USA – 27 Aug, 2016 – You may have seen the recent popular news story about Canadian doctors claiming they have cured MS. It’s been everywhere. The funny thing is that Dr. Burt in Chicago is the one that discovered this treatment, over a decade ago. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is currently in a stage 3 clinical trial at Northwestern University.

Several news outlets have done stories on individuals traveling for HSCT to treat MS. Most of the stories don’t get the details quite right, but they at least get publicity for both the treatment and the patient. Many of these news stories overdramatize the danger and underemphasize the reality of how utterly amazing HSCT is.  Countless people walking who were once in wheelchairs are just a small window into the success. Even if people weren’t getting better (which they are), simply stopping the progression of MS is worth every ounce of risk to most of us. This may be hard to understand for people whose lives haven’t been personally affected by MS. MS is completely unpredictable. It’s terrifying.

Without HSCT, I know one thing: I am going to get worse.

HSCT is the first and only treatment to ever give hope to those of us with MS. It involves harvesting the patient’s own stem cells and reintroducing them after their immune system has been wiped out with chemotherapy. The idea is to reboot the immune system to a new one that doesn’t attack itself. For those of us fighting this disease, it’s the miracle we’ve been hoping for.

There are a handful of places worldwide performing HSCT for MS and other autoimmune diseases. Russia, Germany, and Mexico are among the countries with HSCT facilities. No surprise: Mexico is the cheapest.  $55,000 pays for a 28-day stay in a 2 bedroom apartment for the patient and their caregiver, as well as the treatment at Clinica Ruiz in Puebla Mexico. The cost is less overwhelming when you consider that MS disease-modifying medications have awful side effects, don’t stop the MS and cost about $5,000 a month.

Every 30 days, a new group of patients from around the globe travel to Puebla Mexico for a 28-day stay and a chance at life. I am scheduled for January 30, 2017. I am ecstatic. However, to cover the cost of treatment, travel, and related expenses I need to raise $70,000.

I’m the mom of two awesome kids, and am married to the love of my life. They deserve to get me back; The me that can function every day. I am going to be away from my home for a month. Away from my children, my husband & my dogs. I am going to lose my hair. Nothing about this will be easy, but to be given back my life it is most certainly worth it. Hopefully post HSCT I will no longer do fun things like drop my entire dinner plate in my lap. I want to be the active mom and wife my family deserves. When the time comes, I want to chase my grandbabies!

I *need* to tell my story. I need more people to see it. And quite frankly, I need money.

Thus far, no one local has done a story on HSCT. I want to spread word of the hope for those that need it, and spread the word on my fundraising. I want to be able to look at my kids and honestly tell them that I have tried everything possible. How amazing would it be if my story gave someone else the hope and the strength to look into HSCT for themselves?!

Check out my fundraising page. Read my story. Shop my Stronger Than MS store!

Details of upcoming fundraising events (family movie night, shoe drive, foot golf tournament) are on my fundraising page. And if you have MS, know that you too ARE STRONGER than MS!

Follow me to and through this journey on Facebook and watch me beat MS!

https://gogetfunding.com/i-am-stronger-than-ms/ 

https://m.facebook.com/megshsct/

https://vimeo.com/175601320

Full News Story: http://pressreleasejet.com/news/virginia-mom-heading-to-mexico-to-beat-ms.html

Distributed by Press Release Jet

Media Contact
Company Name: Meg’s HSCT Journey
Contact Person: Meg Jackson
Email: meg.jaxx@gmail.com
Phone: 703-943-8604
Country: United States
Website: https://gogetfunding.com/i-am-stronger-than-ms/