http://www.thedailyobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3092007

PETAWAWA -Two years ago, Mary-Beth Goyette was recovering from an ear infection when she began experiencing dizziness and episodes of cognitive dysfunction or 'brain fog.'

At first, the Waltham, Quebec native believed it was simply the side-effects of her recent illness until she was overcome with numbness and bouts of extreme fatigue.

With a history of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in her family, Ms. Goyette consulted doctors to rule out the debilitating disease as a cause for her sudden illness.

At the time, she was living in Yellowknife where her husband, Denis, a logistics warrant officer, was stationed.

After a series of MRIs in Edmonton, doctors delivered bad news. The neurological condition suffered by an estimated 75,000 Canadians was about to add another victim to that long list of suffering.

"I was shocked but they kept saying I had a very good chance even though I had a parent with it," said the 28-year-old mother of two. "As a little girl I always said I wanted to be like my mom and I guess that's true."

The diagnosis confirmed she wouldn't avoid the fate of her mother, Betty -who has suffered with MS for the past 30 years. With the family posted back to Petawawa, mother and daughter are setting out to beat MS with a revolutionary new procedure not available in Canada.

A year ago, Ms. Goyette looked into the breakthrough research being done on chronic cerebros p i na l venous insufficiency (CCSVI), a recognized vascular disorder where narrowed veins in the neck cause deoxygenated blood to flow back into the brain. People with MS are more than twice as likely to have CCSVI.

Like countless others suffering from MS, the family was bolstered by the work of Dr. Paolo Zamboni, an Italian vascular surgeon, who published the results of clinical trials he conducted which showed that treating CCSVI stopped the progression of MS in 76 per cent of patients and, in some cases, reversed the symptoms. Using Doppler ultrasound, he began examining the necks of MS sufferers to find that 100 per cent of the patients had a narrowing, twisting or blockage of the veins that are supposed to flush blood from the brain.

Ms. Goyette was treating her condition with prescribed injections, at a cost of $2,000, to slow down the progression of MS. Convinced that Dr. Zamboni's research is sound, she and her mother will be seeking a special procedure that will hopefully give them relief from MS.

"There's always hope and if one good thing comes between the two of us I hope it's my mom," confessed Ms. Goyette, who also has a brother and sister unaffected by MS. "She needs it more than I do. She's suffered from it for so long."

MS not only robbed Betty Grieve of her freedom three decades ago, but her livelihood. Working as a registered nursing assistant at the Pembroke General Hospital, she woke up one day for work when her entire body went numb. She ended up in an Ottawa hospital for three weeks. Mary-Beth was only seven months old at the time. In 1982, doctors informed her she had MS. Ms. Grieve was devastated she had to leave the profession she loved.

Today, the former RNA suffers from uncontrollable tingling and instances where she'll fall down from sudden paralysis on her left side. It's a situation she believes will be corrected with the "Liberation Treatment," the procedure designed by Dr. Zamboni that opens the blocked veins, restoring blood flow.

"I can't wait to move forward and leave the symptoms behind," said Ms. Grieve. "God has helped us so many times and will be with us."

Although we have among the highest rates of MS in the world, Canadian physicians are waiting to see the results of clinical research into CCSVI. Earlier this month, Ms. Goyette and Ms. Grieve were screened for CCSVI at the Barrie clinic of Sandy McDonald, the only Canadian doctor to conduct clinical treatment trials for CCSVI.

On April 26, they are scheduled to undergo the Liberation Treatment at a vascular institute in Rhode Island. As the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) does not cover it, the procedure could cost between $7,000 and $10,000, not including expenses.

"There's no going back. If I have to pay for it for a very long time, it's worth it," said Ms. Grieve. "I can't wait for a new beginning and to feel stronger."

Ms. Goyette and Ms. Grieve's hometown is rallying to help raise money to pay for the procedure. On Friday, May 6 a charity fundraiser will be held at the Waltham Town Hall from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. There will be live entertainment, raffles and a silent auction. Donations can made to an account in the name of Mary- Beth Goyette and Betty Grieve at the Scotia Bank in Pembroke. For more information, check their Facebook page "Mary-Beth and Betty for Liberation."

Sean Chase is a Daily Observer multimedia journalist

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