Umbilical-cord blood has transformed Granton Bayless from a frail, nearly immobile patient into a bubbly baby who plays with everything within reach, The Associated Press reported.
The Bolivar, Mo., boy was born with a rare immune condition called severe combined immunodeficiency that prevents his body from producing enough cells to fight off disease.
A recent umbilical-cord blood transplant has allowed Granton to move out of the pediatric intensive care unit, where he had spent more than three months.
"We are experiencing him growing up again," his father, Daniel Bayless, told The AP. "He is able to move again. He is able to play. He is able to smile."
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