Copyright 2005 by TheIowaChannel.com. All rights reserved.
POSTED: 4:10 pm CST January 25, 2005
UPDATED: 4:28 pm CST January 25, 2005

FORT DODGE, Iowa -- A Fort Dodge man says he can benefit from an experimental surgery, but the procedure is illegal in the United States, so he is headed overseas.

Scot Fuller, 31, was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, or Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), five years ago. He's found a stem-cell surgery that may give him hope for recovery, but he will have to travel to China to get it.

"I am very optimistic," said Fuller.

Fuller's body has gradually been ravaged by ALS, taking him from an active 20-something to a man confined to a chair.

"Five years ago, 26 years old, being able to do everything -- to this," Fuller said.

Fuller doesn't want pity, he wants an experimental surgery where a doctor there will inject healthy stem cells into his body. Fuller has read about people who have regained the ability to walk after the procedure.

Insurance and Medicare won't cover the $30,000 surgery, but Fuller said the potential benefit is priceless.

"We're hoping it adds a few more years to Scott's life, gives him back some of his mobility," said Scott's wife, Linda. "We'll take anything the surgery will give us."

The family has a political message, too.

"I'm hoping enough people see this, and that it works well enough that we can get more stem cell research here and it won't be completely politically driven," Scott Fuller said.

Stem cells are cells that come from human embryos. Researchers say they can develop into many different cell types in the body, serving as a sort of repair system.

Current U.S. policy only allows federal funding for stem cell research if the research involves stem cell lines that were created before August 2001, when the policy was instituted. In announcing the decision, President George W. Bush cited ethical concerns with harvesting those cells from destroyed embryos.