March 19, 2011

Hon. Maureen MacDonald

3115 Veith Street

 Halifax, Nova Scotia

B3K 3G9

Phone: (902) 455-2926

Fax: (902) 455-3929

E-mail: mmacdonald@navnet.net

Dear Ms. MacDonald 

I request your immediate resignation as Health Minister of Nova Scotia. You have intentionally ignored all Canadian people who suffer from MS and have misrepresented the truth.  You have an obligation to inform yourself with the whole truth, and not base very important decisions based on a small group of MS Neurologists unsubstantiated opinions on CCSVI testing and treatment in Canada. These Neurologists have their own self serving agenda to stall and roadblock CCSVI testing and treatment for their own personal benefit. I would like to know how informed you really are on the current truth. The Neurologists do not own the MS disease or the MS patients and they do not have the right to stall or stop treatment for a vascular disease that is now proven to be associated with MS.

 CCSVI is a recognized stand alone condition which is a vascular abnormality that maybe responsible for the autoimmune component of MS and contributes too many symptoms that MS patients suffer from. 

 These same MS Neurologists have controlled the MS Society of Canada decisions on research and advocacy on behalf of people with MS. They have spread fear mongering and lies about this very simple, low risk procedure that has now helped over 10, 000 people with so many of their symptoms. It is apparent that the Canadian health care system, the Canadian Health Ministers and the MS Society of Canada do not have enough respect for MS patients to question the motives of these Neurologists who have negatively spoken out about CCSVI before they even did their own research and threatened all other doctors with fear tactics if they treated MS patients for CCSVI.

These MS Neurologist all have conflict of interest and ties to the Pharmaceutical companies who supplement their income and provide many direct advantages to their research and funding. They have suppressed the vascular connection to MS since 1935 or possible earlier and it will not be suppressed again. The truth is being exposed and a new definition of the MS disease will be written.

 The International Society of Neurovascular Disease (ISNVD) has recently published their abstracts and has confirmed the association of CCSVI to MS. They have also established an international CCSVI consensus document to establish proper testing. I have attached a link to all the papers and studies from this very important conference and expect you to read, recognize and act on these findings. These are the true experts.

 http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fccsvism.xoom.it%2FConvegno_ISNVD.html&h=7652d

CCSVI treatment (Venoplasty) is proven to be safe and effective and Canada should now be offering this treatment under controlled studies in addition to a Pan Canadian Clinical trial. Patients who have been diagnosed with CCSVI, whether they have MS or not are entitled to proper medical treatment in Canada. That treatment should be decided between the patient and the doctor until further clinical trials are complete and further discoveries will be presented.

The backroom politics that have held the testing and treatment for vein abnormalities hostage needs to stop and personal agendas at the expense of people suffering needs to stop. Canada needs to help MS patients now, this is a progressive, painful and debilitating disease and they deserve proper care and compassion and they deserve the truth.

You have personally contributed to the anguish of Bill Peart’s family when you denied him a chance to receive a simple treatment that may have saved his life. We will never know as Bill Peart passed away on March 19, 2011. When his family begged you for compassionate treatment, your response in the media was you could not approve an unsafe treatment that may not be effective.  I still cannot understand when a human being is dying why any treatment would not be approved. It could not have made his current situation any worse, but there was a chance he could have improved. You as a Health Minster should not have denied him or his family this last hope.

Venopasty is considered to be a safe low risk procedure and there is no medical treatment in our country that you can guarantee to be effective in every single person so not sure why CCSVI treatment is being held to a standard of perfection. Your media statement is unforgivable and so are your actions and abuse of power. The MS community will not forget.

Sincerely

Carol Prest

Sister of a MS patient in Canada

563 Woodside Pl SW

Calgary, Alberta, T2W 3J9

Prestconsulting @shaw.ca

http://www.facebook.com/notes/carol-prest/letter-to-maureen-macdonald-health-minister-of-nova-scotia/10150453402330226