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Stem cell tissue growth is not a therapy approved for use on patients in the United States so when Andre Lampkin was told that doctors were going to amputate his arms and legs at the knee and elbow joints, the twenty-year-old was left with very few options.

Andre suffered from a sudden attack of bacterial meningitis the day before Easter when the first sign of headache hit him hard. Within days, the blood flow was cut off to his extremities due to the infection despite immediate antibiotic intervention. The prognosis for the young college attendee from Texas was not good.

A relative jumped on the Internet and began her own intense research, according to a Dallas/Fort Worth news report, and found a controversial therapy: A physician who used adult stem cells to regrow tissues and improve circulation from patients using their own blood.

The family contacted Dr. Zannos Grekos, Director of Cardiology and Vascular Disease at Regenocyte Therapeutic in Florida and he flew to Dallas and provided escort to Andre and his mother to a hospital in Florida where Andre's blood was drawn.

The lab in Israel where blood samples are processed and cells are replicated were celebrating Passover but the staffers were apparently sensitive to Andre and agreed to process the blood despite their religious holiday.

The replicated cells, also called Regenocytes, were injected into Andre in the Dominican Republic, a location away from the United States due stem cell therapy being considered experimental by the FDA.

Two weeks following the procedure, Andre, who would have lost his arms and legs had it not been for the questioning and research efforts of his aunt, is back in Florida and now has blood flowing to his extremeties and improved circulation.

Two weeks after treatment, the soles of his feet and palms of his hands are softening, his circulation has improved, and his right foot is moving now . "It looks like we have already saved his legs and arms," Grekos said. "Now we're hoping to save most of each foot and his hands."

Andre will be returning home to the Dallas area soon and family remain optimistic about his recovery. The use of his own eliminates the risk of rejection and greatly increases his chances of returning to a normal life.