MP Leon Benoit creating awareness of MS treatment

By Francois Biber/Vermilion Standard

Posted 4 days ago

In 2007 Dewberry local Ralph Davies took a trip to Costa Mesa, California to undergo an experimental procedure to treat Multiple Sclerosis (MS), something Davies was diagnosed with in 1980.

Davies explained he had a friend who went to the same location in California so Ralph and his wife Iris visited their website and made an appointment.

After a week in the U.S. Davies underwent the liberation or chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency treatment (CCSVI)which opens and expands a patient's veins in an effort to promote blood flow through the body.

"It has become a fight as to whether it should be done or not and there's no reason for it," said Davies.

"The procedure is safe and the part that's frustrating is that it's done for a lot of other conditions, there no reason it can't be done for MS. Doctors perform angioplasty procedures where they expand the veins and that's done for diabetes and different cases where they have to expand the veins if there's blockage."

Since his operation Davies said he still limps when he walks, however he can walk three to four times longer and with a lot less difficulty.

For the past four months Leon Benoit, MP for Vegreville-Wainwright has been looking to speed up the process of bringing the controversial CCSVI Treatment to Canadians by providing a web portal for MS patients looking to see whether or not the procedure is right for them.

"There's something that can be done to help MS patients more quickly and that is to have an information portal for people who have had the procedure done to give information online about where, when, and what the impact was when they had it done," said Benoit who is leading this information initiative in Ottawa.

However, because the operation hasn't been scientifically validated, if the federal government were to publish this information, Benoit said they could be liable if someone has the operation done to them and experiences negative side effects.

"The end result is I want is to bring the CCSVI treatment to Canada and our government has been really aggressive and has put a very tight timeline for a study and work that has to be done to have it pass through medical professionals," said Benoit.

"I've never seen a procedure that would help sufferers of a disease talked about or worked on so hard. It's historic. We know it's not a cure and the cure needs to be worked on and I believe this procedure could help understand MS and help lead to a cure down the road."

For now, MS patients similar to Davies continue to travel to other countries to undergo this procedure. If the operation wasn't expensive enough, Davies said the costs he incurred from traveling and accommodations totaled nearly $3,000.

For Davies the benefits of the operation have outweighed the risks as, he says, the strength he's been able to recuperate after his Liberation Treatment has been tremendous.

"If there's a chance to improve patients with MS you might as well take the chance now and doctors and researchers will find ways of improving it," said Davies.

Benoit admits his motion to have information made readily available is part of a bigger plan to get the treatment available in Canada sooner rather than later.

"In the long-term I want the government to go through the correct processes and find out for sure that the risks are acceptable and that it works," said Benoit.

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