Support needed for the best human you’ll ever meet

Hi, my name is Melissa, and I need your help to get my best friend Aine through the toughest time of her life.

Aine was diagnosed with progressive MS, 13 years ago at the tender age of 27.

On the first episode, she was hospitalised for several months and needed to learn how to walk, write and feed herself again.

After much investigation, her amazing team of doctors prescribed the Rolls-Royce of MS drugs called Tysabri which enabled her to live a normal life to the max over the past 12 years.

After her wedding in May this year, she relapsed, the term used to describe when all the symptoms come back. She has new lesions on her brain & spine, and the Tysabri no longer wards off the onset of MS.

Her neurologist said that her only hope was to undergo a stem cell transplant. In Ireland, the HSE does not have the resources to provide this type of treatment but fortunately the NHS does in the U.K. and Aines case has been accepted by them.

Part of the treatment is chemotherapy to completely wipe out her immune system, in the hope of resetting it with new stem cells. She will be required to completely isolate in a hospital room, in a foreign city and country without her own medical team, friends and family for over a month.

Without this treatment, the alternative means she will very rapidly be confined to a wheelchair. She is 40 years young, just married the love of her life Tara and has a lot to live for.

While the base treatment is financially covered by the Irish Government, all the associated expenses are NOT. There are multiple flights for the initial treatment and follow-ups, accommodation costs, unpaid time off for Tara to care for Aine and a minimum of one year recovery of which sick pay will only partially cover. This alone is a massive financial burden, on top of the scariest treatment anyone could go through and we can help take that stress away if we dig deep and give what we can to help support her.

Despite everything that comes her way, Aine’s glass is always half full, the most positive, kindest and funniest person you could ever meet.

Below link explains the treatment.

https://www.mssociety.org.uk/living-with-ms/treatments-and-therapies/disease-modifying-therapies/hsct/hsct--what-to-expect

Thank you all in advance.

Melissa x