She says specialist clinics in the UK are too expensive, so hopes to go to Mexico for stem cell treatment.
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00:00 It's like starting the day on 50% battery even though you've been on charge all night.
00:06 MS or Multiple Sclerosis has many symptoms and can affect your balance, mobility, vision
00:11 and even your energy.
00:13 For Lindsay this is her reality.
00:15 Her condition means she has to use a walking stick as well as special items of furniture
00:20 like a stair lift or swivel chair to be able to perform normal household tasks.
00:26 This makes it far harder for her and her husband to look after her two children, one of whom
00:31 has Down Syndrome.
00:33 So she's aiming to raise £50,000 to pay for life-altering hematopoietic stem cell
00:38 transplantation in Mexico, one of only two countries known to be offering this specialist
00:44 treatment.
00:45 Many might just resign themselves to their disability but Lindsay understands she needs
00:49 to fight and do things for her and her family even outside of her comfort zone, like being
00:55 interviewed.
00:56 It's massive and to my family it would mean everything.
00:58 I can get up, show up for my family, maybe I'll be able to return to work, do more volunteering,
01:05 clean it.
01:06 Like my husband laughs because he said, "So you want this treatment so you can do more
01:10 cleaning and go to the gym?"
01:11 I said, "Yes, yes please."
01:14 Just means everything.
01:16 They are currently £10,000 towards their goal.
01:19 According to Lindsay, finding treatment in the UK might have a cost upwards of £80,000
01:24 to £100,000.
01:26 So she needs to travel to Mexico for the treatment.
01:29 But why is it so expensive here?
01:31 I spoke to charity East Kent MS Group to find out.
01:35 Well I think there's a lot of the treatment in the UK has not really passed any particular
01:41 regime.
01:44 People like NICE and that have to agree to it and there are tests to be done and everything
01:49 else.
01:50 I mean there are one or two things I think in the pipeline but they are taking forever
01:54 to do.
01:56 So that's probably why it's expensive.
01:59 And also of course we're only looking at about 130,000 MS sufferers in the UK which is a
02:04 tiny drop in the ocean of the population.
02:08 So where do you put your money really?
02:10 That's the trouble.
02:11 Another difficult side of having MS is acceptance.
02:14 Accepting that you need help can be extremely difficult.
02:17 But Lindsay says her friends and family have been so supportive in her time of need.
02:22 There is currently no cure for MS.
02:24 But that doesn't stop Lindsay and others from hoping for a better future for those with
02:27 the condition.
02:29 Finn McDermid for KMTV.