Leigh Hits Ctrl+Alt+Del on MS
Donation protected
Imagine being a mum of two beautiful daughters, Georgia and Amelia aged 6 and 1.5 years but being physically incapable of being the mum you want to be? Imagine being married to a wonderful man, Leo, but not having the energy to do the simplest things together such as taking a walk?
My name is Leigh McBride and this is my story.
I was diagnosed with MS in 2009 although looking back my symptoms started many years before when I was in my late teens. I just didn’t know what was wrong with me. MS or Multiple Sclerosis, is an incurable, degenerative disease, that slowly robs your ability to lead a normal healthy life.
My health has deteriorated over the years but most significantly since my last pregnancy, with my beautiful youngest daughter. Daily I struggle. Simple tasks that others take for granted, I just cannot do. Just getting up and having my morning shower leaves me exhausted and needing to lie down and rest. I cannot walk my daughter to school for fear of my legs collapsing underneath me (which has happened) leaving myself and my children terrified. I am afraid to carry my youngest child outside for fear of dropping her. I do not take my children to the park on my own as I do not feel that I can keep them or myself safe. My walking is deteriorating constantly and I have become reliant on a cane or rollator. A wheelchair is necessary for longer distances.
I have daily nerve pain, transient vision loss, numbness in all of my limbs, balance issues, foot drop, immense weakness, loss of power in my hands, bladder issue,cognitive impairment not forgetting the emotional fatigue and anxiety that I suffer from. I live in constant fear of what the future holds for me as person, mother, wife, sister, and daughter. Fear of the future is almost as crippling as the disease itself.
But there may be some good news.
I have the opportunity to go to Russia in August 2017 for life changing stem cell treatment, called HSCT (Hematopioetic Stem Cell Transplant), at the National Pirogov Medical Centre in Moscow, under Dr. Denis Federenko, who has successfully treated hundreds of MS sufferers. Put simply, the idea is to reboot my system using a combination of harvesting my own stem cells, high dose chemotherapy to kill off my existing faulty immune system and then reinfusing my stem cells to create a brand new immune system free of any memory of MS. The aim of this treatment is to halt any further progression of my MS. There is the possibility that some of my current symptoms may improve as my body strengthens and heals. Of course this is a terrifying choice, but the thought that I could have a more normal life, to be able to look after my family, drives me to make the momentous journey to the other side of the world, leaving my 2 girls and my husband in Ireland. I am driven by the thought that, like so many who have gone before me, I might become myself again.
However to take advantage of this opportunity costs a significant amount of money and that is where I need your help. I do not qualify to have this treatment in Europe as I don’t meet the strict criteria as my MS has moved into a more progressive stage.
Costs include flights, the treatment itself, after care on returning home and simply being able to live whilst I am not working at all. We need to raise at least €75,000 to cover all of these costs. It is a massive amount, but I hope we can do it.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story and thank you so much for your support.
Leigh x
My name is Leigh McBride and this is my story.
I was diagnosed with MS in 2009 although looking back my symptoms started many years before when I was in my late teens. I just didn’t know what was wrong with me. MS or Multiple Sclerosis, is an incurable, degenerative disease, that slowly robs your ability to lead a normal healthy life.
My health has deteriorated over the years but most significantly since my last pregnancy, with my beautiful youngest daughter. Daily I struggle. Simple tasks that others take for granted, I just cannot do. Just getting up and having my morning shower leaves me exhausted and needing to lie down and rest. I cannot walk my daughter to school for fear of my legs collapsing underneath me (which has happened) leaving myself and my children terrified. I am afraid to carry my youngest child outside for fear of dropping her. I do not take my children to the park on my own as I do not feel that I can keep them or myself safe. My walking is deteriorating constantly and I have become reliant on a cane or rollator. A wheelchair is necessary for longer distances.
I have daily nerve pain, transient vision loss, numbness in all of my limbs, balance issues, foot drop, immense weakness, loss of power in my hands, bladder issue,cognitive impairment not forgetting the emotional fatigue and anxiety that I suffer from. I live in constant fear of what the future holds for me as person, mother, wife, sister, and daughter. Fear of the future is almost as crippling as the disease itself.
But there may be some good news.
I have the opportunity to go to Russia in August 2017 for life changing stem cell treatment, called HSCT (Hematopioetic Stem Cell Transplant), at the National Pirogov Medical Centre in Moscow, under Dr. Denis Federenko, who has successfully treated hundreds of MS sufferers. Put simply, the idea is to reboot my system using a combination of harvesting my own stem cells, high dose chemotherapy to kill off my existing faulty immune system and then reinfusing my stem cells to create a brand new immune system free of any memory of MS. The aim of this treatment is to halt any further progression of my MS. There is the possibility that some of my current symptoms may improve as my body strengthens and heals. Of course this is a terrifying choice, but the thought that I could have a more normal life, to be able to look after my family, drives me to make the momentous journey to the other side of the world, leaving my 2 girls and my husband in Ireland. I am driven by the thought that, like so many who have gone before me, I might become myself again.
However to take advantage of this opportunity costs a significant amount of money and that is where I need your help. I do not qualify to have this treatment in Europe as I don’t meet the strict criteria as my MS has moved into a more progressive stage.
Costs include flights, the treatment itself, after care on returning home and simply being able to live whilst I am not working at all. We need to raise at least €75,000 to cover all of these costs. It is a massive amount, but I hope we can do it.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story and thank you so much for your support.
Leigh x
Organiser
Leigh McBride
Organiser
