We are going to Israel!!

Monday, April 6, 2015

We are going to Israel!!

As I said in a previous entry, I emailed application letters all over the world. I only received responses from Russia, Chicago and Israel. Russia put me on the list which is about a 2 year wait. I don't have 2 years to wait. Chicago asked me to come for an evaluation (that story will have to be in another post).
The email that I received from Israel came from Professor Slavin himself. It was probably a form email, but it sent me in the right direction! He said that he had forwarded my email to his assistant, Ruth and that she would be contacting me. I'm not one to follow directions, so I promptly emailed her! That was the start of more emails that I can count!

Ruth instructed me to email all of my previous MRI results I had to her. She sent me forms to fill out. I also had to get a new MRI and get those results in. I had the new MRI in January 2015. At this time, I thought that we had until late in the year to get ready for my trip to Israel. I was wrong about that!!

My husband and I went on a trip late in February. We drove down to Denver to see family and then stopped to see family and friends in Arizona and Nevada. This was a long road trip over about 2 weeks. I received an email from Ruth, Prof. Slavin's assistant in the middle of our trip. Prof. Slavin is the doctor in Tel Aviv Israel. The International Center for Cell Therapy & Cancer Immunotherapy (CTCI)

The gist of the email was this... They have had two dates open up and Ruth will accept the first people that respond. Needless to say, I responded immediately on my cell phone. I took the second date of April 26th, 2015. Having a real date for my HSCT was a very strange feeling.

I received more email from Ruth over the rest of our trip. Prof. Slavin wanted a video of me walking. My husband took a video of me walking in a parking lot in Las Vegas, we sent it. She needed me to get my neurologist or internist to order test's that I need before going. I made phone calls while my husband drove. We got home around February 20th. This didn't leave me with much time to get ready!

I am going to Israel to get a second chance!!

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What is MS

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic degenerative disorder affecting the Central
Nervous System: the Brain and Spinal cord. MS is one of the leading causes of
neurological disabilities in young adults. MS affects both genders, more
commonly in women than men.

The Mayo Clinic lists four main patterns of Multiple Sclerosis:

Relapsing remitting: This type of MS is characterized by clearly defined flare-ups,
followed by periods of remission. The flare-ups typically appear suddenly, last a
few weeks or months, and then gradually disappear. Most people with MS have
this form at the time of diagnosis.

Primary Progressive: People with this less common form of MS experience a
gradual decline, without periods of remission. People with this form of MS are
usually older than 40 when symptoms begin.

Secondary Progressive: More than half the people with relapsing remitting MS
eventually enter a stage of continuous deterioration referred to as secondary
progressive MS. Sudden relapses may occur, superimposed upon the continuous
deterioration that characterizes this type of MS.

Progressive relapsing: This is primary progressive MS with the addition of
sudden episodes of new symptoms or worsened existing ones. This form is
relatively rare. (MayoClinic.com 1998, 2004).

The signs and symptoms of MS are fatigue, weakness, numbness, and difficulty
with coordination and loss of balance. A percentage of patients complained of
visual disturbances including blurry vision, patchy blindness and total blindness.

The disease process of MS involves the nerve cells called neurons. In Multiple
Sclerosis nerves are hardened in multiple locations of the body, the breakdown is
scattered irregularly throughout the body, decreasing aspect of functional abilities,
depending on which nerves are affected.

The cause of MS is unclear at this time. Presently research is done in the areas
of viral, immunology and genetic factors. Autoimmune response triggered by the
exposure to a virus or environmental trigger in genetically susceptible individuals.
The exposure to a virus causes reactions that form antibodies to fight the virus.
Antibodies attack the myelin instead of the virus- an autoimmune response.

There is no cure for MS. The medications given to the patient are for pain
management and relief of symptoms. Side effects of these medications are:
weakness, fatigue, grogginess, decrease in alertness, all these symptoms can
interfere with the performance of Activity of Daily Living (ADL).

Kristin's Trip To Israel - Stopping MS

Monday, April 6, 2015