MIKE MATHER
12-22-14
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/64377140/hunt-after-cure-for-ms-disease
Andrew Hunt is betting his life on a high-risk, brutal and unproven medical treatment on the other side of the world, in a bid to beat the disease slowly killing him.
The Cambridge-based anaesthetic technician was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis eight years ago.
The news he had the disease, which attacks the nervous system in people's bodies, came just two weeks after Hunt asked his girlfriend Marie for her hand in marriage. They have since tied the knot.
Since then, she has helplessly watched her husband daily endure the characteristic symptoms of the disease: Fatigue, leg spasms, loss of balance, muscle weakness and tightening, and severe heat intolerance.
As is common for those who suffer from multiple sclerosis, Hunt is getting progressively worse. In mid-September, the disease forced him to resign from his job as an anaesthetic technician at Southern Cross Hospital.
His wife and sons - two-year-old Jesse and four-month-old Samuel - have been left with little hope of a stable future
But come early January, Hunt will leave his family for two months to become the first New Zealander to travel to Chicago for a treatment known as Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT).
The treatment is being trialled internationally for multiple sclerosis and is not yet approved in New Zealand. Although it has been labelled a high-risk treatment that is deemed unproven the Hunt family say it's a risk they are willing to take.
"I would love to be able to carry my baby without the concern that I might lose balance and drop him," he said. "I would love to kick the ball with my older son or just take him to the park. I would love to return to the work that I love."
Estimates of multiple sclerosis cases in New Zealand range from 25 to 70 cases per 100,000 people.
Marie Hunt said they had tried everything they could to improve her husband's health including changes to diet and exercise, stress management, taking medications and supplements.
"Nothing has worked . . . Right now, this treatment is our preferred option. We don't want to wait until trials for HSCT are finished, as time may mean further disease progression and disability."
The Hunts first heard about the treatment through a 60 Minutes documentary on Kristy Cruise, an Australian multiple sclerosis sufferer who received HSCT treatment and is responding successfully. "After travelling to Moscow for the treatment, the documentary shows Kirsty to be cured. She is now helping other Australians seek the same treatment," Marie Hunt said.
"Once we watched Kristy's amazing story we searched and found many more stories just like hers. Watching and reading about people who have had their lives completely changed through this treatment has given us hope. Basically, HSCT appears to be the only treatment scientifically shown to stop multiple sclerosis in its tracks and halt further progression," Marie said.
Hunt's experience in Chicago will be led by Richard Burt of Northwestern University, who has been pioneering the treatment for MS sufferers since 2000.
The Hunts' decision is not without cost. Not only are they forking out $200,000 to cover the cost of treatment, flights, accommodation, drugs and follow-up appointments, Hunt also faces getting much worse before he gets better.
The stem cell treatment is very similar to the bone marrow transplants used to treat patients with leukaemia and other cancers of the blood for decades.
The process begins with Hunt collecting his own stem cells. Then his immune system is destroyed through chemotherapy. During this time he will experience a high risk of infection so must keep away from crowded places and sick people, and have a pregnancy-type diet.
The previously-harvested stem cells are then intravenously infused back into his body over the course of several weeks.
"In theory, this will all help Andrew's body build a new immune system without the memory of multiple sclerosis," Marie Hunt said. Recovery from the treatment is expected to take up to two years.
"We don't know for sure how long the benefit of this treatment will last," Hunt said. "Maybe the best we can hope for is that it will keep me in remission for around five years. It will still be worth it though, because it will mean that I get to have five more years with my kids." mike.mather@fairfaxmedia.co.nz
12-22-14
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/64377140/hunt-after-cure-for-ms-disease
Andrew Hunt is betting his life on a high-risk, brutal and unproven medical treatment on the other side of the world, in a bid to beat the disease slowly killing him.
The Cambridge-based anaesthetic technician was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis eight years ago.
The news he had the disease, which attacks the nervous system in people's bodies, came just two weeks after Hunt asked his girlfriend Marie for her hand in marriage. They have since tied the knot.
Since then, she has helplessly watched her husband daily endure the characteristic symptoms of the disease: Fatigue, leg spasms, loss of balance, muscle weakness and tightening, and severe heat intolerance.
As is common for those who suffer from multiple sclerosis, Hunt is getting progressively worse. In mid-September, the disease forced him to resign from his job as an anaesthetic technician at Southern Cross Hospital.
His wife and sons - two-year-old Jesse and four-month-old Samuel - have been left with little hope of a stable future
But come early January, Hunt will leave his family for two months to become the first New Zealander to travel to Chicago for a treatment known as Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT).
The treatment is being trialled internationally for multiple sclerosis and is not yet approved in New Zealand. Although it has been labelled a high-risk treatment that is deemed unproven the Hunt family say it's a risk they are willing to take.
"I would love to be able to carry my baby without the concern that I might lose balance and drop him," he said. "I would love to kick the ball with my older son or just take him to the park. I would love to return to the work that I love."
Estimates of multiple sclerosis cases in New Zealand range from 25 to 70 cases per 100,000 people.
Marie Hunt said they had tried everything they could to improve her husband's health including changes to diet and exercise, stress management, taking medications and supplements.
"Nothing has worked . . . Right now, this treatment is our preferred option. We don't want to wait until trials for HSCT are finished, as time may mean further disease progression and disability."
The Hunts first heard about the treatment through a 60 Minutes documentary on Kristy Cruise, an Australian multiple sclerosis sufferer who received HSCT treatment and is responding successfully. "After travelling to Moscow for the treatment, the documentary shows Kirsty to be cured. She is now helping other Australians seek the same treatment," Marie Hunt said.
"Once we watched Kristy's amazing story we searched and found many more stories just like hers. Watching and reading about people who have had their lives completely changed through this treatment has given us hope. Basically, HSCT appears to be the only treatment scientifically shown to stop multiple sclerosis in its tracks and halt further progression," Marie said.
Hunt's experience in Chicago will be led by Richard Burt of Northwestern University, who has been pioneering the treatment for MS sufferers since 2000.
The Hunts' decision is not without cost. Not only are they forking out $200,000 to cover the cost of treatment, flights, accommodation, drugs and follow-up appointments, Hunt also faces getting much worse before he gets better.
The stem cell treatment is very similar to the bone marrow transplants used to treat patients with leukaemia and other cancers of the blood for decades.
The process begins with Hunt collecting his own stem cells. Then his immune system is destroyed through chemotherapy. During this time he will experience a high risk of infection so must keep away from crowded places and sick people, and have a pregnancy-type diet.
The previously-harvested stem cells are then intravenously infused back into his body over the course of several weeks.
"In theory, this will all help Andrew's body build a new immune system without the memory of multiple sclerosis," Marie Hunt said. Recovery from the treatment is expected to take up to two years.
"We don't know for sure how long the benefit of this treatment will last," Hunt said. "Maybe the best we can hope for is that it will keep me in remission for around five years. It will still be worth it though, because it will mean that I get to have five more years with my kids." mike.mather@fairfaxmedia.co.nz