New Dad With Crohn's Disease To Undergo Pioneering Treatment Using Stem Cells From His Newborn

New dad Ryan Clarke, 29, has been battling Crohn's disease since he was 11 years old, but he has found new hope in a pioneering treatment using stem cells from his newborn baby boy.

The father, along with his girlfriend, Alice, and mother, Suzanne Genner, is trying to raise over $11,000 to pay for the private treatment that will bring Clarke and his family from Doncaster in the U.K. to either Mexico or Switzerland, per Yorkshire Live. 

The stem cell treatment, called Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs), is currently unavailable in the U.K. The procedure entails a blood infusion and injection of his son's newborn tissues from the umbilical cord and placenta, which could reduce the inflammation in his bowels and allow the father to have a normal life.

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Longing for a pain-free life

Since living with Crohn's disease for 18 years, Clarke only knows of life with a debilitating condition. Recently, however, his condition has limited his movements, and he can't pursue his other plans of becoming a firefighter or getting into music.

Clarke was barely a teenager when he shifted to a liquid diet due to his condition. He frequently experiences stomach and joint pains, and his energy levels often lead to fatigue.

Per the Mayo Clinic, Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel disease, leads to the swelling of the digestive tract, which can cause abdominal pains, diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, and malnutrition. The condition is painful, debilitating, and may even be life-threatening. While there is no cure, there are therapies that may bring long-term remission.

Clarke said he could manage his disease and was pretty active until he was 21 when the symptoms worsened. He lost almost 45 pounds and has been in and out of the hospital. The father has been experiencing ruptured bowel movements that put him at high risk of sepsis, and his illness has impacted his mental health.

More than a year ago, his mother booked him for holistic therapy, wherein he met Alice, his partner and the mother of his child. Becoming a dad has motivated him to find another treatment.

Born to be a dad

"When Ryan was a little boy I always knew he was born to be a dad," his mother wrote on the GoFundMe page she opened for her son.

Genner, a single mother of three boys, detailed that her son matured quickly in his childhood because he was looking after his brother, Gareth, who has special needs. Now, his older brother, also his father figure, is taking care of him when his Crohn's disease worsens.

Clarke's fundraiser has, so far, raised nearly $3,000 with 38 donors. Clarke said he felt uncomfortable asking for money, but this was his only chance to improve his health and live a pain-free life so he could enjoy moments with his son. Currently, a simple task like lifting his boy from his crib is a painful struggle for Clarke.

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