By Helen Ford – Health Correspondent, ITV News Tyne Tees
A young patient from County Durham is the first in Europe to take part in a new trial to discover whether stem cell treatment can improve recovery from strokes. Harrison Kingsley, 28, suffered a serious stroke three months ago.
He was taken to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) where he was given the chance to take part in the research. Mr Kingsley had suffered an ischemic stroke, where a blood clot cuts off the supply of blood and oxygen, to the brain.
Doctors at the RVI had hoped to remove the clot but discovered that could not be done. Instead, Mr Kingsley became the first participant in the trial, to investigate whether an infusion of stem cells can aid recovery.