Information about Ian & his proposed treatment
I have been an active member of Matlock Gilbert and Sullivan Society for seven years; in that time I have served as a Committee Member and as Chairman. I continue to perform in principal roles despite struggling with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This year I am playing the part of Dr. Daly, the quirky and sentimental old vicar of Ploverleigh, in our forthcoming production of "The Sorcerer".
I have had MS for 15 years and am becoming increasingly disabled. I have put myself forward for a new treatment called ‘autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation’. Professors at the Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham consider me a good candidate for this because I am otherwise fit and healthy and so I should withstand the treatment.
The procedure involves complicated phases of dialysis and chemotherapy, and a period of isolation to allow my immune system to regenerate free from the faulty cells which are responsible for my MS. If all goes well, this opens the way to a different follow-on treatment aimed at not only halting my deterioration but also possibly reversing it.
This proposed treatment lies at the pioneering edge of treatments for MS. Consequently, NHS funding for this treatment lies, at best, many years away. Therefore, this will have to be carried out privately, in Nottingham, at a cost of £24,000. I am therefore seeking sources of funding to aid in covering the cost.
As well as offering the prospect of improvement of my own condition, undergoing this procedure should serve to advance medical knowledge and so offers the prospect of also benefiting other people with MS.
These treatments are not related to the discredited ‘stem cell therapies’ offered, for example in Amsterdam, which were exposed as a sham and of no scientific value. Nor does the treatment have any ethical implications since it does not involve taking stem cells from other people, foetuses, etc.
Finally, I am profoundly grateful for the love, friendship and support I have received from the members of Matlock Gilbert and Sullivan Society and for their efforts in raising money for my treatment.
Further information about Ian and the treatment he is to undertake can be found on the Multiple Sclerosis Pioneer Fund website.