Hi, my name is Billie and I have recently been diagnosed with highly active Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS).

This has come completely out of the blue, shattering my world. I’m 34, with no other health issues or even warnings that this was lurking. The terror I have felt over the last 8 weeks has been indescribable. The thought that my life as I knew it has been taken away from me and I could experience disabling symptoms at any time is absolutely terrifying.

But like the planner I am, I immediately started looking into my options and the treatment available. There is no cure for MS and there won’t be in my lifetime. The NHS offer only medication that slows the progression of the disease. However, there is a treatment called HSCT which involves an intense 4 week procedure to ‘re-boot’ your immune system. Whilst it is not guaranteed, it can halt the progression of the disease and prevent any relapses for for years to come (hopefully forever but only time would tell!). This treatment is not available to me on the NHS, despite me being one of the most suitable candidates. The sooner I can have the treatment, the better my chances of success are (around 80%).

So I’m resorting to what I really don’t like doing; asking for help. The private treatment is provided in a world leading clinic in Mexico and is very costly at a total of £55,000 including flights.

So if you can spare anything at all, I would be eternally grateful. And please don’t worry if you can’t, a share on social media would be a great help.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart for all of your support, it means more than you’ll ever know.

Billie xx