Bill Anderson felt like he was in the best shape of his life when doctors diagnosed him with multiple sclerosis in 2001.
The Harborcreek Township real estate agent’s regular workouts were interrupted by a sudden numbness in his abdomen that radiated down to his feet.
“I went to the emergency room and was later admitted to the hospital,” said Anderson, now 49. “They did some tests and diagnosed me with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. I was stunned.”
Anderson has fought MS for 13 years, giving as little ground as he can to the relentless disease. He still works full time but now walks with a cane or a walker when the terrain is uneven.
His symptoms have worsened in recent years and traditional medications aren’t helping him much. So Anderson is ready to take a drastic step: Spend $25,000 to travel to Panama for stem cell treatments.
“I’m not going to lie down and let this disease take me down, when there may be something out there to help me,” Anderson said.
He is preparing to visit the Stem Cell Institute in Panama City in July and undergo intravenous injections of stem cells as a treatment for MS. The stem cells are taken from the umbilical cords of healthy, living babies whose mothers have donated the cords, according to the institute’s website.
It’s a treatment not currently approved in the United States and not covered by health insurance.
“I found out about it through research on the Internet,” Anderson said. “I was trying to find a cure or something different.”
According to its website, the Stem Cell Institute uses mesenchymal stem cells to stop an MS patient’s immune system from attacking the myelin sheath, an insulator for neurons that enables them to communicate.
Over the course of four days, Anderson will receive four injections of stem cells and undergo two sessions of physical therapy.
“Each round of treatments costs $21,200 and if you add traveling expenses, it will cost me $25,000,” Anderson said. “Right now I’m on two prescriptions for my MS that cost my health insurer $6,500 a month and my symptoms are getting worse.”
But Anderson hasn’t asked his health insurer if it will cover the stem cell treatments because they aren’t approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society currently sponsors 12 research projects involving stem cells but calls the use of stem cells to treat MS “experimental.”
“We do encourage our constituents, when they decide to seek experimental surgery, to do so in a clinical trial setting and we provide information on registered clinical trials,” said Arney Rosenblat, associate vice president of public affairs for the MS Society.
Anderson said he talked with a Dallas-Fort Worth police officer with MS who underwent two treatments at the institute.
“He told me that he has never felt better,” Anderson said. “He said the treatments have changed his life.”
Anderson, who is married and has two children, can’t afford to pay for the treatment entirely by himself, so he is raising money. He set up a fundraising website at www.gofundme.com/8wm2xo that has collected more than $10,400.
A benefit is scheduled Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m. at Mound Grove Golf Course, 10760 Donation Road. It will include live music, a silent auction, food and beverages for a $10 donation.
Anderson said he knows there is no guarantee the stem cell treatment will work, but he is ready to try it.
“I want to get enough of my strength back to walk without a cane, get into a gym and develop enough strength so I’m not so fatigued,” he said.
Has Mr. Anderson heard, read about or looked into Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia? They work with MS patients and are a great resource. Perhaps he can speak with them to find out what they’re doing in this field. They’re an absolutely fantastic U.S. resource.