Laura Cipriano is a daughter, a sister, a mother, a librarian, a teacher, a doctoral student, a researcher, a traveler, an avid hiker, a volleyball player, a coach, a volunteer, and a friend. All she wants is to continue to share her big, beautiful life with those she loves with an able body and an able mind as long as she is blessed to do so. Multiple Sclerosis has threatened to take that ability from her, but she hopes it doesn’t have to. At the very least, she hopes to continue teaching until she decides to retire (another 15 years, hopefully), not because she is forced to due to disability from this insidious disease. She also wants to finish her dissertation toward her doctorate in Educational Leadership and Administration, a lifelong goal.

How did we get here?

On April 28, 2022, Laura was hospitalized because her legs had been numb and tingling from her waist to her toes for 12 days. After several doctor and ER visits, rounds of lab testing, x-rays, and MRIs, by God’s grace, her chart landed on the desk of the chief of neurology for his review at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He determined she needed to be treated immediately for myelitis (inflammation of the myelin/spinal cord), and later determined it was due to lesions on her spinal cord from Multiple Sclerosis. For five days, Laura received infusions of Solu-Medrol in an attempt to prevent permanent damage. She is still in the process of recovery, hoping that her symptoms continue to improve and that the intervention worked.

After much prayer, reading, and reflection, Laura and her neurology team have decided that her best chance at remission and recovery exists in HSCT. HSCT (hematopoietic stem cell transplantation) is an intense chemotherapy treatment for Multiple Sclerosis and has an effectiveness rate that is significantly higher than any of the risky, disease-modifying drugs that currently exist. It aims to stop the damage MS causes by removing harmful immune cells. The person’s own stem cells are then used to regrow the immune system, sending the patient into a long period of remission, preventing relapse, disability, and neurological damage. It also buys the patient time and allows the person to avoid prolonged use of toxic medications that have serious side effects, including that of cancer and lethal brain infections.

Research has shown that HSCT is most effective for people with MS who:

have frequent relapses and MRI scans showing new or active lesions – these are signs of ‘active inflammation.’ Laura has multiple lesions on her spinal cord, which causes numbness, tingling, and pain in both of her legs and feet.

are early on in their disease course - the sooner the better, before relapses do permanent harm (which cannot be reversed)

don't have significant disability - measured by the EDSS (Expanded Disability Status Scale) - Laura’s is at 3.5 currently, since her ability to walk and stand have been affected. The goal is to avoid further progression of disability.

Unfortunately, HSCT is not yet FDA-approved in the United States as a treatment for Multiple Sclerosis. It is still in clinical trials, in which Laura is not eligible to participate, according to specific criteria set by the trial committees. It is available privately, however, starting at $150,000, an impossible amount of money for a single mother on a teacher’s salary.

There is hope, though: there is a long established, reputable medical facility in Mexico that has accepted her request and application for treatment and costs approximately ⅓ of what it does in our country. Laura can get the treatment for $55,000 at Clinica Ruiz in Puebla, Mexico, plus the cost of flights and food for the month-long stay for her and her caregiver. Once the funding is in place, she is eligible to begin the procedure on May 29, 2023. She will need to pay for the treatment in full two months prior to traveling to the center.

Please consider donating to Laura’s treatment, so she can continue to do her job and raise her children in good health and with hope for the future. Every little bit helps.

Laura plans to share her story and her experience as she navigates this process through videos and writing, no matter how hard it is. She has been through a lot in this life and is committed to finding meaning in this difficult challenge she now faces.

For more information:

Multiple Sclerosis Association of America: https://mymsaa.org/

Clinica Ruiz: https://hsctmexico.com/treatment.php?lng=eng

HSCT: https://www.nationalmssociety.org/Treating-MS/aHSCT