as soon as possible. Receiving this treatment will give Mehal a chance to interact with his parents with less difficulty and lead a better quality of life. The cost of the treatment is R 200 000.
Mehal’s parents appeal to any interested person or organisation who would like to contribute towards their son’s treatment and would like to thank all mums, dads and carers of children for giving Mehal a chance of leading a better quality of life.
For more information about Mehal please contact his parents:
- Sadhna: 082 370 6269
- Heresh: 084 619 3401
For online donations visit the website link below.
If you would like to donate via EFT, please use MehalDonation as the reference when making payment into the following bank account:
- Account Name: Backabuddy
- Account Number: 1101255404
- Bank: Nedbank
- Branch: Foreshore Cape Town
- Branch Code: 108309Reference: MehalDonation