Surgery in China holds promise

To the editor:

We would like to thank you for the news story about our son, David Landewee, in regard to his paralysis and trip to China for surgery. He has been looking forward to treatment that may restore his ability to walk and use the lower portion of his body. He has been working very hard daily, exercising and stretching, and recently went back to physical therapy for an evaluation to compare the before and after results of the surgery he will receive in China. The therapists were amazed, because he can move parts of his body that he should not be able to move.

We hope his China trip will enable him to gain greater control and sensation of his body. The fact that he was able to move parts of his body is a good indicator that there are still nerves intact but damaged, which is exactly what the surgery he is having will enhance and add to.

We wish to thank you very much for running the story about him, and we hope others will take hope for the possibility of a cure for ALS and spinal-cord injuries.

IRVIN and PEGGY LANDEWEE, Liberty, Mo.