Pat's HSCT Fund

I am typically the last person to ask for help, but  I find myself in that situation now and am asking for your help.  As some of you know I have been dealing with some unexpected health issues over the last few years and have decided to undergo a treatment that has not been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration.  I have been dealing with Multiple Sclerosis and it seems the disease has decided to take an ugly turn and I now find myself with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.  All this really means is that any disease modifying drugs on the market no longer have the effect of slowing the disease progression.  I am assured to be in a wheelchair in the next five to ten years if I don't intervene now.  This is where you come in: There is a procedure called Hematopioetic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) that has been utilized since 1993 with exceptionally good results in folks with differing forms of MS including those with Primary Progressive MS.  The therapy involves the use of my own stem cells that will be expelled from my bone marrow, brought into a lab and reprogrammed (however that works) and reinjected after my entire immune system has been completely wiped out with the use of chemtherapy drugs.  It has been found that the reprogramming of the immune system along with the work on the stem cells has proven to halt the progression of the disease and in many instances actually begin to rebuild the devastating scaring that has occured in my central nervous system.
This is probably one of the most incredibly scary decisions that I have ever made in my life, but I feel that this treatment is my last real hope in combating this monster that has decided to invade me.  I love my life with my most incredible family and most amazing job and want to be able to continue to contribute to my family and my work for many more years to come, and this is why I need your help.
The procedure takes between 6-8 weeks at the clinic and another several months after returning home from the treatment clinic.  I have enough sick leave saved up where I can take at least several months off of work, but the procedure itself runs $49,000.00 US dollars.  I am currently on a waiting list for treatment in Moscow, Russia in aproximately 2 years, but I can get into a clinic in Mexico much sooner.  At the rate of the disease progression, sooner is probably better as I'm afraid that the disease may be too far progressed when Russia does finally give me the call and I will no longer be a candidate for the procedure.
Again, it really bothers me to feel like I'm looking for a handout, but I'm to the point where desperation has finally set in and I'm needing some help.
I sincerely hope that I have not offended by reaching out and asking for assistance, I'm just wanting to get back to giving my wife and family the husband and father they so much deserve.
Thanks for taking the time to read my story!
Sincerely,
Pat