Kelly Brennan Phillips MS Fight
Donation protected
Ten years ago, our beautiful sister, KELLY BRENNAN PHILLIPS, received some devastating news that would change the path of her life forever - she was diagnosed with MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS at the young age of 35. With two young daughters and a husband to take care of, she has continued to work and be the best mom ever, while silently battling against this disease that takes a little piece of her every day.
Now, because of innovative research and amazing technological advances in the treatment of MS, Kelly has the opportunity to undergo a STEM CELL TRANSPLANT PROCEDURE that has had huge success, and has actually REVERSED patients' disabilities due to MS. Kelly just received confirmation on Monday, that there is space for her in a special program that performs this procedure in Mexico. We (Carrie, Billy, Bo and Isabel - her siblings) are launching this campaign to raise $100K to pay for her upcoming stem cell transplant procedure and the additional costs related to it which Kelly and her family will incur, such as transportation, meals, and medical care when she returns . The cost for the procedure is $85K, with the first payment of $55K due on November 4, 2015, and the remaining balance on January 4, 2016.
KELLY'S MS JOURNEY (In her own words)....
After my original diagnosis in 2005, I started drug therapy which required me to administer a daily injection. I experienced blindness, numbness in my hands and feet and significant pain. After 7 years, my symptoms just kept deteriorating. Classic symptoms include severe fatigue, sensitivity to heat, cognitive loss, loss of motor skills, numbness & pain. I have all those and a few others. I walk with a cane, when I can walk. I choose my activities very carefully to conserve my energy. Consequently, I miss many moments with my kids, my family, and my friends. We tried other medications without success. However to try to slow down the progression, I continue to take them at a cost of about $10,000/month. MS happens to be the 2nd most costly medical condition in the US.
So I started my research of Hematopioetic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT). The preliminary findings show 87% of patients to be progression free at the 4 year mark and 92% had significant reduction in disability at the 2 year mark. AMAZING!!!
In a nutshell, the procedure kills your old immune system, reintroduces “blank, cleaned” stem cells and reboots your immune system. I will have to go to Puebla, Mexico and stay for 6-8 weeks to complete the procedure. The first week is all base line tests and blood draws so if anything goes awry, I have my own blood for a transfusion. Then the chemotherapy starts… low grade. You could call it the initial cleaning. The next step is to harvest my stem cells. They will put in a pic line and over the next 1-4 days extract at least 3M-5M cells. Once that is done, the hard-core chemo starts and lasts for about 10-14 days. They say I should shave my head before I show up, but not sure I am ready for that step. Lastly, they reintroduce my blank stem cells back into my system and they start morphing into my new immune system. Once my blood counts are high enough, they will allow me to travel home where I will be on a strict regimen to avoid anything that could cause infection for 6-12 months. I will continue to receive bi-monthly low grade chemo for the next 18 months.
I applied to the studies being conducted in Seattle, Denver, Chicago and Sydney, Australia. Unfortunately I was not a candidate. My research did reveal that HSCT has been utilized for MS outside the US for at least 20 years with great success. So, I applied to Germany, Russia, UK and Canada. Canada and the UK only treat citizens. I was put on the waiting list for Germany but got a confirmed date in Russia for 2019. The catch is that the further along you get in the disease progression, the less improvement you see from the treatment, so 2019 seemed like forever!
I had heard that a hematology clinic in Mexico was going to expand their treatment to include MS patients, so I followed it closely. Miraculously, I was one of the first patients to get my application in when they announced the change in protocol and began offering my treament. So I am scheduled for January 4, 2016! Woohoo!!!
