After stem cell treatments, Bart Starr ready for triumphant return to Lambeau Field
Bart Starr almost didn’t make it.
In September 2014, the former Green Bay Packers quarterback suffered two strokes, a heart attack and several seizures. Then about three months ago, he battled a bronchial infection and nearly died when his heart rate hit 200 beats a minute at age 81.
Both episodes left him barely able to walk or feed himself.
But now here it is – the moment of triumph that he’s targeted for so long.
On Wednesday, the Hall of Famer was scheduled to board a plane to Green Bay, where he’s set to make a victorious return to Lambeau Field for a special celebration at halftime of Thursday’s game against the Chicago Bears.
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At long last, he’s ready for it, his wife Cherry told USA TODAY Sports Tuesday night from their home in Alabama.
Bart Starr gets more stem cells in quest to return to Green Bay
Starr even was throwing a football this week “with spin on it,” she said. “It was pretty amazing.”
Thursday is expected to be a dazzling day of thanks for the Starrs, even if the weather includes clouds and rain, as predicted. The highlight is scheduled for halftime, when Starr has been tentatively set to appear on the field with Brett Favre, the beloved former Packers quarterback whose retired jersey number is being unveiled on the stadium facade.
Before the game, Cherry Starr and Favre are scheduled to attend a Thanksgiving charity luncheon benefiting the Rawhide Boys Ranch, which supports at-risk youth. Then, after some rest in the afternoon, Bart Starr is scheduled to have a special photograph taken with Favre and current Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“That will be some photo,” Cherry Starr said. “Three Super Bowl champions from the same team and most valuable players.”
Weather forecasts predict rain in Green Bay on Thursday, which could alter some of the plans. But even if it does, it’ll be one of the biggest moments of Starr's life after what he’s overcome. Much of the credit goes to Cherry, his wife of 61 years. Physical therapy was part of the comeback, too.
The bigger mystery is how much of a role was played by the experimental stem cell injections he received this year in Tijuana, Mexico. The first came in June involving mesenchymal stem cells derived from the bone marrow of a young adult. A second round came earlier this month, when he received a “booster shot” of mesenchymal cells, along with a spinal injection of neural stem cells derived from fetal brain tissue that was legally donated and obtained in the U.S.
The cells were manufactured in the U.S. by Stemedica, a company in San Diego. They were injected in Mexico because such products are not approved for use in the U.S. To get such approval, they first must prove their safety and effectiveness through long and expensive testing.
Former hockey star Gordie Howe and former NFL MVP quarterback John Brodie received similar treatment at Novastem, the same clinic in Tijuana. Both also had suffered strokes and reported improved health after these treatments, though experts have cautioned that such treatments are unproven by U.S. standards.
“I don’t know if we can attribute it to the stem cells,” Cherry Starr said Tuesday. “I think the booster shot really helped him. He’s walking with a lot more confidence… The stem cells, they go toward where they’re needed most. I don’t know how the little critters know where they’re going, but they do.”
A few weeks after his first stem cell treatment in June, Cherry Starr raved about her husband’s sudden progress coming back from his strokes. Then he and others got sick later in the summer with a respiratory infection, erasing some of his gains.
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“I really was so upset about what had happened to him, because he had to learn to walk again and to feed himself again,” she said. “He’s just gone way beyond that. He can tie his shoes now. He’s walking unaided, and he communicates a lot better than he once did. His cognition is returning. That’s real encouraging.”
Packers CEO Mark Murphy told USA TODAY Sports Tuesday that “for quite a while, it really didn’t look like it was going to be possible” for Starr to return to Lambeau.
“Hopefully, he’ll be able to come back many times, but I think that there’s also a sense that it’s getting harder for him to travel and so you’ve got to take advantage of the opportunities when you can come back,” Murphy said.
There will be more work for the Starrs to keep up the progress. Cherry Starr said her husband likely will continue stem cell treatments and hopes this particular kind of treatment will be available soon in U.S. clinical trials.
“I don’t think he knows exactly what’s happening,” she said. “But he seems to be very interested when I tell him. I told him (Tuesday), `We’re going to have a nice day (Wednesday), and we’re going to get up and catch a plane to Green Bay.’ He was smiling and nodding like he understands.”
Contributing: Tom Pelissero
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Follow sports reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer, E-mail: bschrotenb@usatoday.com