Brittany L. Vinson v. Multiple Sclerosis

To my dear friends, family, colleagues and the community in Libby, Montana and beyond: I come to you needing help and community.

TLDR: I have Multiple Sclerosis (“MS”). A life-changing procedure is available in Puebla, Mexico. Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant. I desperately need assistance to halt the progression of this disease.

*** For those of you uncomfortable with this platform, my Venmo is @BritLee406 and my mailing address is P.O. Box 1375, Libby, MT 59923***

My name is Brittany Lee Vinson. I’m a third-generation Montanan from Libby, Montana. I have a two-year-old sweetheart, Frankie Lee and a rambunctious Dachshund Elton with my partner-in-life Joshua Powell. I graduated from Libby High School in 2006 and then attended the Lincoln County Campus of Flathead Valley Community College. I transferred to the University of Montana in Missoula and got my bachelor’s degree. Next, I started law school at the University of Montana School of Law (now Blewett School of Law).

In my last year of law school, I started seeing flashing lights and went blind on and off for a week or so. This was chalked up to stress during finals week. Come to find out what was diagnosed as an ocular migraine was likely optic neuritis. This was preceded and followed by debilitating fatigue and was the very likely start of MS. Unbeknownst to me, fatigue (me regularly falling asleep in class or not even being able to stand up to blow dry my hair) is a very, very common symptom of MS. Nonetheless, I persisted and graduated. I received my Juris Doctor in 2015.

Following graduation, I moved home abruptly after my grandmother got an earth-shattering diagnosis of Mesothelioma (a rare lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure). I spent 43 days and nights with her and my mom in the hospital and care center. She passed peacefully in the Libby Care Center. I took (and passed) the bar exam shortly thereafter. My rewarding career as a lawyer was launched in Libby, my hometown.

In 2021, I was blessed with my little best friend Frankie Lee Powell. Her smile lights up the room and her jokes make everyone giggle. The tenacious little one had a rough go at the start of things. She has multiple food allergies that sent us both on a very, very limited diet with many sleepless nights. Nothing has been more difficult than changing her bloody diapers and holding her while she screams. The pursuit to track down and eliminate her allergens has been endless, but so worth it.

2022 brought cancer to our family once again. My dad was diagnosed with MDS - a blood cancer requiring a donor stem cell transplant as a treatment. My parents were first off to Seattle, WA and then Houston, TX for treatment. The ups and downs have been immense. Being no stranger to stress, I had yet another strike of MS against me. A battle began and I was unable to walk for weeks. I was dizzy, had vertigo, and was confused and scared. My world was upside down. A trip to a local doctor ended up with a diagnosis of BPVV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo). I did some exercises recommended and slowly but surely, I returned to normal.

Early this year I thought a troublesome pinched nerve would be cured after a quick visit to the doctor. I was unable to walk again. But this time dizziness was not the culprit. It was drop foot on my left accompanied by numbness in my right leg. A bit later I started to get icepick headaches. These are downright offensive. Feels like you're being stabbed with an icepick. Tragically, upon further investigation into other past and developing symptoms, the path to a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis started.

Multiple Sclerosis is a debilitating autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system – brain and spinal cord. Your immune system mistakenly attacks the protective myelin that covers nerve fibers. It causes miscommunication in your body. Tragically, MS results in a variety of debilitating symptoms before finally, paralysis and potentially death. What started in March, was not even seen by a neurologist until July. An MRI revealed 10-15 lesions on my brain and spinal cord. Currently, I have no remaining symptoms but only a constant worry about the future as I live with this progressive, autoimmune condition.

In the United States, treatments for MS are still limited. Certainly, there are treatments (DMTs) that aim to slow the progression. But success rates are low, side effects are massive and risks are incredible. And sadly, no cure. I have (almost obsessively) researched and been speaking to many people about MS which has ultimately led me to Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT). There are trials in the U.S., but the qualifications are ridiculous and of course, insurance coverage would be a battle. The most important factor - the sooner the HSCT is done, the better because it can and often does stop further damage from occurring.

With HSCT not available to me here, I landed on Clinica Ruiz in Puebla, Mexico. Clinica Ruiz is state-of-the-art. It is the largest patient volume autoimmune disease HCST treatment center in the world. And success is no stranger. Positive results have been achieved in over 78% of patients transplanted. Safety is their goal. And they meet it. Their transplant-related mortality is 0.18% which is incredible.

I will need to leave my sweet Frankie and put my office on hold to undergo HSCT. The cost for this treatment is $80,000+ to pay for the HSCT, outpatient accommodation, a dedicated caregiver, time away from my career and flights. So far MS has taken some things I love away – sun (heat increases symptoms), food (a very limited diet reduces symptoms) and predictability (I do not know when my next relapse will strike). I’m desperately trying to stop it at just that.

Please help me keep my mobility, brain and life. If you are able, please help me get to Puebla, Mexico. Please share this link with as many people on as many platforms as you possibly can. Everything helps.