WOMAN WHO NEARLY LOST HER LEG IN BOATING ACCIDENT MAKES REMARKABLE RECOVERY AFTER WORLD’S FIRST NERVE GRAFT PROCEDURE

Danielle Press, patient who nearly lost her life and her leg in a boating accident; her father, Key Biscayne Police Chief Charles Press, and her mother, Lourdes Mangas; Dr. Allan Levi, UM/Jackson neurosurgeon; Dr. Gabriel Ruiz, UM/Jackson trauma surgeon; Dr. Fernando Vilella, UM/Jackson orthopaedic trauma surgeon

Just over a year ago, Danielle Press suffered life-threatening injuries in a boating accident off the coast of Key Biscayne – the very place where her father is police chief.

Danielle, 26 at the time, had several deep, lacerating injuries to her left leg. By the time she arrived at Ryder Trauma Center, she had lost a lot of blood and nearly died.

Doctors discovered that the sciatic nerve in Danielle’s left leg, which controls the majority of movement and sensation, had been completely cut and separated. Danielle, an active college graduate who had traveled extensively in Asia teaching English, was told she may lose her leg or never fully regain movement in her leg because repairing the sciatic nerve – the largest nerve in the human body – is one of the most challenging of nerve surgeries.

But Dr. Allan Levi, a University of Miami/Jackson neurosurgeon, obtained approval from the FDA to perform a unique procedure on Danielle, combining standard nerve grafting with her own Schwann cells, in hopes of regeneration the nerve and restoring function. Dr. Levi is also leading the world’s first FDA Approved Phase 1 clinical trial, through The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, using a patient’s own Schwann cells to treat paralysis. So he felt this would give Danielle the best chance at some level of recovery.

The world’s first procedure, done on October 14, 2013, at Jackson Memorial Hospital, is being called a success. Now, one year later, Danielle – who was confined to a wheelchair and unable to walk following her injury, has made tremendous progress. She is walking using only a small brace on her injured leg, doing complex exercises in the gym, and spinning, to name a few or her activities that she has resumed following this devastating injury.

On Thursday, Danielle will return to the University of Miami /Jackson Memorial Hospital to thank the doctors who saved her life and her leg, and who have helped her regain her mobility.

November

06, 2014, 10:00 a.m.

The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis
The Lois Pope LIFE Center
1095 N.W. 14th Terrace
Miami, FL 33131

Repairing the sciatic nerve – the largest nerve in the human body – presents one of the most difficult challenges in nerve surgery, particularly when a significant gap exists, as was the case with Danielle. Dr. Levi, who specializes in the field of spine and peripheral nerve surgery felt that Danielle may have a better outcome with alternative treatment options, such as using her own Schwann cells. Schwann cells are involved in many important aspects of peripheral nerve biology including the conduction of nervous impulses along axons, nerve development, and regeneration. Dr. Levi and his team are leading an FDA approved Phase 1 clinical trial as part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Miami Project to Cure Paralysis using a patient’s own Schwann cells for acute and chronic spinal cord injuries. Pre-clinical work suggested that the use of Schwann cells could also be beneficial in Danielle’s unique case. Dr. Levi obtained approval from the FDA for this procedure to combine standard nerve grafting with autologous human Schwann cells, with a goal of providing Danielle with an opportunity to maximize nerve regeneration and restoration of function. On October 14, 2013 Dr. Levi performed a nerve graft on Danielle using a combination of her own nerves and her own Schwann cells. This world’s first procedure was done at Jackson Memorial Hospital.