Halt My MS
Donation protected
My name is Heather. I am 36 years old and living with MS. I was diagnosed with Relapsing-RemittingMS (RRMS) in 2006.....4 months after getting married. Although I told my new husband he did not signup for this and if he wanted to go on his way I would understand. He has strongly stuck by my side both of us not knowing where this disease may take me.
As hard as this disease has been on me, I can only imagine what watching me deteriorate has done to him and the rest of my family. We have two great kids (6 & 5) whom I know struggle to understand why I struggle at things and am not very active with them. My disease was in remission for the first 5 years. In the last 2 years, although my disease has not progessed, my body has. My eyesight is weak, my strength has decreased, my balance is off, my mobility is failing. I now walk with a cane and get pushed in a wheelchair on long outings. There are days when I cannot walk up or down the stairs. I cannot walk far with my kids, let alone run in any capacity. My kids ask "when will your legs be better." I am hopeful that someday I will be able to walk my kids to school again, that I will complete Mud Hero next year!!
Procedures I've Done in the Past :
(CCSVI)
In 2011 my husband and I went to Tijuana, Mexico for CCSVI treatment. It was a difficult situation as I was left alone in the hospital room with the Dr and all of the nurses who did not speak English very well!! I laid in a bed not really knowing what was going on and not being able to see, as they insterted a small line through my groin and fed it up into my neck. There they opened my veins using balloon angioplasy. Instant relief!! The tingles and numbness in my arms and legs had stopped. That night as my husband slept wrapped up in a blanket, I was overheating! My always cold feet had warmed up! Although my circulation was the only symptom improved (MS or not) I was so happy that something had helped me.
Stem Cell Injection (No Chemo no cure):
In 2015 I went to Florida and recieved Stem Cell Therapy. A simple procedure where they extracted some of my own stem cells, treated them then reinjected them a few hours later. When I came home the results were amazing! I could walk farther. I could climb the stairs without tripping or using the hand rails. I could lift one leg up and hold it without falling over. Taking pants on and off was not exhausting. I could kick a ball against the wall and stop it with my other foot. The physio exercises were a breeze.
Then something changed and quickly. My legs stopped working. I could not walk. I could not stand. My body stopped wanting to move. I lost bladder control. I lost the ability to drive. Everything I had put mysellf through, physically, and my family through financially had come crashing down. I went to the doctor here over and over trying to explain what was going on. "Sorry that's just how MS works" "go home and watch these documentaries. You need a lifestyle change." What??? I was scheduled for an MRI but that was months away. After my MRI it showed no progression with my MS but an inflammation in the lower region of the brain stem. Which has set me back further than before the Stem Cell procedure.
My MS Dr put me on a stonger prescription drug. The third different kind as the first two lost their effectiveness, to slow progression but not stop the MS. These pills cost the Canadian health system $40,000 per year and are only 33% effective. MS is a progressive disease and I never know when I wake up in the morning what part of my body will or will not work.
I wish that Canada would hurry up and offer treatment here (other than prescription drugs), considering we have the highest rate of MS in the world. But I cannot wait 10 years, my disease won't allow me that time.
I would like your help to raise money for a promising new treatment that is potentially a cure called HSCT - Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation. The procedure costs $54,000.00 USD. Although we have raised the majority of these funds ourselves, I will need help with travel costs and ongoing after care.
What is HSCT:
The doctors will remove some bone marrow stems cells and treat them. Then I am given a type of chemotherapy to illiminate my immune system. They then inject my stem cells and they get to work building a new immune system, eliminating any "faulty" MS cells. I am looking into the Clinica Ruiz in Mexico that has a 92% success rate in stopping MS and reversing symptoms.
I have been accepted to have this treatment done on January 30, 2017. The procedure takes 28 days from start to finish and the results are for the rest of my life (fingers crossed)!!
I won't be able to thank you enough for your help and support. The outcome of this procedure is truly worth my life and you will be helping me achieve just that...my life back.
These links takes you to a success story and some more information about HSCT.
