b'Medicine & ResearchAAnnEExxppeerriieenncceewwiitthhHHSSCCTTDDeeWWaayynneeDDuurrrrsshhaarreesshhiissrrsstthhaannddeexxppeerriieenncceewwiitthhtthheeccuuttttiinnggeeddggeettrreeaattmmeennttDeWayne Durr woke up one morning inever seen. DeWayne had a large lesion across 2016 feeling like there was a lm over his leftseveral cervical vertebrae that made every eye. He tried to blink it away and was surprisedstepanactofconcentration. Thedoctor when it didnt disappear. His eye doctorrecommended another, newer medication to prescribed some drops for dry eye and DeWaynetry, but by this point, DeWaynes research had continued with his normal activities. But at theled him to the treatment that he knew he wanted peak of his gym workout, his vision suddenlyhematopoietic stem cell transplant. blurred and lled with black spots. A formerDeWayne had read about the clinical trials EMT, DeWayne rushed to a mirror and checkedfor HSCT conducted at Northwestern University, himself for signs of a stroke. Seeing no cause forin Chicago, by Dr. Richard Burt. He had applied alarm on that front, he visited an ophthalmologistto participate in the trial, but the day he his doctor had recommended, who recognizedsubmitted his nal paperwork, he got the call the worsening vision as Uthoffs phenomenonthat the study was closing down so Dr. Burta worsening of symptoms that occurs whencould spend time publishing data to present people with MS are overheated. He sent DeWaynehis ndings to the medical community. I was for an MRI to assess his suspicions.happy he was doing that, because I wanted From the start, neurologists recognized thathim to be successfulI prayed for him to be DeWayne had an aggressive case of MS. Theysuccessful, because it would benet so many recommended an equally aggressive approachpeoplewithMSbutpersonallyitwasa to treatment with strong pharmaceuticals, butmajor blow.DeWayne wasnt comfortable with the risk ofIn the midst of another relapse, his PMLa serious brain infectionthat is aneurologist told DeWayne he didnt think he potential side effect of the drugs that his doctorwas a good candidate for HSCT, but offered suggested. DeWayne declined treatment withhim the chance to get a second opinion from these drugs, preferring to focus on lifestyleanotherdoctor.DeWaynedidhisresearch changes. I went full Wahls Protocol, DeWayneand found another doctor at the Cleveland said, referring to the diet and lifestyleClinic who was chairing a clinical trial to interventions recommended by Dr. Terry Wahls.investigate HSCT.I said if anyone is going to It helped. There were days I felt like I didnt eventell me whether Im a candidate, I want it to have MS. But sadly, his remission didnt last.be him. He asked for a second opinion from By 2019, a doctor at the Cleveland ClinicDr. Jeffery Cohen of the Mellen Center for MS told DeWayne that he had one of the mostTreatment and Research at the Cleveland aggressive cases of MS this specialist hadClinic.msfocusmagazine.org 12'