Photo: James Coates
A SOUTHPORT man who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis will now travel five thousand miles to Mexico to undergo pioneering stem cell treatment.
44-year-old James Coates from Tarleton has been accepted to have treatment in Mexico for his Secondary progressive Multiple Sclerosis neurological condition for which there is currently no cure.
Although trials have begun in the United Kingdom, only private patients are currently being accepted with an expected treatment cost of a staggering £60,000.
The money James will have to pay for treatment in Mexico is substantially less – but he is still appealing for people to help fund the £35,000 costs his family will need to fund the Hemotopioetic Stem Cell Transplant treatment at the Ruiz Clinic in Puebla City.
James’ wife Alison said: “James has Multiple Sclerosis for which there’s currently no cure.
”The UK is trialling a treatment for MS but their criteria is very strict to get it on the NHS as they are behind the rest of the world with the treatment, so your alternative is to go overseas, where there is much more experience of treating it.
“James has been accepted to have treatment for his Secondary Progressive MS in Mexico – the world’s leading facility for the treatment and we will get an admission date in the next few months.
”We are fundraising to raise the £35,000 cost of the treatment.
“Interestingly, the UK are about to start offering HSCT privately, but the cost will be around £60,000.
”MS is such a debilitating, insidious condition, and this treatment, which has an 85% success rate across all kinds of MS, offers a lot of hope.
“We are holding a fundraising ball at the Ramada, Southport on May 20 which we would love people to attend.
”Our local pub the Cock and Bottle in Tarleton are also holding a fundraising event on Friday February 12 which is the day after James turns 45!
“We would love as many people as possible to help support us.
”We have started with a JustGiving page, which gives more detail about HSCT, and a YouTube channel as well, in which James talks about the effect MS has had on his life in the last 5 years, since he was diagnosed.“
For more information about James’s fundraising campaign visit www.crowdfunding.justgiving.com/helpjamesbeatMS
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