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/stem-cell-transplants-first-ms-treatment-reverses-disability-012215
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11442985/Miracle-stem-cell-therapy-reverses-multiple-sclerosis.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-35065905
As hard as this disease has been on me, I can only imagine what watching me deteriorate has done to him and the rest of my family. We have two great kids (6 & 5) whom I know struggle to understand why I struggle at things and am not very active with them. My disease was in remission for the first 5 years. In the last 2 years, although my disease has not progessed, my body has. My eyesight is weak, my strength has decreased, my balance is off, my mobility is failing. I now walk with a cane and get pushed in a wheelchair on long outings. There are days when I cannot walk up or down the stairs. I cannot walk far with my kids, let alone run in any capacity. My kids ask "when will your legs be better." I am hopeful that someday I will be able to walk my kids to school again, that I will complete Mud Hero next year!!
Procedures I've Done in the Past :
(CCSVI)
In 2011 my husband and I went to Tijuana, Mexico for CCSVI treatment. It was a difficult situation as I was left alone in the hospital room with the Dr and all of the nurses who did not speak English very well!! I laid in a bed not really knowing what was going on and not being able to see, as they insterted a small line through my groin and fed it up into my neck. There they opened my veins using balloon angioplasy. Instant relief!! The tingles and numbness in my arms and legs had stopped. That night as my husband slept wrapped up in a blanket, I was overheating! My always cold feet had warmed up! Although my circulation was the only symptom improved (MS or not) I was so happy that something had helped me.
Stem Cell Injection (No Chemo no cure):
In 2015 I went to Florida and recieved Stem Cell Therapy. A simple procedure where they extracted some of my own stem cells, treated them then reinjected them a few hours later. When I came home the results were amazing! I could walk farther. I could climb the stairs without tripping or using the hand rails. I could lift one leg up and hold it without falling over. Taking pants on and off was not exhausting. I could kick a ball against the wall and stop it with my other foot. The physio exercises were a breeze.
Then something changed and quickly. My legs stopped working. I could not walk. I could not stand. My body stopped wanting to move. I lost bladder control. I lost the ability to drive. Everything I had put mysellf through, physically, and my family through financially had come crashing down. I went to the doctor here over and over trying to explain what was going on. "Sorry that's just how MS works" "go home and watch these documentaries. You need a lifestyle change." What??? I was scheduled for an MRI but that was months away. After my MRI it showed no progression with my MS but an inflammation in the lower region of the brain stem. Which has set me back further than before the Stem Cell procedure.
My MS Dr put me on a stonger prescription drug. The third different kind as the first two lost their effectiveness, to slow progression but not stop the MS. These pills cost the Canadian health system $40,000 per year and are only 33% effective. MS is a progressive disease and I never know when I wake up in the morning what part of my body will or will not work.
I wish that Canada would hurry up and offer treatment here (other than prescription drugs), considering we have the highest rate of MS in the world. But I cannot wait 10 years, my disease won't allow me that time.
I would like your help to raise money for a promising new treatment that is potentially a cure called HSCT - Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation. The procedure costs $54,000.00 USD. Although we have raised the majority of these funds ourselves, I will need help with travel costs and ongoing after care.
What is HSCT:
The doctors will remove some bone marrow stems cells and treat them. Then I am given a type of chemotherapy to illiminate my immune system. They then inject my stem cells and they get to work building a new immune system, eliminating any "faulty" MS cells. I am looking into the Clinica Ruiz in Mexico that has a 92% success rate in stopping MS and reversing symptoms.
I have been accepted to have this treatment done on January 30, 2017. The procedure takes 28 days from start to finish and the results are for the rest of my life (fingers crossed)!!
I won't be able to thank you enough for your help and support. The outcome of this procedure is truly worth my life and you will be helping me achieve just that...my life back.
These links takes you to a success story and some more information about HSCT.
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/stem-cell-transplants-first-ms-treatment-reverses-disability-012215
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11442985/Miracle-stem-cell-therapy-reverses-multiple-sclerosis.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-35065905
Organizer
Heather LeBlanc
Organizer
Red Deer, AB