Ashley's Hematopoietic Stem Cell Treatment for MS

Ashley Robichaux is a wife, daughter, and mother of 2 beautiful children. A week ago, Ashely lost vision in her right eye while at work which prompted her boss to rush her to the ER. The ER neglected to do any type of testing and instead sent her to an Ophthalmologist, who then sent her to a Retina specialist the very next day. After she saw the Retina specialist it became clear that the issue was not her eye, but her brain. The Retina specialist then advised her to go back to the ER and have them do an MRI of her brain. By the time she arrived at the ER, her vision was completely dark in the right eye, she was cognitively impaired having issues with memory and speech, and she was suffering from intense headaches, as well as loss of sensation in her right arm. They went ahead and did the MRI promptly on her arrival. The MRI showed multiple lesions in three quadrants of her brain, they then proceeded to get a cervical MRI that also showed an active lesion on her spine. She was then admitted to the hospital where they proceeded with a spinal tap. Once they received all the results they gave her a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This is a disease where your immune system attacks the nervous system, which leaves scaring on your brain and spine that ultimately leads to loss of cognitive and physical ability amongst other things. Due to the aggressive onset of her attack, her doctor gave her an EDSS (Expanded Disability Status Scale) score of 4.5 out of 10 with 10 resulting in death. There is no current cure for MS, but the HSCT (Hematopoietic Stem Cell Treatment) can reboot her immune system and stop the progression of the disease as well as the potential to reverse some damage that has already occurred. HSCT is not currently covered by insurance in the US and is not FDA-approved due to pending clinical trials not being scheduled to conclude until 2029. Ashley does not have the luxury of time and needs this groundbreaking treatment to take back control of her body to prolong her ability to live a normal life. HSCT is very expensive and is currently only available outside of the country. Ashley needs this treatment to improve her quality of life so she can be there for her two beautiful children, JR and Juliana, her husband Joe-Joe, and the rest of her family and friends. Please take a moment to pray for Ashley and help support her and her family as they navigate this scary road ahead. If you find it in your heart, please donate and/or share her story. Help Ashley into remission from MS so she can watch her children grow up, and be there for all of life's milestones. We are seeking $60,000 to help pay for the treatment cost so Ashly can receive this pioneering treatment for MS that research has shown to stop the progression of MS.