By Heidi Ivany



It has been said that when one is well and healthy he or she has many wishes and dreams…but when one is ill, he or she typically has only one wish—to be well and feel well again. This was the message that came through loud and clear in speaking with Nicole Fitzsimmons (nee Nicole Lang) as she and her family prepare for her trip to San Diego where she will access what has come to be known as the Liberation Treatment. Amid the controversy surrounding what is commonly known as a form of angioplasty, Nicole is calm and methodical as she makes her preparations. At the heart of her drive to obtain this procedure, not currently permitted to MS patients in Canada, is a simple wish “I just want to have a normal life like everyone else”.

Nicole told Soonews.ca about viewing the W5 episode in November of 2009 that broke the story of the ground breaking theory that was providing a potential link between Multiple Sclerosis and a condition called Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency (CCSVI). Dr. Zamboni, an Italian doctor, had discovered that an extremely high percentage of the MS patients that he scanned with ultrasound were shown to have significant narrowings and / or blockages in the veins that were responsible for draining blood from the brain. In some cases he noted that not only wasn’t the blood draining efficiently, in some cases it was actually being sent backwards and back into the brain (reflux). The story lead to networking and social media took medical advocacy to a new level—suddenly people all over the world were flooding the clinics and hospitals in the various countries that would perform a variation on angioplasty to open the veins up. In the majority of cases, positive results have been the outcome of this medical intervention.

Fitzsimmons told this reporter that it was as a result of networking that she was able to connect with the Hubbard Foundation in San Diego. She had wanted to know more about this treatment and had been following it closely since the W5 episode had aired. “I wanted to know “how do we get to be one of those people?” referring to those who had already been treated. She spoke enthusiastically about the procedure that is currently scheduled for early May “I am excited to think that maybe something can be done.” In the end, her networking paid off on a local level as she was put in contact with a Sault couple who had travelled to San Diego in August so that the man of the house, a loving father and caring husband, could obtain the treatment. The couple put Nicole in touch with the Hubbard Foundation as this was the family operated organization in San Diego that had coordinated treatment for them in August.

Nicole spoke about the support that she has received—particularly that of her family doctor, who beyond supporting her in her efforts to get into the Hubbard Foundation (requisition required, and blood tests) also offered up a piece of artwork for raffle. “She was supportive from the beginning—she was the one who brought it up to me—she asked if I had heard about it”. The donation for raffle was greatly appreciated as the costs associate with this treatment and the associated travel are considerable—the cost of travel and accommodation, the cost of the initial scan and subsequent treatment varies, depending on where one is accessing the service. In San Diego, the costs for the initial scan and treatment alone are $11,500 USD—not including your hotel and airfare—never mind eating. Nicole, however, is unfazed. She was diagnosed with MS at 18 and has lived with it for 16 years. She admits to being annoyed when people will say “You don’t look like you have MS” “They think this because I am not in a wheelchair. But they don’t see me walk and how difficult it is…The face of MS is different for everyone.” Speaking of the diagnosis, Nicole recalls “I was in high school and it came from nowhere. There was no family link to MS.”

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She refers to the other local family who travelled to San Diego in August and who experienced extremely positive results. “He continues to feel better everyday. I have spoken to him.” “It never seemed like this could happen. That you could feel better….” she told this reporter. And she has more reason than ever to push for improvement—her new son Collin is 4 months old and Nicole is an active and hands on mother in every way—but acknowledges that it is very difficult at times. Nicole and her husband Scott, in preparation for the trip, are also trying to raise money in support of accessing this treatment that will potentially change their lives. They look to family, friends and anyone in the community who knows or has known the devastation and waste that is caused by MS for the support that they need to get to San Diego so Nicole Fitzsimmons can obtain the “Liberation Treatment.” In today’s day and age, it isn’t often that one gets a chance to be a part of something that is nearly too good to be true—perhaps this is yours.


A benefit for Nicole Fitzsimmons has been planned for April 7th, 2011 at the Elk’s Hall. Tickets are $40.00 and can be purchased at The Investor’s Group. There will be music, a Spaghetti and Meatball dinner as well as entertainment courtesy of illusionist Ryan McFarling. Donations will also be gratefully received at The Investor’s Group.

http://www.soonews.ca/viewarticle.php?id=29872