Jordan's Battle Against the Brain Rot

Hi, I'm Jordan. I'm 33, I have MS. Unfortunately my multiple sclerosis isn't responding to treatment, so I have to do something drastic, a stem cell transplant. It's risky, it's expensive, but its worth it. I need your help.

 
I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in March of 2018. The year before I was diagnosed I ran a marathon. Now I can barely make it up the two stories of stairs to my apartment. I’m a hairdresser, which, up until the summer of 2017 when I started experiencing prominent symptoms, for me meant that I was at the top of my profession. I could have worked every hour that my salon was open and still had clients on my waiting list. When I work an eight-hour day, I start to drop my tools because my body is exhausted and confused. My cognition declines, and I can’t think of rudimentary words, remember names of people I’ve known for years, or things my co-workers or clients have told me five minutes before. The exhaustion is never-ending and drags me away from the people I love. I can never shake the fatigue even if I spend every hour that I’m not at work trying to rest. 

I had been lucky up until this spring because all the new lesions were centralized in the inactive parts of my brain. This spring, I learned I had new lesions of my cervical spine. Being mobile and retaining all of my dexterity is even more important to my ability to remain independent because I’m a hairdresser. I depend on the ability to walk and use my arms and hands to provide for myself. While retaining mobility is a constant concern for those with MS, it is vital for me to be able to live independently and make a living. 

The last two years have been excruciating. I haven’t felt like myself in a really long time. I know this procedure is grueling, but I also know that a stem cell transplant will completely change my life. It will give me the freedom that I’ve utterly lost as a result of multiple sclerosis. 

Anything helps.  A stem cell transplant is so expensive, I can't cover all of it alone, even with my insurance. It's hard to ask, but if you can help, please do, in any way, money, a puppy pat... an Alex hug... anything, thanks so much.