Some people with heart failure, who have no more treatment options, are surprised to find out that there may be one last hope in Covington. 

A local doctor is doing the only research of its kind with stem cells that could prove to be life saving for people with cardiovascular disease.

Aaron Cathcart’s heart was so damaged from years of high blood pressure that some doctors said he would not survive any treatment or surgery.

"He said he had never seen any body with a heart as bad as mine that was still living," Aaron recalled one doctor saying. 

But Aaron’s daughter scoured the Internet and found one last hope for her father and surprisingly it was nearby – in Covington.

Dr. Gabriel Lasala, an interventional cardiologist, harvested some of Aaron's stem cells from his bone marrow.

The idea behind harvesting stem cells is that they can repair damaged tissue.

At TCA Cellular Therapy the stem cells were multiplied and then at Lakeview Regional Medical Center, while Aaron was having bypass surgery to route blood around clotted vessels, Dr. Lasala injected Aaron's own stem cells into the area of dead heart muscle in hopes of repairing the tissue so it could beat again.

Aaron had the surgery and procedure done 12 days ago and it is too early to tell how successful it will be.

While Aaron was the first to have stem cells injected directly into his heart, Dr. Lasala has also used stem cells to help other heart patients previously thought to be untreatable, by injecting them into arteries.

Bill Edgett was too weak to have life saving bypass surgery. Four months ago he became the first to have his stem cells injected into his arteries through a tiny catheter incision, in hopes of growing more blood vessels around the blocked ones. Now Dr. Lasala says that nuclear imaging shows more blood is circulating in his heart.

"The patients noticed increase in their ability to walk, decrease in chest pain,” he said. “They are breathing better between week two and week four. They feel significantly better and patients who were not able to walk more than 50 yards are walking half a mile."

"It's almost been a miracle," says heart stem cell patient Bill Edgett. "Prior to that stem cell injection I was living  week to week and then almost day to day just wondering if I was going to make it to the next day. I mean, almost immediately after the injections I could feel a big difference."

Patricia Walch, who was not strong enough three months ago to finish taking a shower, also had the stem cell injections in her arteries.

"This was my last chance and it's just been like a miracle," she says.  "I mean I can not describe the difference in my life now to what it was three months ago. My children are shocked my husband is shocked to have me back and I have my life back. It's absolutely amazing!"

There are several stem cell studies going on for people with heart disease, or for people with peripheral artery disease in the legs and also for people with Lou Gehrig's Disease.

To see if you qualify for the study, you can call 1-985-867-4860 or visit http://www.tcacellulartherapy.com/.