Help Jess fight MS with HSCT

Hello, I’m Jess. I served in the US Army for 13 years. Before age 29, I achieved my goal of becoming a Warrant Officer. Two weeks before coming home while away at training, I went blind in my left eye. I spent the day going from the ER, to the optometrist, and to another ER. At age 30, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I’ll never forget the feeling of being told my career was over. My world was crumbling, and I couldn’t stop it. The more I tried to reject this reality, the more my body quit on me. Three weeks later, I was completely blind and in a wheelchair. My vision never fully returned in my left eye.

I couldn’t even make it through the tears to tell my parents what was going on so I had my brother do it for me. They were at the hospital within hours. The doctor told me to mourn my old life and who I used to be. I didn’t understand at the time. I spent the majority of my hospital stay alone because I wasn’t ready to face the sorrow of it all. Why me? Then it hit me, my wife would be home from military training in a month so it was time to buck up and set a new goal, walking on my own before she got home. I did it, not without stumbling and not very graceful but I was standing on my own two feet. No more wheelchair!! All the times I felt like giving up, my phone would ring. For all the times I didn’t have faith, my loved ones had it for me. I pray everyday that the hard part has passed. I pray that as I continue to get mentally stronger, that it’s enough.

I’m doing everything I can, and after five rounds of Ocrevus infusions, my neurologist told me I have the most severe and rare strain of MS, Tumefactive. After every infusion, I typically feel so much better. Until March 2025, after my infusion, we’re noticing my left side getting weaker. I thought if I do everything right, I’ll get better in a healthy, natural, holistic way as I wean off Ocrevus. There is no getting better; there’s slowly progressing downward. Life is a roller coaster these days. I don’t make plans; I try to conserve energy, and sometimes I still can’t get through an activity. I thank God for the days where I have so much energy I can’t sleep.

My diagnosis changed our lives in more ways than I could have ever imagined. I try to remain positive, but honestly I go to bed wondering how I’ll be tomorrow. I need to be able to take care of my wife and maybe kids one day. So, I’ve decided to go to Monterrey, Mexico, and get Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation. In short, this treatment will completely destroy my immune system and reboot it. It is a long and aggressive treatment that includes egg retrieval before going due to increased risk of early menopause, testing on arrival at the clinic, stem cell collection, 4 rounds of chemotherapy, and then reintroducing the stem cells to my body. The process takes 28 days. Although this seems like a very invasive treatment, it’s my only hope of living a normal life again.

I’m asking for help and support to get this done. Donations, prayers, and well wishes, ANYTHING will help.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. I appreciate you for reading.

MS is a bitch, but I’m Latina.