Wisconsin 6-year-old has 2nd stem cell transplant

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin 6-year-old who suffers from a rare skin disease that causes painful blisters has undergone a second stem cell transplant.

His mother, Trisha Knuth, of Darboy, told WLUK-TV that Charlie Knuth underwent the procedure Saturday at a Minneapolis hospital. She says her son felt miserable afterward. She says he had high blood pressure, which caused an extreme headache.

However, she says, Charlie was later resting comfortably thanks to some medication.

The mother says she’s hoping he can stay comfortable until his cells start repairing themselves, which doctors expect to take about 15 days.

Charlie also underwent a stem cell transplant in April of 2011. His case attracted attention after Wisconsin’s Medicaid office initially refused to cover the transplant, deeming it too experimental, but officials later changed their minds.