Help Tanya Kiss Goodbye to MS

I NEED YOUR HELP.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I really appreciate it. My name is Tanya Richardson, I live on the Gold Coast with my partner Daniel and our kids. I’m looking for cash donations or items that can be used in an online auction and for raffles to raise money for medical treatment for Multiple Sclerosis.

I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2015. MS is a degenerative disease that can affect anyone at anytime in their life. I was absolutely devastated with what the future would hold for my family. The outlook isn't good, I could potentially wake up tomorrow and not be able to walk. As a mum this is terrifying. I have a three young children to look after.
For the last couple of years I have been battling daily symptoms: pain, muscle spasms, fatigue, balance and vision problems, extreme heat tolerance and my feet feeling like they're on fire. I worry every day what will happen next.
Treatments are available to slow the progression but I'm limited to what I can take, as I'm a diabetic I can't take steroid based medications. All these treatments come with harsh side effects, mine included.
Scientists hope for a cure for this monster and that would be mazing, but i'm not prepared to sit around and wait in the chance it could happen in my lifetime. My life is now and I want to live it.
I recently applied and was accepted for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transfusion (HSCT) in Mexico. It's very expensive ($54,500USD, that's $75,000AUD plus expenses) but unfortunately treatment isn't available in Australia.
HSCT works by taking and storing my stem cells, blasting my body with chemo to kill off my immune system and then re infusing my stem cells and building a new immune system, free from the memory of MS. The idea is that by wiping out and re booting my immune system, it will halt the progression of the disease and stop any further relapses.
Treatment comes with a 70-90% chance of halting disease progression, particularly with Relapsing Remitting MS (that's me) and when it's early on in the disease. It's not without risks and it's quite a harsh treatment, but right now it's my only chance at halting this monster. I want to be able to run around and play with my grandkids and not watch from a wheelchair. Living with a progressive disease comes with risks too, but I think the risk out ways the potential outcome. If I don't do it, I'll never know if I had a chance.
Right now HSCT is the closest thing I have to a cure.
Thank you for your understanding and support on this journey. It means so much to know I'm not alone.
Tanya xxx