This is Taleisha. She is a bright and bubbly 27-year-old living in the Goldfields of Western Australia. She is known by her friends and family for being a caring soul who works hard and always selflessly puts others before her. Her dream is to be a mother and a carer and she would love to travel the world – especially Turkey where her family roots are embedded.
Last year, she noticed her right leg was seizing every now and then, slightly affecting the way she walked. She also noticed her right arm would flinch sometimes. After seeing her GP, she was referred to a neurologist where she was diagnosed with relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis, with a dozen lesions on her brain and spine already showing up.
She immediately began treatment with Tysabri and although it initially slowed the spread of lesions to just 1 in the space of 6 months, it then progressively worsened. In July of this year (2023) her condition deteriorated to a point where she is unable to eat properly, walk or do everyday things unassisted. She has changed to Kesimpta treatment which she is yet to find out if it is working or not.
Taleisha now has a severe head and arms tremor and has lost most of the mobility in her legs. She requires full-time care from friends, family, social workers and physiotherapists. She is on a number of medications to help alleviate the symptoms but they are not making enough of a difference to her condition.
The only real hope Taleisha has in getting her life back to normal is to get HSCT as soon as possible. HSCT, or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, is a life changing treatment for multiple sclerosis patients with a 75% success rate. Unfortunately, it is not available in Australia. Taleisha needs to travel to Mexico to receive the treatment which isn’t covered by Medicare and she can’t afford it herself.
Please donate to allow Taleisha to get back to a normal life. The funds cover the costs of the treatment itself (~$90,000 AUD) as well as flights for her and her carer and living expenses while the treatment is administered. Any leftover funds will be donated to MSWA.