Dena's MS fund for HSCT treatment
Donation protected
As you may or may not know, my wife Dena Blum Latham was diagnosed with MS the day before I proposed to her in 2012. It has been an interesting road we have gone down.
It is curious to me that EVERYONE I have spoken to about MS knows somebody living with this disease. This disease affects every single day of our lives. We have to plan what we do based on what we know Dena is able to handle physically. I am the one with her each time her legs stop working and I help her walk. While Dena maintains a positive attitude and takes care of herself, the disease is always there.
Dena went from running a marathon in 2010 to barely being able consistently walk a 1/4 mile without stopping or assistance. We had done a very minimal amount of research into stem cell therapy when Dena was diagnosed and had chosen to further look into the different drugs. Dena first tried shots that she gave herself everyday for 3 years until we found out that we were part of the 70% non-success rate. Unfortunately with the minimal research and a smaller population of people with MS, there are very few options for drugs. Dena's type of MS only has 1 drug that is used. When we looked at the risk/reward for each drug offered the side effects (risks) heavily outweighed the small percentage rates of success (reward) with MS. It is also important to note that there is not a drug that cures MS. They help fight the progression and manage the symptoms, but cannot cure the disease.
We chose to take matters into our own hands and fight the disease head on with exercise, vitamins, and nutrition. I mean REALLY FIGHT! Dena works out 6 days a week at 5am, takes over $300 dollars worth of vitamins in a month, and has seen a nutritionist to find the right foods and stay away from the things that caused inflammation. This has helped slow things down but over the past 3 years Dena's walking ability has quickly declined. When we recently took a trip, we realized that there was no way for Dena to travel at all without my assistance. We started to look back into the stem cell therapy treatments and realized that it is the last and greatest hope we had.
Through the process Dena's MS diagnosis changed to primary progressive MS (PPMS). Unfortunately, only 10-15% of MS patients have PPMS which means that much less research is done on a disease that already has very little research in comparison to other diseases. Doctors think MS, no matter which type you have, happens when your body attacks itself. This is what’s called an autoimmune disease. In MS, your immune system damages myelin, the protective coating around the nerves in your brain and spinal cord, which causes inflammation and permanent damage.
However, in PPMS there’s little inflammation. Nerve damage is the main problem. Areas of scar tissue, also known as lesions, form along the damaged nerves in the brain and spinal cord. They can’t send and receive signals the way they should. This causes MS symptoms, such as Dena's trouble with walking, balance, and stamina to name a few.
There are only 2 facilities in the world (Mexico and Russia) doing stem cell therapy for PPMS. Dena is scheduled October 15, 2018 for Clinica Ruiz in Mexico for HSCT (stem cell) treatment. Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant is a treatment for autoimmune diseases such as MS. Hematopoietic stem cells are used to restore the normal hematopoiesis of the patient after being exposed to high dose chemotherapy delivered to aim immunosuppression over a 28 day period. In other words, HSCT treatment works by using chemotherapy to wipe out the patient's immune system which is then reset using their own stem cells. While it is a grueling and difficult treatment with many side effects, is has been proven to scientifically HALT the disease at Dena's current state. Without HSCT treatment, Dena will soon be forced to be confined to a wheel chair.
Unfortunately this is a VERY expensive procedure. The cost includes:
-Airfare to and from Monterrey, Mexico
-28 day HSCT treatment
-Housing and food
-24 hour caregiver 7 days a week
-Non-prescription items needed to help with symptoms of the treatment
-Any prescriptions needed after treatment
-After the chemotherapy, Dena will need all vaccinations again since her immune system will be reset back to zero.
Insurance does NOT cover any of the treatment or medications. We greatly appreciate any kind of assistance that you can offer. No donation is too small.
If you would like to read more about this treatment, I have added the website below:
https://www.hsctmexico.com/
It is curious to me that EVERYONE I have spoken to about MS knows somebody living with this disease. This disease affects every single day of our lives. We have to plan what we do based on what we know Dena is able to handle physically. I am the one with her each time her legs stop working and I help her walk. While Dena maintains a positive attitude and takes care of herself, the disease is always there.
Dena went from running a marathon in 2010 to barely being able consistently walk a 1/4 mile without stopping or assistance. We had done a very minimal amount of research into stem cell therapy when Dena was diagnosed and had chosen to further look into the different drugs. Dena first tried shots that she gave herself everyday for 3 years until we found out that we were part of the 70% non-success rate. Unfortunately with the minimal research and a smaller population of people with MS, there are very few options for drugs. Dena's type of MS only has 1 drug that is used. When we looked at the risk/reward for each drug offered the side effects (risks) heavily outweighed the small percentage rates of success (reward) with MS. It is also important to note that there is not a drug that cures MS. They help fight the progression and manage the symptoms, but cannot cure the disease.
We chose to take matters into our own hands and fight the disease head on with exercise, vitamins, and nutrition. I mean REALLY FIGHT! Dena works out 6 days a week at 5am, takes over $300 dollars worth of vitamins in a month, and has seen a nutritionist to find the right foods and stay away from the things that caused inflammation. This has helped slow things down but over the past 3 years Dena's walking ability has quickly declined. When we recently took a trip, we realized that there was no way for Dena to travel at all without my assistance. We started to look back into the stem cell therapy treatments and realized that it is the last and greatest hope we had.
Through the process Dena's MS diagnosis changed to primary progressive MS (PPMS). Unfortunately, only 10-15% of MS patients have PPMS which means that much less research is done on a disease that already has very little research in comparison to other diseases. Doctors think MS, no matter which type you have, happens when your body attacks itself. This is what’s called an autoimmune disease. In MS, your immune system damages myelin, the protective coating around the nerves in your brain and spinal cord, which causes inflammation and permanent damage.
However, in PPMS there’s little inflammation. Nerve damage is the main problem. Areas of scar tissue, also known as lesions, form along the damaged nerves in the brain and spinal cord. They can’t send and receive signals the way they should. This causes MS symptoms, such as Dena's trouble with walking, balance, and stamina to name a few.
There are only 2 facilities in the world (Mexico and Russia) doing stem cell therapy for PPMS. Dena is scheduled October 15, 2018 for Clinica Ruiz in Mexico for HSCT (stem cell) treatment. Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant is a treatment for autoimmune diseases such as MS. Hematopoietic stem cells are used to restore the normal hematopoiesis of the patient after being exposed to high dose chemotherapy delivered to aim immunosuppression over a 28 day period. In other words, HSCT treatment works by using chemotherapy to wipe out the patient's immune system which is then reset using their own stem cells. While it is a grueling and difficult treatment with many side effects, is has been proven to scientifically HALT the disease at Dena's current state. Without HSCT treatment, Dena will soon be forced to be confined to a wheel chair.
Unfortunately this is a VERY expensive procedure. The cost includes:
-Airfare to and from Monterrey, Mexico
-28 day HSCT treatment
-Housing and food
-24 hour caregiver 7 days a week
-Non-prescription items needed to help with symptoms of the treatment
-Any prescriptions needed after treatment
-After the chemotherapy, Dena will need all vaccinations again since her immune system will be reset back to zero.
Insurance does NOT cover any of the treatment or medications. We greatly appreciate any kind of assistance that you can offer. No donation is too small.
If you would like to read more about this treatment, I have added the website below:
https://www.hsctmexico.com/
Organizer and beneficiary
Steven Latham
Organizer
Dallas, TX
Dena Blum
Beneficiary