Stem Cell Treatment Gives Hope to Mother of Two

By Emma Mountford, Middleton Guardian, October 12, 2006

A mother afflicted with multiple sclerosis is preparing to begin her journey towards a better life with the help of revolutionary stem cell treatment. In just 5 months, after her family and friends managed to raise the £13,000 needed for her treatment in Holland, 34 year old Tina is now in the books at the clinic.

If Tina manages to get a treatment appointment in the next couple of months, her mother Elizabeth said it would be easily be the best Christmas present ever.

"Tina wants to be mobile so that she can do things without having to ask someone for help,” said Elizabeth.

"She tried her hardest not to be in a wheelchair but the illness beat her to it.”

"I am very proud of my daughter because she has tried not to let things get to her. In having this treatment she wants to be an inspiration to other sufferers."

Tina is hopeful that the treatment will enable her to leave behind her wheelchair and play with her two young daughters like any other mother. She now eagerly waits for the clinic to give her a date on which she can go and start her treatment.

Tina is now eagerly waiting for the clinic to give her a date and hopes the controversial treatment, which is not available in the UK.

Tina was getting ready to start a new job as an assistant manager at Kendal’s department store in Manchester when she was diagnosed with the debilitating illness 12 years ago.

Tina hopes the treatment – which has a high success rate with 80 per cent of patients making a good recovery and 15 per cent making a noticeable improvement – will transform her life.

Tina’s mother said, “we are keeping fingers crossed that it will work, even if she is walking with sticks. She has been falling a lot recently and it has been very upsetting. There was a particularly nasty incident the other day when she smacked the side of her face on a chest of drawers. And she scalded herself trying to bring a hot drink in from the kitchen. She is trying to be independent but can’t be as much as she wants. But she hopes the treatment will have her back on her legs."

"I would like to thank everyone who raised money for the fund, including a little girl who made jewelry in the summer holidays,” added Elizabeth.

Joanne, who is Tina’s younger sister, will travel to the treatment clinic with her. Tina has also promised to keep others suffering from MS informed of her stem cell treatment, who she recently met on an MS suffers website.