Tucker Beau grew up with intense joint pain in his knees, feet, ankles, hips, fingers, elbows, back and wrists. “It makes my heart feel like it’s on fire,” he says of his disease. His parents wanted to explore all possible treatment options for their son, so when they heard about stem cell therapy and Houston-based Celltex, they knew they had to give it a try. Find out more about Tucker Beau’s story, and hear from his parents and Tucker Beau himself in the video below.
Watch an update below from Tucker Beau as he turned 10 years old.
The following is a review from Tucker Beau’s mother, Linsey Hyatt, updating Celltex on Tucker Beau’s progress after receiving stem cell injections for Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.
December 2nd, 2014
Dr. Salazar and Dr. Ana,
I would like to thank you for the help and support you have shown to Tucker Beau and our family. I am writing this email to update you Tucker Beau’s health status now that he has received 675 million of his own stem cells.
Tucker Beau’s health continues to improve each day. He has increased energy and appetite, his joints are looking better everyday, and we no longer need to wheel him round in his stroller. He has now gained 7 lbs in weight and grown 1 ½ inches. We have an upcoming appointment with Dr. Muscal this month. At this appointment, Dr. Muscal would like to discuss reducing his Actemra infusions from every two weeks to every three. He will start with the slow reduction of Actemra and continue with his current maintenance doses methotrexate, prednisone and naproxen.
Before Celltex stem cells, Tucker Beau’s treating physicians were in a quandary. His appetite was so diminished that he was heading into failure to thrive mode. Additionally, his flare-ups were not being controlled by the Actemra methotrexate, prednisone and naproxen regimen. The next step was to probably introduce an NG/Tube feeds and discuss big gun chemos such a rituximab.
Todd and my opinion is that the Celltex stem cells have slowed the aggression of Tucker Beau’s disease, whereby his existing, and soon to be reduced, medications can manage the disease without going to more aggressive treatments. We no longer see that look of pain on our child’s face. He is growing, eating, and able to run and play like a normal child. Thank you for giving our child the chance to live a normal life. We are excited to see how he continues to improve now since the November infusions and will keep you updated.
Forever grateful,
Linsey Hyatt
Spring 2020
Tucker continues to grow as a healthy kid with the help of Celltex and his own stem cells
Since his last update, Tucker Beau’s life has changed significantly. On top of a move from Texas to the mountains of Utah, Tucker has become a thriving 6th grader and a fearless lacrosse player. In fact, he is the number one shooter on the team, and he credits his success to his own stem cells that he received from Celltex. His family is proud to say that stem cells made it possible for Tucker to fulfill his dreams. But it turns out that lacrosse is just the beginning. Today, Tucker is hiking, climbing mountains, riding bikes and keeping up with boys his age.
However, Tucker’s treatment is not finished. Tucker’s body feels so different with stem cells that he can immediately tell when he needs more. So Tucker still receives annual therapies in Cancun, Mexico with the next one scheduled this summer—the six year mark of triumphing over Juvenile Arthritis (JA). And that’s a fact that Tucker’s mother couldn’t be happier about:
“As a mother, I no longer worry about the burden of losing him. Stem cells provide immense peace of mind and better outlook on his life.”