Foundation fighting to help MS patients
By Nicki Cruickshank, Barrie Examiner
Posted 21 hours ago
Multiple sclerosis took 14 years of Steve Garvie's life from him.
And, without a life-saving angioplasty surgery, the chronic cerebral spinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) he also suffered from would have taken his life completely.
“I was on $40,000 worth of drugs a year, I had no bladder, my left hand was numb. I was dying,” said Garvie, a Barrie resident and head of the CCSVI Foundation.
In early 2010, Garvie was one of six patients of Dr. Sandy McDonald, a vascular surgeon in Barrie, who underwent a balloon angioplasty operation at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre.
The treatment involves inserting stents or small artificial tube wideners to allow increased blood flow through the veins.
Barrie's hospital allowed the surgeries as a trial run, but no longer performs the treatment, as it has yet to be officially deemed a safe procedure covered by OHIP.
“I was the second of Sandy McDonald's patients to have the surgery,” Garvie said.
“I was able to shake the nurse's hand after the surgery. My hand wasn't numb. This isn't a complex surgery like they say it is. Surgeons have done many angioplasty operations on other people. Why won't they do them here on people with MS?”
Garvie and business partner, Donna Graham, started the CCSVI Foundation in October 2010, to advocate and help fund the treatment for others like Garvie suffering with CCSVI.
The organization's second annual Stroll & Roll walkathon will take place on April 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Centennial Park.
Registration for the five-kilometre walk starts at 9 a.m. and participants can walk, run and roll in wheelchairs and scooters to complete the walkathon along Barrie's waterfront.
“The first event went really well last year, and we had about 20 people walking, and we raised $5,000, which is amazing,” Graham said.
“What's nice about our organization is we give people a choice to donate right to the people we help. There's no overhead costs because we run this from our homes, and every penny raised goes to helping a person with MS obtain the procedure.”
Garvie said more than 100 people are expected to turn out this time, and sponsors are invited to set up booths right at the event.
“We have Aim to Walk, a rehab centre in Toronto, bringing Canada's first bionic leg to do demonstrations,” Garvie said.
The event needs as much participation as possible to get the foundation's treatment fund built up and awareness out, Garvie said.
“The problem is getting this information out. Word of mouth takes a long time, but it works,” he said.
“We won't do any advertising because all our proceeds go right to the people who need this treatment.
“This passion of ours comes from the 60 people we've helped save. Those are 60 people walking around now, enjoying life and their children have a mom and dad again,” Garvie added. “This year, I'd like to see enough money raised for six people to be sent away for this treatment.”
The local foundation has become a national, non-profit organization committed to the treatment of patients with the illness. CCSVI has been found in individuals with multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer disease, Parkinson's disease, autism and chronic fatigue syndrome.
“We have a number of applicants on a list who need the treatment, and we've helped about 60 people directly through funding, aid with travel expenses or booking appointments.”
Surgeries have been performed in places like California, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island, at a cost between $6,000 and $14,000 depending on the area.
For more information on the event, visit www.ccsvifoundationcanada.org, or call 705-737-1744.