Others who have already undergone the procedure report universally positive results. Everyone emphasizes that the goal is to stop the progression and that IF you recover any of your disability, that is a bonus! The prospect of knowing I won’t get worse would be incredible! Currently, it is a crap shoot each day whether I can walk or not. All those that I have heard from that have had the procedure(300+) have indicated that the constant pain disappeared, their gait and balance markedly improved, fatigue was significantly alleviated, and memory loss subsided. It doesn’t mean it will ALL go away, and I will be whole again, but even if nothing gets better, knowing it won’t get worse allows me to plan for the future instead of dreading it.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
For those of you who grew up with the Brennan Family in Escondido, you remember Kelly as a vibrant, athletic, good-natured, humorous, talented, spiritual and loyal daughter, friend, classmate, and teammate. Maybe Kelly made you a quesadilla at our house on Royal Crest Drive while kicking back with friends and enjoying a good game of Pictionary or Trivial Pursuit. Or, you may have played softball, basketball, soccer, or volleyball on one of Kelly's many sports teams at St. Mary's or San Pasqual High School. Kelly may be your college buddy from Oregon State, or a current friend in the Portland area who is always up for a good time and an even better game of cards and conversation. If you are a family member, you've felt her warm embrace, and sincere interest in what's going on in your life. She always has time to sit and catch up with you, especially if it's on the deck at Grama Bev's beach house! If you've spent time with Kelly, you know her heart is as good as gold, and big enough to embrace you and make you feel special and loved when you are with her.
Now Kelly needs our help. We are hoping all of you can dig down deep, and join our efforts to raise money for the treatment Kelly deperately needs. It's been very sad and painful for us, her family, to watch her slowly deteriorate the past ten years. To witness her daily struggle and know there is no cure for this debilitating disease is heartbreaking. But now we have hope that WE CAN HELP KELLY STOP MS IN ITS TRACKS NOW. We know it's not a miracle treatment that will spin back the clock, but if it can stop the progression of Kelly's MS ,it would be the answer to our prayers. As indicated earlier, the cost for the procedure is $85K, with the first payment of $55K due on November 4, 2015, and the remaining balance on January 4, 2016. So the clock is ticking and we need to fundraise like crazy! Please consider joining our efforts and make a donation today.
Thank you in advance and God bless you for helping us help our sister!
Love,
Carrie Brennan Wilhite,
Billy Brennan,
Bo Brennan,
and Isabel Hinojosa
**PS - If you would like to make a donation outside of GoFundMe, please contact Carrie directly to make arrangements or send your donation to Kelly at 21464 SW 98th Avenue, Tualatin, OR 97062.
Now, because of innovative research and amazing technological advances in the treatment of MS, Kelly has the opportunity to undergo a STEM CELL TRANSPLANT PROCEDURE that has had huge success, and has actually REVERSED patients' disabilities due to MS. Kelly just received confirmation on Monday, that there is space for her in a special program that performs this procedure in Mexico. We (Carrie, Billy, Bo and Isabel - her siblings) are launching this campaign to raise $100K to pay for her upcoming stem cell transplant procedure and the additional costs related to it which Kelly and her family will incur, such as transportation, meals, and medical care when she returns . The cost for the procedure is $85K, with the first payment of $55K due on November 4, 2015, and the remaining balance on January 4, 2016.
KELLY'S MS JOURNEY (In her own words)....
After my original diagnosis in 2005, I started drug therapy which required me to administer a daily injection. I experienced blindness, numbness in my hands and feet and significant pain. After 7 years, my symptoms just kept deteriorating. Classic symptoms include severe fatigue, sensitivity to heat, cognitive loss, loss of motor skills, numbness & pain. I have all those and a few others. I walk with a cane, when I can walk. I choose my activities very carefully to conserve my energy. Consequently, I miss many moments with my kids, my family, and my friends. We tried other medications without success. However to try to slow down the progression, I continue to take them at a cost of about $10,000/month. MS happens to be the 2nd most costly medical condition in the US.
So I started my research of Hematopioetic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT). The preliminary findings show 87% of patients to be progression free at the 4 year mark and 92% had significant reduction in disability at the 2 year mark. AMAZING!!!
