I AM FIGHTING MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AND I NEED YOUR HELP! I NEED TO RAISE £50,000 BY NOVEMBER FOR GROUND BREAKING TREATMENT THAT WILL STOP DISEASE ACTIVITY AND SAFEGUARD THE FUTURE OF NOT ONLY MY LIFE BUT OF MY CHILDREN'S TOO. <img class="not-resizeable" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/30891532_1530137665466414_r.jpeg" alt="" width="100%" />￼￼About Me Hi, I'm Fiona. I am 34 years old and a mum of two gorgeous girls aged 6 &amp; 2. I work part time for a Social Care Charity and I have Multiple Sclerosis. I was first diagnosed with MS in 2006 whilst studying abroad, however my diagnosis was only confirmed back home in the UK in 2016 after the birth of my second child. In the 10 years that my diagnosis was not confirmed in the UK and was therefore untreated, my condition gradually declined affecting all areas of my life. In an indeterminate amount of time it will progress to the point that I will need to use a wheelchair all the time and will totally lose my independence. I NEED YOUR HELP TO ACCESS TREATMENT! What is MS Multiple Sclerosis is a neurological autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system. My immune system is gradually destroying my own nervous system. The damage caused by MS is much like the damage that can occur to the plastic coating around the wire of a phone charger. If there is a small hole or break in the coating, the wire doesn't carry the electricity effectively. The same is true in MS. My body is attacking, damaging and causing inflammation to the Myelin coating around my nerves. This prevents signals from my brain effectively travelling around my body. Symptoms The symptoms affect every patient differently depending on where their own individual damage is located. I have lesions (damage) in both my brain and my spinal cord which cause a huge range of symptoms, from temporary paralysis, extreme fatigue, problems with concentration and memory, weakness, numbness and tingling in my legs, foot drop (requiring me to wear a very attractive leg brace), spasms, balance problems, brain fog and pain to name just a few. Day-to- Day My symptoms have forced me to stop working full time. I struggle with many day-to-day activities that I used to take for granted:- washing my hair may as well be climbing a mountain!! I have no energy for my kids. When I go out, I often need a crutch or a stick (sometimes cleverly disguised as a buggy) to help keep me upright. It doesn't always work! Facts My last MRI, in February 2018, showed new lesions in my brain compared to the scan taken the previous year. Unfortunately, none of the disease modifying drugs currently available are able to help with any of my symptoms. Neither are they able to prevent further damage from occurring. The medication I currently take aims to reduce the relapse rate by 50%. My last relapse was in March 2018. I was off work for almost 6 weeks, taking steroids to help reduce the impact of the relapse. I was unable to stand on my own, dress myself or think with any logic or reason. Prognosis Every time I relapse there is more irreversible damage done to my nervous system, on top of the daily damage and inflammation. There is no way of knowing or predicting when a relapse will strike, how long it will last or how it might affect me. I wake up every morning not certain that I will be able to get myself out of bed. The vast majority of MS patients end up as wheelchair users and totally dependent on others. YOU CAN HELP STOP THAT FROM HAPPENING TO ME! HSCT has brought me hope. Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation is a "reboot" of the immune system, essentially "restoring to factory settings" enabling the body to forget MS. It is a ground breaking treatment that uses the patient's own harvested stem cells following high dose, intensive chemotherapy. This may seem drastic, after all chemotherapy is a powerful drug with horrendous side effects and I don't have cancer! But HSCT treatment has been proven in clinical trials to STOP DISEASE ACTIVITY in over 80% of patients with active, Relapsing and Remitting MS. Many patients also experience some improvement in their symptoms. Unfortunately HSCT is not yet widely available in the UK. I am so grateful to have been offered the opportunity to travel to the A.A. Maximov hospital in Moscow to undergo treatment in November 2018. However, I need to raise £50,000 to get there. Yes, that's right - I need to raise £50,000 in just 3 short months to ensure that I have a chance at getting mine and my children's lives back to some sense of normality. The money raised will cover the cost of the in-patient treatment lasting around 30 days, flights, visas, and aftercare upon my return to the UK. I REALLY CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT YOUR HELP! I need strength, support and financial help to fight harder than I ever have before to beat this horrendous, life limiting disease. My kids need an active mum who can take care of them, play and laugh with them and be there for them. They are depending on me. I and my girls appreciate your support and generosity more than we can say. Thank you so so much. Much love Fi xx <a href="https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4yvtug" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4yvtug" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4yvtug</a></a>

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No more MSing - Help Fiona beat MS

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