Help Jessie Walk Again with HSCT
Donation protected
Salutations!
My name is Jessica Flynn, and I am one of the hundreds of thousands who struggle with Multiple Sclerosis; a progressive auto-immune disease that attacks the central nervous system. The disease course is unpredictable and incurable for all. In my case, MS has been progressive from the onset.
In my twenties, I experienced several, what I know now to be, flare-ups. However, these symptoms were not recognized as MS by my physicians. They included, but were not limited to:
- a 36-hour bout of Bell’s palsy, which was resolved before I could see a doctor
- a humiliating instance of bowel incontinence, misdiagnosed as IBS. Story most definitely NOT included.
- an abnormal gait, incorrectly attributed to fallen arches. I was prescribed custom-made shoe inserts from a podiatrist, not a neurologist. Gee, I never thought of that Dr. Scholl…
- lack of coordination, chalked up by a doctor to be my ‘old age’ of 30… hilarious
- crepitus and pain in my knees, which obviously must have been a result of the catching in softball/cross-country running/track in your youth. A shot of cortisone should do the trick! If only...
When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
I drew the line when my handwriting started to slip. I had that annoyingly, neat “teacher” handwriting. I LOVED writing everything longhand. I come from the “vintage” era of chalkboards and overhead projectors. These gave way to whiteboard, markers and finally, Smartboards. I no longer have the privilege of knowing the technological advancements in the classroom; I was forced to resign years ago.
NO ONE WAS LISTENING TO ME! Something was wrong with my body! I complained to my OB/GYN of my woes, and she was the FIRST physician to tell me to see a Neurologist— immediately. She later commented that she was impressed because she had received a “C” in Neurology… Go figure.
Everything else was a blur. An MRI showed 7-9 lesions in my brain and spinal cord. I was given this news, on the phone, during a teaching event I was attending physically— not mentally. I was extremely anxious about the results. I shuffled to my car, it was the best my feet could do with my fallen arches and all. I sobbed with a co-worker and called my grief-stricken mother. In a weird way, I was relieved. I knew that it was either an aggressive brain tumor or MS; this was the lesser of two evils. Something caught my eye, though. In my sifting through an abundance of paperwork, the neurologist had scribbled “Possible PP” next to my diagnosis. I found out later that this meant possible Primary Progressive MS. The worst kind.
So, I ended up getting a new, renowned neurologist at Johns Hopkins. I was lucky to only live minutes from the main campus in Baltimore, MD. Serendipity? Aside from his many accolades in the treatment of MS, he was dreamy and always wore a bow tie. I am not going to name drop, but all of you neurologists know who I am speaking of. Plus, at the time, there was a high likelihood of bumping into Dr. Ben Carson, and I was hopelessly starstruck.
Side note: I met Ben Carson and shook his “gifted” hand.
In any event, I started Tysabri, after months of Rebif self-injections. Tysabri is a monthly injection, and supposedly the closest we have come to slowing the progression of MS. Tysabri, like many others, is a disease modifying treatment; I long for a disease ENDING treatment.
Enter HSCT. This is the only chance, to date, of a complete “reset” of my body— a body full of cells that have no memory of this disease. Ten years has been long enough. I have already lost too much, and I refuse to wait for FDA approval for this treatment. You would do the same. Not another minute, not another inch of my body, will be given to this disease.
I need your help. I am currently scheduled for the 4/5/21 group at HSCT Clinica Ruiz, in Puebla, Mexico. This treatment bears an enormous price tag. When all is said and done, this will cost me and Bobby at least $65,000 USD. Please consider donating.
With hope, gratitude and ferocity,
- Jessie, Bobby, and Bella
Venmo: @Jessica-Bartle-1
PayPal: PayPal.Me/jbartle410
Cash App: $jessbartle
My name is Jessica Flynn, and I am one of the hundreds of thousands who struggle with Multiple Sclerosis; a progressive auto-immune disease that attacks the central nervous system. The disease course is unpredictable and incurable for all. In my case, MS has been progressive from the onset.
In my twenties, I experienced several, what I know now to be, flare-ups. However, these symptoms were not recognized as MS by my physicians. They included, but were not limited to:
- a 36-hour bout of Bell’s palsy, which was resolved before I could see a doctor
- a humiliating instance of bowel incontinence, misdiagnosed as IBS. Story most definitely NOT included.
- an abnormal gait, incorrectly attributed to fallen arches. I was prescribed custom-made shoe inserts from a podiatrist, not a neurologist. Gee, I never thought of that Dr. Scholl…
- lack of coordination, chalked up by a doctor to be my ‘old age’ of 30… hilarious
- crepitus and pain in my knees, which obviously must have been a result of the catching in softball/cross-country running/track in your youth. A shot of cortisone should do the trick! If only...
When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
I drew the line when my handwriting started to slip. I had that annoyingly, neat “teacher” handwriting. I LOVED writing everything longhand. I come from the “vintage” era of chalkboards and overhead projectors. These gave way to whiteboard, markers and finally, Smartboards. I no longer have the privilege of knowing the technological advancements in the classroom; I was forced to resign years ago.
NO ONE WAS LISTENING TO ME! Something was wrong with my body! I complained to my OB/GYN of my woes, and she was the FIRST physician to tell me to see a Neurologist— immediately. She later commented that she was impressed because she had received a “C” in Neurology… Go figure.
Everything else was a blur. An MRI showed 7-9 lesions in my brain and spinal cord. I was given this news, on the phone, during a teaching event I was attending physically— not mentally. I was extremely anxious about the results. I shuffled to my car, it was the best my feet could do with my fallen arches and all. I sobbed with a co-worker and called my grief-stricken mother. In a weird way, I was relieved. I knew that it was either an aggressive brain tumor or MS; this was the lesser of two evils. Something caught my eye, though. In my sifting through an abundance of paperwork, the neurologist had scribbled “Possible PP” next to my diagnosis. I found out later that this meant possible Primary Progressive MS. The worst kind.
So, I ended up getting a new, renowned neurologist at Johns Hopkins. I was lucky to only live minutes from the main campus in Baltimore, MD. Serendipity? Aside from his many accolades in the treatment of MS, he was dreamy and always wore a bow tie. I am not going to name drop, but all of you neurologists know who I am speaking of. Plus, at the time, there was a high likelihood of bumping into Dr. Ben Carson, and I was hopelessly starstruck.
Side note: I met Ben Carson and shook his “gifted” hand.
In any event, I started Tysabri, after months of Rebif self-injections. Tysabri is a monthly injection, and supposedly the closest we have come to slowing the progression of MS. Tysabri, like many others, is a disease modifying treatment; I long for a disease ENDING treatment.
Enter HSCT. This is the only chance, to date, of a complete “reset” of my body— a body full of cells that have no memory of this disease. Ten years has been long enough. I have already lost too much, and I refuse to wait for FDA approval for this treatment. You would do the same. Not another minute, not another inch of my body, will be given to this disease.
I need your help. I am currently scheduled for the 4/5/21 group at HSCT Clinica Ruiz, in Puebla, Mexico. This treatment bears an enormous price tag. When all is said and done, this will cost me and Bobby at least $65,000 USD. Please consider donating.
With hope, gratitude and ferocity,
- Jessie, Bobby, and Bella
Venmo: @Jessica-Bartle-1
PayPal: PayPal.Me/jbartle410
Cash App: $jessbartle
Organizer
Jessica Bartle
Organizer
Syracuse, NY