Owen's Mother's medical treatment

Thank you for taking the time to read this, I appreciate your interest. My name is Connie Lynn , I am 41 and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at 18.  This campaign is to raise money for stem cells so that I may regain more function again. Owen Hamilton is my son, age 9, born in 2006. He is the light of my life. I started this campaign in October2015. I felt like I was begging but now I look at it as asking for kindnenes. After this paragraph is my original post if you choose to read it. It shows the mental funk that any person can get into when life seems too much to... But then I give solid information.. Over the last couple years I have learned that Life is about living not control and there will be circumstances that I am not happy about. Yes I would like stem cells, from the cord blood of healthy Live birth babies for my 42nd birthday but if not I will be patient. I was expecting to raise money to take others with  MS with me.

 If it wasn't for him I wouldn't even, simply put, beg for help. I want to be able to continue to hold him, see him and live for him. I’m not over exaggerating. I’ve had RR secondary progressive MS for over 20 years and have been permanently in a wheelchair for nine. I’ve not had a break from it since age 16 when it started and it has just kept getting worse. My life is no longer what it was, but who doesn’t experience loss.  Nothing, until last year has helped my progression, the drugs made me worse and being healthy may have only slowed it down.

 In  2014 I was in a medical trial located in Panama City Panama. This trial Utilized stem cells, from the cord blood of healthy Live birth babies. I received 80 million stem cells through IV injection. For me to get this treatment it will cost me $18,000, plus travel and that is what I’m trying to raise funds for. I’m hoping that I can raise funds for two trips.

Everybody’s MS is unique. Since June I have really experienced a loss of the benefits I gained from the trial. I want to keep things simple but at the same time explain what I gained and I am now losing. Starting on top. I had cognitive impairments: not able to remember short and long-term, facial recognition at the slightest change in hair. Confusion, not able to know what the words were that I wanted to use, depression and anxiety. Sense of smell and sense of taste coming and going. Loss of vision making anything greater than 2 feet a major challenge, close-up vision is also difficult because the shadows blocking what I’m trying to focus on. Facial recognition especially with any changes to things like hair. At times difficulty swallowing,  breathing with occasional choking. Numbness in face neck and shoulders, and arms and hands, back, ribs, legs and feet. Strength was becoming a big issue It was getting harder to sit up in the mornings or anytime I’d laid down. Transferring in my chair to other surfaces including toilet was becoming frequently harder. Part of my upper body becoming weaker becoming more difficult for me to hug my son. There are other things falling into personal care things that I I do not wish to included but 2 of the other major issues that I had relief from was the pain and the fatigue. Not everybody with MS has pain and or fatigue. I think most of us do. Pain and fatigue now, is a very big challenge for me because I’m drug sensitive and tolerate very little without extreme side effects. So in hoping that I have expressed that this isn’t just any medical treatment this is allowing me to have a functioning life. I do want to apologize to friends and family, I’ve moved away and I have not shared how bad my MS is with them. I’m embarrassed and do not want to burden them.

Owen came in and asked me what I was doing, I told him and he said yeah, I know they will help you because system cells actually helped.

If my cause is not one you wish to support financially please consider supporting me by passing this on to others I greatly appreciate it.