[MUSIC PLAYING]
- [NARRATOR] The day is historic.
A baby is being born after receiving
a first of its kind surgery months earlier as a fetus.
Stem cells were applied to her spinal cord.
It's the result of decades of work
by members of this team, searching
for a cure for spina bifida, in what's known as the CuRe Trial.
Spina bifida can cause lower limb weakness and paralysis
and bowel and bladder problems.
The baby's father Harry, who's been at his teaching job
in their home state of Texas, is reunited
with wife Emily, who has been under observation
in California.
- It's nice to be up here again, since Friday, and able
to actually be fully invested in this.
- Lots of kicking around.
It's like she knows that today is her birthday.
- [NARRATOR] Emily is scheduled for a cesarean section.
And she's got some familiar faces
from the trial team cheering her on.
- Welcome back.
- All right.
- [NARRATOR] What should be a typical C-section
feels anything but routine.
But the labor and delivery team is prepared
and these soon-to-be parents are ready to finally meet
their little girl.
- We'll see you in a little bit.
- [NARRATOR] Emily is brought into the operating room.
She'll be joined soon by Harry and Dr. Diana
Farmer, who leads the trial.
Emily's mother Rhonda spends the next 45 minutes outside the OR
doors waiting anxiously.
- We hoped and prayed that her arrival wouldn't come too soon
and now it's finally time and
it's the most beautiful day ever.
[BABY CRYING]
[GASP]
- Ok, here we go.
Say hello to the world.
- [NARRATOR] Baby Robbie, the first baby in the CuRe Trial, the first baby
in the world to receive stem cells for spina
bifida in utero, is here.
[BABY CRYING]
She is the realization of decades of scientific work.
The spot on her back where she had surgery
appears completely healed with no abnormal growths.
A proof point for the safety of the stem cell treatment.
But what really captures the parents' attention - this baby,
who was expected to be born paralyzed
if she hadn't received treatment,
is moving her legs, even wiggling her toes.
- Good girl.
- Although we're trying not to be too excited,
there was early evidence that she actually
had some leg movement.
So again, that's way too early to tell, but at the moment,
things couldn't be better
and we're really happy.
- Can you get me a CPAP over to Bunny 7?
- [NARRATOR] Baby Robbie is brought up to the neonatal intensive care unit,
or NICU.
Across the campus, members of the trial team
are nervously awaiting news from the hospital.
- Knowing that something we worked on potentially
had a life changing effect on this kid,
it's just, it's really amazing.
- Oh my gosh, I was talking to Chris
and I was texting him, like, several times.
Why there's no word?
- [NARRATOR] And then they receive a video clip of newborn Robbie.
- That's the moment it's like, oh my gosh.
Yes.
The legs are so choppy and so cute.
Am I right? Yeah.
- [NARRATOR] Everyone is cautiously excited.
This is just the first case in the trial.
There's a long way to go before declaring success.
But for today, they'll enjoy the moment.
- The proof is in the pudding months from now.
But this is as good as we could have hoped for at the moment.
Really excited.
- [NARRATOR] At a rental apartment in downtown Sacramento
where the family from Texas has made its temporary home,
Robbie turns two weeks old.
Her family is captivated.
- Robbie is wonderful.
She's in very good health.
She was born at 5 pounds 10 ounces.
She was about 19 inches long.
[SNEEZE]
Bless you.
It took a little bit before they could lift
her high enough for me to see,
but when they had her up, it was like, you recognize that baby.
Like, you've never seen her before but you recognize her.
And you're like, ok, yeah.
That's her!
It's nice to see you for the first time!
And then the second thought was, how is she?
Is she OK?
- [NARRATOR] Robbie is more than OK.
She is vigorous.
Emily says she's eating well, sleeping well, and kicking.
- She shouldn't be able to move anything below the hips.
So to have hips and knees and ankles and toes
and to have good strength in all of them too
is pretty wild, pretty unreal.
- [NARRATOR] Emily and her mother are preparing to head home
with the new addition.
They'll return to UC Davis for Robbie's checkups.
The trial team will keep a close eye
on her growth. Especially Dr. Farmer, who
has a special role in the baby's life.
- She's kind of like her fairy stem cell godmother.
- [NARRATOR] For Emily, it's been a difficult journey
to get here. From the fetal surgery,
to living in the hospital for months, to the eventual birth.
She did it for her daughter.
- It was never about me.
From day one when we joined the trial, I was here
and it was all about her.
And that was a decision that was easy to make.
- [NARRATOR] Baby Robbie, the first patient in the groundbreaking CuRe
Trial. Her case is just the beginning.
- This could change lives forever.
I don't think I ever imagined when I started medical school
that I might be able to have this big an impact on
people's lives.
- This job is really a privilege.
We get to be part of some of the most amazing moments
for families.
And the downside is sometimes we have the biggest
tragedies you can imagine.
But really, when things work, it's just amazing.
Our team at UC Davis is really exemplary
and I feel very lucky to be in a place
where we have that many talented people that
can make it happen like that.
- [NARRATOR] And UC Davis researchers are now exploring
what else stem cells can do.
- Since we've seen such amazing results
with congenital spinal cord injury,
we are now looking at acquired spinal cord
injury, other neurologic diseases that
may involve inflammation.
The ability to impact more than just one patient at a time
is incredibly meaningful.
It is what is uniquely different about practicing medicine
in an academic institution, where part of the goal
is the generation of new knowledge.
Because that's how medicine advances.
- [NARRATOR] Advancing medicine and improving lives.
Robbie was the first baby in the trial.
Since then, a few more babies have become
patients in this first phase.
The Cure Trial team will continue to monitor all of them
until they're six years old, with a key checkup happening
at 30 months of age to see if they're
walking and potty training.
For now, Robbie is crawling, kicking,
and delighting her parents.
This tiny patient, who made medical history,
possibly helping to cure spina bifida in a trailblazing trial.
[MUSIC PLAYING]