Monday, December 27, 2010 8:57 PM
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Ken Torbert
What is AFA http://www.angioplastyforall.com/
Multiple Sclerosis is a debilitating condition affecting a significant number of Canadians. Until recently, the
prognosis for those afflicted has been bleak. The recent promising
break-through in a balloon angioplasty technique promises dramatic and
lasting improvement in the lives of Canadians with multiple sclerosis.
As with many medical breakthroughs, there is significant institutional
resistance to the wide adoption of the angioplasty technique in
question. Angioplasty for All is dedicated to advocating for adoption of
the technique, educating Canadians about the efficacy of the technique,
marshalling the science in support of the angioplasty, and bringing
about a test of the procedure in a litigation seeking a declaration that
it should be provided in accord with the Charter of Rights and
Freedoms.What is angioplasty?Balloon angioplasty is a common procedure performed everyday with minimal risk. Using a plastic catheter
with a sausage shaped balloon at the tip (which will be used to enlarge
narrowing). The catheter is inserted through the groin and moved
through the body to the area of blockage or “stenosis”. Once the
stenosis is found the balloon is inflated and deflated several times.
This ensures that the vein will now maintain a normal diameter, which
will aid in proper blood flow; the balloon is then deflated and
withdrawn from the body.Angioplasty …This simple procedure is denied to only one group of Canadians – those carrying the label ‘multiple sclerosis’.We are denied equal protection of the law of Medicare; we are denied equal
benefit under the law of Medicare. We live and die by our label –
‘multiple sclerosis’ – not even a true disease. We live and die by a
word attached to us and used to categorize us as people that are deemed
not to benefit from angioplasty.AFA is in the process of launching a Legal Challenge, with the goal of making it possible for MS
patients to receive the same angioplasty treatment to clear
constricted veins that is available to other Canadians.
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