Gratitude

Many thousands of people around the world have autoimmune disease severity as desperate as, or worse than, mine. Few know about Dr. Burt. Fewer still qualify for his research-stage treatment. Some of my previous posts attempt to explain how I became one of the few to qualify to be treated by Dr. Burt here at Northwestern University.

A small number of very brave MS patients may seek similar, but different HSCT treatments overseas. I followed the stories of a few who heroically succeeded. I also found less-publicized stories about others who quietly died in the process. With limited, but some, data, I calculated the risk versus reward odds as best as I could, then tossed the calculations aside as it became increasingly obvious that I was dying from unusually aggressive MS anyway. I was willing to fly to Bangalore, India, but thanks to my fortunate acceptance at Northwestern, I did not have to. I now realize I might have tried and failed in a far-off land as my MS attacks accelerated. One disaster could have quickly cascaded into the next. Thank God I didn't fly to Bangalore.

I sent a personal thank-you note to Dr. Burt's research study administrator for recognizing my treatment qualifications and then getting me into this treatment as my condition started to rapidly deteriorate. This is not that note. As a professional courtesy to a very busy person, I will not name her. Suffice to say that she is one of the most remarkable and compassionate people I have ever known. When I stumbled at the gate, she worked on many fronts to help see me safely through. She is one of many who personifies this entire program. The following pasted excerpt from her response to my thank-you is a better view of what this place is about than anything I can write.
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Wayne,
Thank you for the nice note. It means the world to me. 
I am very fortunate to have a job where I get to make a difference and help extraordinary people like you. I am especially grateful to work for Dr. Burt who I feel is more than a national treasure, he is a gift to humanity. He has made many sacrifices to develop therapies that have saved lives and end suffering. I know that this therapy has changed the course of your MS and you will see improvements in your health. I hope that you already have seen some changes for the better. The best thanks that my team and I can get is to see you do well.