My name is Michael Pendley, and I’m reaching out with a heavy heart to ask for help for someone I love more than anything—my mom, Tonya West.

In 2021, my mom was diagnosed with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS). She immediately began treatment with a disease-modifying therapy in hopes of slowing the disease. But sadly, her MS progressed rapidly to Secondary Progressive MS (SPMS)—a more aggressive and debilitating form.

For the past year, she’s been on one of the most advanced treatments available—Ocrevus. But while it’s considered the best option, it has left her severely immunocompromised and her condition continues to worsen. The lesions in her brain and brain stem have caused growing disability in both her arms and legs. This year alone, she’s gone from using a walker to being mostly dependent on a wheelchair.

After exhausting nearly every option, my mom has found hope in a procedure called HSCT (Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation). HSCT works by using chemotherapy to wipe out the faulty immune system and rebuild it using the patient’s own stem cells—essentially hitting the reset button. It’s not a cure, but it offers the possibility of halting the progression of this devastating disease and giving her a second chance at life.

This treatment is only available through specialized centers in the United States and comes with an enormous cost of $150,000—and insurance does not cover it.

Watching my mom lose her independence has been heartbreaking. She’s a fighter, and I want to give her every possible chance to reclaim her life. I’m asking from the bottom of my heart: if you’re able to donate, no matter the amount, it will bring us closer to giving her the care she desperately needs.

Thank you so much for your love, support, and prayers. We can’t do this without you.

— Michael Pendley on behalf of Tonya West