Wednesday, November 6, 2013

People of faith, adult stem cells, and science.



When I first launched this blog on October 27, 2013, many of my friends, colleagues and acquaintances learned for the first time that I have multiple sclerosis, a disease I have struggled with since 2007. That alone is a big piece of news to digest.

Bigger still, I piled on additional news with the word jumble “autologous hematopoieic stem cell transplant” (HSCT), a procedure I will soon undergo at Northwestern University in Chicago. Please allow me to define a couple of those words. Their definition in regard to the type of stem cells involved is important, and I should have done a better job of defining these words earlier to clarify that there are no embryonic stem cells involved in HSCT.

AUTOLOGOUS
1:  derived from the same individual (me)
2:  involving one individual as both donor and recipient <an autologous stem cell transfusion> 

Hematopoietic
refers to organ where blood is formed. ex. the spongy bone, " a site of the bone where blood is formed" (In my case, the immune system component of blood, antibodies, lymphocytes and white blood cells.)

Emotions and Facts
The media has done stems cell science no favors. In offline conversations, several of my friends, people of faith and science, used the word “controversy” when referring to stem cells. Online, I have learned that some people who have already done HSCT try to avoid saying the words “stem cells” at all, partly because it leads to difficult social situations. I can understand their reticence. But I believe patients like me must be part of the solution to an educational problem being grappled with by leaders of both science and faith institutions, including Northwestern University, the National Institutes of Health and the Vatican. 

Following are two links to demonstrate how doctors, patients and faith leaders are building bridges of understanding.

After you click the following link, either read the whole article, or scroll halfway down to read what Dr. Burt had to say at the 2013 Vatican Conference, as well as two of his patients. In December, I will be another one of Dr. Burt’s patients. Though I am not personally Catholic, I find it very encouraging that the Vatican is open to listening and learning about stem cell science.

Vatican Conference Hopes to Promote Truth on Adult Stem Cell Therapy

Following is a video link to a remarkable young lady who spoke at the 2013 Vatican Conference. She and her mother describe how horrific disability was stopped and reversed by the same HSCT procedure I will soon undergo with Dr. Burt. Though her MS attack started much earlier in life than mine, her MS symptoms and frustrations with conventional MS drug treatment were very similar to me.



The Purpose of All This for Me
Despite following standard of care MS drug treatments and suffering their side effects, my MS advanced from a slow relapsing remitting form to a more rapid aggressive form in June 2013. It put me in a wheelchair for awhile.  After some extreme temporary treatments with steroids and blood plasma exchanges, my vision and hand coordination has improved and I am just now starting to ambulate with a cane. This is a very positive indication that stopping the immune system attacks with chemo will put me on the road to recovery.

In Chicago, the plan is for my harvested adult stem cells to be transplanted back to me after chemo wipes out the defective immune system that is currently attacking my brainstem. In short, MS is trying to cripple and kill me, so I am turning to fight back and kill it with chemo first. If all goes well, my stem cells will be transplanted back to quickly rebuild a new immune system that will no longer attack my central nervous system.

I could not do this without remarkable advances in technology that will surely become safer and better over time for future patients. But for me, the time is now. I am putting my life in the hands of Dr. Burt and his competent staff. I am being afraid and doing it anyway, with great confidence and faith that this medical adventure will work and give me my life back.

Thank you all for your support, well wishes and prayers.

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