Help me fight

Help Me Fight

Project 2017-05-19 13:42:27 +1200

“Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one” - Bruce Lee

Over the past 14 years I have experienced an array of symptoms due to Multiple Sclerosis; partial loss of eyesight, loss of balance and vertigo, shooting electrical shocks throughout my spine, cognitive issues, tingling/burning/icy sensations and numbness, mild to extreme fatigue and over the past 18 months, increasing mobility problems. MS will slowly continue to steal away my quality of life if I do not undergo Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (aHSCT). I have so much to live for and my young family deserve a mother who is there, fully capable and strong - no matter what they need from me. On 22nd May I will fly to Russia for the only treatment which has been shown to halt MS in its tracks.

What is MS?

Multiple sclerosis is a long-lasting, autoimmune disease that affects the brain, spinal cord, and central nervous system. It can cause problems with vision, balance, muscle control and other basic body functions. MS causes your immune system to attack the fatty material called myelin, which wraps around your nerve fibres to protect them. Without this outer shell, your nerves become damaged and scar tissue may form.

This damage disrupts messages travelling along nerve fibres – they can slow down, become distorted, or not get through at all. The longer you leave it before having treatment, the more nerve damage you experience. Without being too melodramatic, aHSCT is my only hope. This treatment is not available in NZ and is only offered in a small number of places throughout the world.

I am lucky to have been accepted to receive aHSCT at The A.A. Maximov Hematology and Cell Therapy Department of the National Pirogov Medical Surgical Centre in Moscow. This treatment involves a gruelling procedure that will take me away from my family for 4 debilitating weeks. It will be the hardest thing I will ever endure but with my deteriorating physical and cognitive functions, the results will be life changing. It offers myself and my family the hope of combating this illness and finding a way forward.

The treatment and related costs for this will be up to as much as NZ$95,000. The treatment will take healthy stem-cells from my body prior to a 4 day course of intensive chemotherapy to completely destroy the part of the immune system that is currently causing my MS. My healthy stem-cells are then re-introduced to my body and during a 12-day isolation period my body will begin to rebuild a brand new MS free immune system.

This PledgeMe campaign allows me to give something to back to my crowd by using my own talents as a designer to provide valuable rewards to people in exchange for their support. My goal with this campaign is for me to raise sufficient funds to pay for some of the tests I will need when I return from Russia in late June (our health system will not cover my blood tests, specialist appointments, MRI scans, etc).

In the first year I will need:

• x3 MRI scans of my brain and spine at a minimum of $2350 each
• x3 blood tests at $480 each
• x3 Neurologists appointments at $480 each

My initial target for this campaign will be $2350 which will pay for one of my MRI scans. If I reach this goal I would work hard to offer more rewards and strive to raise funds to pay for some of the other tests listed above.

Whilst all forms of fundraising are vital to my health, PledgeMe empowers me by allowing me to offer something in exchange for the support of our awesome Kiwi community. Perhaps some of these rewards might make a great gift for a loved one or maybe you would like to treat yourself?

Images of rewards on offer:

Thank you card, depicting St Basil's Cathedral - Moscow 

Whittakers Gourmet Bownies with Creamy Milk Chocolate chips - heaven!

Handmade Mermaid Tail costume (Designed and made by me) 

Merino Made Strong Scarves (designed by me, made in NZ)

Made Strong T-shirt made strong (and ethically) by www.littleyellowbird.co.nz

Soft Lambswool Bed Scarves (designed and made at Inter-weave Ltd, NZ)

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