Carlow woman starts fundraiser for urgent medical treatment for multiple sclerosis
Carlow woman Yvonne Geoghegan is seeking help in funding her HSCT treatment in Mexico
A young Carlow woman, Yvonne Geoghegan, 25, is seeking the public's help with raising funds for her HSCT treatment to treat her multiple sclerosis.
She is seeking funding on GoFundMe with a link to the fundraiser here.
A little bit about Yvonne's journey from the GoFundMe page:
"Hi, my name is Yvonne, and as some of you may know, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2019 at 25 years old.
MS causes the immune system to mistakenly attack the nerves protective layer, leading to many unpredictable and sometimes permanent symptoms.
Although my diagnoses is relapsing remitting MS, the attacks I've had have been aggressive, leading to permanent loss of vision in my right eye, slight decreased vision in my left eye, weakness in my right leg, and extreme fatigue.
In April, I suffered another attack which caused further weakness in my leg and a loss of balance. I can no longer walk unaided, and require a crutch to get around. I've suffered several falls, some worse than others.
Unfortunately, the treatments I've previously tried were unsuccessful and my condition continues to deteriorate. Both treatments included, what I can only describe as, horrific side effects. Sickness, constant nausea, hair loss, headaches, increased risks of cancer and serious brain infections, amongst many more.
Although there is no cure for multiple sclerosis, the current treatments in Ireland are designed to slow down progression, but not stop it.
I have recently been accepted for a HSCT treatment in Mexico. This treatment has a high success rate and is designed to halt MS and, essentially, stop it in it's tracks, along with the possibility of repairing some of the damaged nerves.
Unfortunately, due to funding issues, this treatment isn't available to MS patients in Ireland.
This treatment will completely destroy my immune system, and 'reboot' it. It is a long and aggressive treatment that includes freezing of my eggs before going due to increased risk of early menopause, a wide range of testing on arrival, the collection of stem cells, 4 rounds of chemotherapy, and then reintroducing the stem cells to my body. The process takes between 28-30 days.
Although this seems like a very invasive treatment, it is currently my only hope of living a somewhat 'normal' life."
More about Yvonne's story and how to donate can be found on her GoFundMe fundraiser with the link for the fundraiser HERE.