Erin's road to recovery from MS

Hello my name is Erin Browne and I am not anyone special, or at least that is how I feel. I am coming to you because I would like the chance to be someone special. I was married to my beautiful, supportive, and loving wife in June of 2009. We had two years of planning and fun then decided to expand our family. At the same time; I had been experiencing daily migraines without explanation since 2011; Attending nursing school; Working two part time jobs; Along with assisting a pregnant wife however a helpless father-to-be can. After an MRI and not hearing from my neurologist for six months due to an ongoing receptionist who continually updated my phone number with the last two digits backwards, I was informed by my general practitioner that my neurologist had been trying to get ahold of me for a while and so I contacted her. Come to find out I had a visual formation that was the first confirmation of MS. I then continued alone to get my spinal tap which is considered the conclusive test for MS. It was confirmed within a week of the spinal tap that I had MS. My world had just imploded and I didn't know what was going to happen to me or my new family. It has been almost five years later and things have only gotten worse. I walk like I'm drunk on good days, hoping not to bring to much attention to me or the others with me, on the others I use my cane and try to pretend it's just a fashion accessory. My memory is failing half of the time and my emotional state is fragile.

What is MS?
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body.

I am raising money to pay for my procedural expenses while at the Northwestern Medical Center. The procedure currently is not covered by insurance because stem cells have yet to be approved by the FDA for the treatment of MS.

 I will need $5,000 in total. $2,500 to pay for what insurance does not cover.The other half will cover travel expenses for me and my caretaker.

 This is an opportunity that literally gives me a chance to be me again. Or at the very least, make my suffering and my families less. This could allow me to play alongside my son for the first time in ways that I have on only dreamt of: running, jumping climbing... My gratitude for your generosity will be felt, maybe not by you but by the all the people around me; hopefully for years to come.

 If you should feel that donating to my relief is not in your thoughts today then please find something or someone else who is. However big or small the gesture is, let them know that you were thinking of them, it will make somebody's day.

If you are interested in more about MS please follow this link to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society