Desperate mum’s race against time to fund treatment before she forgets her two little girls – Mirror.co.uk

By LizaAVILA

A desperate mum-of-two says she is losing her memory so fast she may soon be unable to recognise her young daughters.

Chantelle Fox was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) last May after suffering fatigue and "a little numbness" in her arm.

Since the devastating diagnosis, the 41-year-old's condition has quickly deteriorated, leaving her fearful for the future.

She has 79 lesions on her brain and her short-term memory is fading, meaning she often forgets where she has put things.

She also forgets promising her "beautiful" daughters, Lilly, five, and Edie, three, that she will take them somewhere special.

Her worst fear is that in just four years, she may not even remember the little girls at all.

Now, she faces a race against time to fund radical stem cell treatment in Russia - which she believes could halt the progress of her disease.

MS is a chronic condition, for which there is currently no cure.

The disease is caused by the immune system malfunctioning and mistakenly attacking nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

It can lead to patients suffering from a range of mild or severe symptoms.

In a bid to stop the progress of the "monster" condition, Chantelle, from Australia, plans to undergo surgery in Moscow.

MS Australia has deemed the treatment risky, while one neurologist told the mum there is no evidence it works and it could be dangerous.

However, another neurologist reportedly told her she would be a great candidate for a haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) trial.

But Chantelle, who lives in Melbourne, said waiting a long time for the chance to take part in a clinical trial in her home country wasn't an option.

Instead, she plans to travel abroad in June to undergo surgery.

I have two beautiful kids and I might not remember them in four years time if I dont go to Russia," she told the Herald Sun .

She added: I have to fight for my kids. I want to help them study, to see them married, to be a grandparent."

Chantelle has been accepted into an autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplant programme in Moscow.

She claimed the treatment has an "86 per cent success rate" in halting the progress of the neurological condition.

However, her family said the costs involved are "crippling".

They are trying to raise $150,000 (120,000) to cover the price of the treatment and transport to and from Russia.

Chantelle's sister, Maxine Parker, has set up dedicated GoFundMe and Facebook pages to help raise money for the surgery.

On the GoFundMe page, she describes how her younger sibling was "devastated" when she was diagnosed with MS.

She writes: "Chantelle was first diagnosed in May 2016. What started out as fatigue and a little numbness in her left arm, she put it down to just being tired from being a full time working mum of two young girls...

"A trip to her doctor one Sunday afternoon changed her and her family life forever. She was told to head straight to hospital, the dr believes she may have had a minor stroke.

"24 hours later, sitting in the hospital bed the neurologist suggests its either a brain tumour, motor neurone disease or MS and the only way to confirm is with a lumbar puncture and full MRI of her brain & spine.

"I will never forget sitting there holding my baby sister's hand as she lays on the bed with the nurse injecting a large needle into her spine to obtain spinal fluid. Almost an hour and half goes by and they confirm its been unsuccessful and they will need to try again.

"Next is the MRI and after two hours my sister returns to her hospital bed waiting for the news that will change her life forever."

She adds: "That neurologist returns to deliver the news, Chantelle you have multiple sclerosis... Chantelle is devastated, all she can think about is her two young girls and if she will be around to watch them grow up."

In a post on the page, Chantelle herself pays tribute to her sister, her husband Dara O'Donoghue and her two little girls.

Addressing Lilly and Edie, she writes: "You are the reason, I will never give up fighting this terrible disease, MS.

"You are my world and I will love you for eternity."

She also expresses her gratitude to her other relatives and friends.

It is estimated that around 100,000 people in the UK have MS.

HSCT involves the intravenous infusion of stem cells derived from peripheral blood, bone marrow or umbilical cord blood.

In autologous cases, the patient's own stem cells are used.

Their immune system is usually wiped out with chemotherapy treatment before it is regrown using their stem cells.

To visit Chantelle's GoFundMe page, click here .

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Desperate mum's race against time to fund treatment before she forgets her two little girls - Mirror.co.uk