A NORTHSIDE man is in a desperate race against time to raise almost €50,000 for potentially lifechanging stem cell treatment in Russia.
Alex Hogan believes his only chance of beating Multiple Sclerosis (MS) lies in revolutionary treatment at the AA Maximov Hematology and Cell Therapy Department in Pervomayskaya, Moscow.
The 39-year-old from Cabra was diagnosed with MS in 2011 after visiting his local GP with complaints of back pain around his upper spine.
Alex has tried fighting the degenerative disease with an array of different medications for five years now with little to no success.
Now living in Balbriggan, Alex, who also has family in both Blanchardstown and Clonee, had almost given up hope against the disease until he saw a BBC Panorama investigation into MS earlier this year.
“I had heard about the Panorama programme at the start of the year and saw that they’re doing stem cell treatment in England and saw the difference that it made,” Alex told Northside People.
“Then I found out through research that there are loads of people doing this all over the world, so I applied for it because the medications aren’t working for me.
“I applied for different hospitals all over the world – Mexico, Stockholm, Germany and Russia – and the one that stood out the most was the one in Russia because they have the most people in the world that get HSCT (hematopoietic stem cell transplant) done.”
The AA Maximov Hematology and Cell Therapy Department in the National Pirogov Medical Surgical Centre in Pervomayskaya is responsible for around 30 per cent of HSCT treatments across the world, according to Alex.
The disease has progressively taken its toll on his body and if he doesn’t get the treatment he needs within the next year, he could be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
“Last August I had a bad fall and since then my MS has gotten worse,” Alex added.
“I’m basically like a prisoner in my own home. I’ve been house bound for like the last year. I can’t get down to the local shops anymore so I’m relying on home help to come in and do my shopping for me and help me around.
“I can still walk but if you were to see me, you would think I was drunk or there was something severely wrong with me.
“To remedy that, as much as I don’t want to, I bring the crutch with me so people don’t think that I’m drunk and say ‘oh there’s something wrong with him’.”
The whole process has been both mentally and physically tiring for Alex who has finally obtained his medical records after a lengthy string of enquiries to the Freedom Of Information body at the Department Of Health.
After obtaining his records and successfully applying to be treated in Moscow, Alex is now all set to head to Russia to try and cure his disease – he just needs to raise enough funds to do so.
The Northsider is determined to get his life back on track and has set up a GoFundMe page to try and raise €48,000 to pay for the treatment.
To donate to Alex’s cause, visit www.gofundme.com/2nxhcfw.