Patient Name, Age, Country

Mitzi Sprague, 36, USA

StemCellsChina would like to thank Mitzi for writing her own Patient Experience for us! We spoke with her but afterwords felt she said it best...

Condition

Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (MS), diagnosed in 1998

Secondary-progressive MS, diagnosed in 2007

Reason for Coming for Treatment

The reason I went was because I was 36 and on chemotherapy and didn’t even have cancer. I had to walk with a cane and look into other’s faces as they wondered what was wrong with me. Now I walk confidently, on my own, and look into other’s faces as they are returning my smile!

I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS in early 1998.  Most of my “major” attacks consisted of Optic Neuritis which doctors treated by IV steroids.  These major attacks were accompanied by less “severe” symptoms: numbness, loss of balance, foot drop, seizures, migraine headaches, fatigue, and depression.  These are just the MS symptoms that I had to deal with.  Because of the foot drop on my left leg, I have fallen numerous times.  On one such occasion, I fell on concrete, hit my face and required emergency help; I ended up needing stitches because of the fall.  Walking a long distance was out of the question, as well as being able to stand for a long period of time.  Stress from dealing with the disease and the disease itself caused a downward spiral with the depression.  I wasn’t myself; I was a shell of my former self.  The exacerbations began to occur more frequently and I ended up needing to walk with a cane.  In September of 2007, the doctors diagnosed me as secondary progressive MS and put me on chemotherapy to help treat the MS.

I showed great progress after the first chemotherapy treatment in the US, but the following chemo treatments zapped me. Now that I was getting chemo, I had fewer MS symptoms, but I had the side effects of chemotherapy to deal with.  After I found out about the stem cell treatments we made plans to go and I discontinued the chemotherapy.

Treatment in China

I went to China in May 2008 and received 5 stem cell transplants; 4 spinal injections and one IV of umbilical cord blood stem cells. Physical therapy with Martin (the miracle PT guy!), acupuncture and electric wave stimulation. 

Condition After Treatment

My results were fabulous! I couldn’t physically jump before the transplants; now I can. This happened after the first injection. My balance was off before the treatments, now I can balance on one foot for at least 30 seconds. Before the treatments exercise was out of the question. Now I work-out with a personal trainer twice a week. He has me doing squats and push ups and I am getting stronger just overall. My headaches have decreased in severity and frequency. The dull ache I had in the back of my head behind my right eye is gone. I am at work almost every day in addition to participating in social activities. I get to make choices for my life and how I will get to live it out. Before, the disease controlled how I was living. 

Condition Today

Based on my experience and the results I have seen, it was the best decision I have made.  

I still have days when I am tired, off-balance or have headaches, but these days are further apart. I can do more things than I used to, walk around the mall with my niece,  nephews and other family members. I get to go to a friends party and stay the whole evening instead of having to leave early. I'm working out with a trainer. I'm doing squats with weights and push-ups, before I had walk with a cane. I can climb stairs without having a death grip on the railing and a lot of the time I use the stairs without holding on!

-Mitzi