Joanne Clifford's Multiple Sclerosis (MS) has been stopped in its tracks by a procedure dubbed the "miracle cure."
Still doubted by provincial and federal politicians and banned by Canada's
health care system, the procedure is being undertaken by a ballooning
number of Canadians willing to shell out of pocket for a chance to
regain control over their health. Clifford is the latest Kenoran to
leave the country to receive the treatment.
Italian researcher Dr. Paolo Zamboni discovered blood blockages in jugular veins were developing iron deposits in the brain. By releasing
that pressure in a technique called chronic cerebro-spinal venous
insufficiency (CCSVI), the degenerative effects of MS can be stopped,
and in some cases, can actually improve.
One month after the operation, Clifford counts herself among the latter group. In 1985, she
was diagnosed with secondary progressive MS, meaning her condition would
slowly worsen. Before she spent $14,000 to fly to Costa Rica to receive
the treatment, she was using her walker more than her cane and would
shortly be confined to a wheelchair.
While the post-operation experience was terribly painful, when she next awoke, the 70 per cent
and 90 per cent blockages were gone and her health was born anew.
"I woke up and I was back to normal again," she said. "I took the catheter
IV off and I got out of bed. I felt fine. Walking felt good."
She said in some ways, she feels better than she did seven or eight years ago.
"I don't notice myself because I just carry on," she said. "I can get down
on my knees now and stand up. Four or six months before that, I'd get
down on my knees and stay on my knees. I couldn't get up again."
Her husband John expressed frustration with the inaction on the part of
Canada's government to legalize the procedure, saying it is being
performed for heart and stroke patients but not for Multiple Sclerosis.
"Neurologists who are against this haven't come up with a treatment for 50 years," he
said. "They don't want to get on board with it. If you can afford it,
you go down. If you can't afford it - it's terrible for people who can't
afford it."
Winnipeg's Harry Olford was attracted to the movement in Kenora and sought out local guidance for his own trip to
Costa Rica in early September. In the waiting room, he met 26 Canadians
there for the same procedure that the Manitoba government refuses to
offer until it's deemed "safe and ethical to proceed."
From walking with a brace on his left leg and two canes before he received the "liberation treatment," he has been able to
wean himself from his medication and walk up to a kilometre unassisted.
"It's amazing and frightening to think we have a situation in Canada where we have thousands of people with MS who could benefit from
this treatment, yet the government is willing to tell doctors who do the
procedure if they don't lay off, they'll lose their licenses."
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