Thank you for taking the time to read, help, and share.

I'm sure that those of you who have met my mother would agree wholeheartedly that she has an unmatched level of determination and strength. 

Since being diagnosed with relapse-remitting Multiple Sclerosis in 1998 at the unusually young age of 23, my mother has faced an uphill battle. In 2006 her worst exacerbation left her wheelchair bound and completely unable to care for herself. She was devastated when she had to take long term disability from work to sit around the house while my father and grandparents helped her with every task. I remember how much my mother enjoyed working and providing for our family. 

After a slow recovery from this first exacerbation, my mother set her sights on regaining some of her strength. She spends a majority of her days overcoming exhaustion and remaining active with weight training and physical therapy to help prevent muscle atrophy. She was able to work herself out of the wheelchair and back up onto her feet and now uses crutches to help her keep her balance as she walks. 

There are some symptoms from her disease that are much harder recover from. She has hand tremors that make it nearly impossible to write or hold things steady. Additionally, she developed one of the most rare MS symptoms called Trigeminal Neuralgia which causes crippling jaw pain and may be triggered by something as simple as washing your face, brushing your teeth, or even just talking. She had a facial surgery to restore her quality of life after nearly a year of dealing with unimaginable pain, but the surgery is not even a permanent fix. 

I could continue on forever about every set back and attempt to overcome that has ruled my mother's life for over 15 years now, but I'm starting this page because after everything she has gone through with her disease, I would do just about anything to see her do the everyday tasks that most of us take for granted without struggle. She has tried virtually every FDA approved medication and treatment available with little to no results. After too long a time of feeling hopeless and stagnant, my mother was approved for a stem cell procedure that has seen close to 70% success rates with MS sufferers. As any stem cell procedure in the US is considered experimental, the costs are entirely out of pocket and fall just under $15,000. You can't put a price on quality of life, especially on somebody with so much life left ahead of them. 

Thank you in advance for believing in my mother like I always have, and for helping fund her opportunity at regaining her independence and finally pursuing her dreams.


For more information about the procedure, please visit:
https://stemgenex.com/studies/multiple-sclerosis-stem-cell-studies/