After a lot of consideration, consulting with his doctor, weighing the options, saying prayers, asking for guidance, the decision was made. Stephen is going to get stem cell treatment in Panama.
It is exciting and scary and promising all rolled into one emotion. It is expensive, no insurance coverage, and no guarantee it will work, and we have to leave the country… Wow, this seems awesome, sign him up. Right? Seems like a long shot but the more we talked about it and read about it we realized money is the only thing we stand to lose.
Not to sound flippant; NO..we don’t have tons of money stashed away for emergency stem cell treatment; YES, we have a daughter in her senior year of high school making college plans. Along with all the other financial responsibilities and stress everyone has. Absolutely NO stress here (can you hear the sarcasm)? But we figured we can find a way to make it work. The “what if this works” outweighs “how can we afford this”. What if he passes on this treatment? How will we know if it can help if he doesn’t try it? Now is the time. 15 years living with MS and this could be the chance to see a difference in the life he is living and the future.
Doctors Approval √
Appointment Set √
Passports Updated √
Flights Booked √
Next Stop PANAMA…√