Video: Multiple Sclerosis Survivor Thriving Six Years after Adult Stem Cell Transplant

May 30 marked World Multiple Sclerosis Day, a day to bring together the global MS community, raise awareness, and share stories. In a new patient video released by the Charlotte Lozier Institute’s Stem Cell Research Facts project, multiple sclerosis survivor Allison Carr shares about her journey of thriving and encouraging others six years after her adult stem cell transplant.

In 2014, Allison underwent an adult stem cell transplant at Northwestern University after discovering she had 18 lesions on her spine and six on her brain. In a new video, she reflects that “the beauty” of her transplant “is knowing that I now have a new lease on life, I have a second chance.” Allison says that since her transplant, she has felt healthy for the first time since she was 16 years old, and she turns 50 this year.

After working her way back to full strength, she did not sit back and relax. Allison is using her dramatic story of recovery to spread the word about adult stem cell therapy. She’s been invited to speak at university medical forums as well as local and network television news programs including Good Morning America. She wants to bring awareness about adult stem cell therapy to others suffering from debilitating diseases and conditions.

But by far, some of the most joyful moments of sharing her experience have been talking with other MS patients. Allison and her friend and fellow adult stem cell recipient, Stacey Crain, created Instagram and Facebook pages called Stem Cell Thriver to connect with others. When they visited Northwestern University for their checkups, they spent time meeting with other adult stem cell recipients to show them what their life could look like five or six years down the road.

Watch Allison’s story of hope here:

Many others like Allison are currently being treated using ethically-derived, non-controversial adult stem cell transplants, which do not rely on the destruction of young human life. Adult stem cells are the gold standard of stem cells when it comes to patients.  Nearly two million patients worldwide have been treated using adult stem cell transplants. In 2017 alone, nearly 23,000 bone marrow, peripheral blood, and umbilical cord blood transplants were performed in the United States, according to the federal Health Resources and Services Administration’s Blood Cell Transplant Report.

Stem Cell Research Facts is a project of the Charlotte Lozier Institute since January 2015. CLI plans to continue producing inspiring videos like Allison’s to raise awareness about the life-saving, science-based, and ethical treatment option of adult stem cell transplants.

To view our other patient videos, please see: http://www.stemcellresearchfacts.org/.

To learn more about the usage of adult stem cell transplants, please see: https://lozierinstitute.org/fact-sheet-adult-stem-cell-research-transplants.