“I have everything to gain and nothing to lose,” says Joanne Watmough.
The Coalhurst mother of three will travel to India this month with her husband Trevor for a surgical procedure she hopes, at the very least, will arrest the progression of her multiple sclerosis.
Officially diagnosed with MS 16 years ago, Watmough said she had her first symptom 23 years ago at the age of 16. She grew up with a very personal understanding of the disease. Her mother, Linda, lost her battle with the disease four years ago.
Now Watmough is putting her faith in The Liberation Treatment, which was developed after Dr. Paolo Zamboni, a former vascular surgeon and professor at the University of Ferrara in Italy, found what he believes to be a connection between the iron build up found in the brains of MS patients and a narrowing of veins in the necks.
“It gives me hope,” said Watmough.
He began his research into MS after his wife was diagnosed with the disease. Zamboni called the vein disorder CCSVI or Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency. Zamboni not only found blockages in veins in the neck leading to the brain, the jugular veins, but also discovered blockage in the central drainage vein which flushes blood down, away from the brain along the spine.
Eager to see if Zamboni’s discovery could help her, Watmough has been closely following the media coverage of Zamboni’s research and that of other doctors around the world who have been exploring the surgical options for those who suffer from MS.
The surgical procedure Watmough will undergo in India is similar to that used by doctors to open blocked arteries that move blood from the heart. Unfortunately the surgery is not yet available in Canada and there are waiting lists in other parts of the world were the surgery is being performed.
The procedure is not without controversy within the MS community, but Watmough says she is running out of time and simple can’t wait while more research is undertaken in North America.
“In the medical community I’m sure it’s not taking very long but in my position it’s too long.”
Her health has progressively gone downhill in recent years, resulting in her becoming wheelchair bound in the last three years. Even since December she says she has noticed a decline. Even if the procedure can stop her disease from progressing any further she will be happy.
“But I believe it’s going to do more. I watched my mother die from this disease.”
As a wife and mother she says she is fighting for more time with her family. She and Trevor have three boys, 16-year-old Nathan, Ryan, 14 and Tyson, 10.
She says her family and friends have been unbelievably supportive through the years.
“My siblings, especially, are amazing.”
She is both grateful and appreciative of all the support she receives. Her focus now is going forward with the surgery in order to gain back her independence and mobility. Both come with a hefty price, $25,000 for the travel and accommodations for her and Trevor and to cover the cost of the surgery and after care in India.
They are borrowing to cover the cost, but Watmough said even if it takes a few years to pay back it will be worth it if it can help stop the disease from further destroying her body.
Hesitant to go public with her decision to travel to India for the surgery, Watmough said she wants people to understand the issue and what it means for people with MS.
“I don’t know if I want to do this (go public) but if it can help to get the message out there, I’m OK with that.”
She said the work in Canada and the U.S. is moving forward but she hasn’t got the years left to wait until the procedure is available closer to home. Watmough is no longer on MS medication because her disease has reached a point where it is no longer affective.
“I feel the medical doors have closed.”
Over the years she had tried prescription medications and alternative therapies to help stop the disease.