In a nutshell, the procedure kills your old immune system, reintroduces “blank, cleaned” stem cells and reboots your immune system. I will have to go to Puebla, Mexico and stay for 6-8 weeks to complete the procedure. The first week is all base line tests and blood draws so if anything goes awry, I have my own blood for a transfusion. Then the chemotherapy starts… low grade. You could call it the initial cleaning. The next step is to harvest my stem cells. They will put in a pic line and over the next 1-4 days extract at least 3M-5M cells. Once that is done, the hard-core chemo starts and lasts for about 10-14 days. They say I should shave my head before I show up, but not sure I am ready for that step. Lastly, they reintroduce my blank stem cells back into my system and they start morphing into my new immune system. Once my blood counts are high enough, they will allow me to travel home where I will be on a strict regimen to avoid anything that could cause infection for 6-12 months. I will continue to receive bi-monthly low grade chemo for the next 18 months.
I applied to the studies being conducted in Seattle, Denver, Chicago and Sydney, Australia. Unfortunately I was not a candidate. My research did reveal that HSCT has been utilized for MS outside the US for at least 20 years with great success. So, I applied to Germany, Russia, UK and Canada. Canada and the UK only treat citizens. I was put on the waiting list for Germany but got a confirmed date in Russia for 2019. The catch is that the further along you get in the disease progression, the less improvement you see from the treatment, so 2019 seemed like forever!
I had heard that a hematology clinic in Mexico was going to expand their treatment to include MS patients, so I followed it closely. Miraculously, I was one of the first patients to get my application in when they announced the change in protocol and began offering my treament. So I am scheduled for January 4, 2016! Woohoo!!!
Others who have already undergone the procedure report universally positive results. Everyone emphasizes that the goal is to stop the progression and that IF you recover any of your disability, that is a bonus! The prospect of knowing I won’t get worse would be incredible! Currently, it is a crap shoot each day whether I can walk or not. All those that I have heard from that have had the procedure(300+) have indicated that the constant pain disappeared, their gait and balance markedly improved, fatigue was significantly alleviated, and memory loss subsided. It doesn’t mean it will ALL go away, and I will be whole again, but even if nothing gets better, knowing it won’t get worse allows me to plan for the future instead of dreading it.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
For those of you who grew up with the Brennan Family in Escondido, you remember Kelly as a vibrant, athletic, good-natured, humorous, talented, spiritual and loyal daughter, friend, classmate, and teammate. Maybe Kelly made you a quesadilla at our house on Royal Crest Drive while kicking back with friends and enjoying a good game of Pictionary or Trivial Pursuit. Or, you may have played softball, basketball, soccer, or volleyball on one of Kelly's many sports teams at St. Mary's or San Pasqual High School. Kelly may be your college buddy from Oregon State, or a current friend in the Portland area who is always up for a good time and an even better game of cards and conversation. If you are a family member, you've felt her warm embrace, and sincere interest in what's going on in your life. She always has time to sit and catch up with you, especially if it's on the deck at Grama Bev's beach house! If you've spent time with Kelly, you know her heart is as good as gold, and big enough to embrace you and make you feel special and loved when you are with her.
Now Kelly needs our help. We are hoping all of you can dig down deep, and join our efforts to raise money for the treatment Kelly deperately needs. It's been very sad and painful for us, her family, to watch her slowly deteriorate the past ten years. To witness her daily struggle and know there is no cure for this debilitating disease is heartbreaking. But now we have hope that WE CAN HELP KELLY STOP MS IN ITS TRACKS NOW. We know it's not a miracle treatment that will spin back the clock, but if it can stop the progression of Kelly's MS ,it would be the answer to our prayers. As indicated earlier, the cost for the procedure is $85K, with the first payment of $55K due on November 4, 2015, and the remaining balance on January 4, 2016. So the clock is ticking and we need to fundraise like crazy! Please consider joining our efforts and make a donation today.
Thank you in advance and God bless you for helping us help our sister!
Love,
Carrie Brennan Wilhite,
Billy Brennan,
Bo Brennan,
and Isabel Hinojosa
**PS - If you would like to make a donation outside of GoFundMe, please contact Carrie directly to make arrangements or send your donation to Kelly at 21464 SW 98th Avenue, Tualatin, OR 97062.
Organizer and beneficiary
Carrie Brennan Willhite
Organizer
Tualatin, OR
Kelly Phillips
Beneficiary
