Stem cell hope for MS battler

HOPE . . . Peter and Angela

A BATTLING Oldhamer left wheelchair-bound through Multiple Sclerosis is set to travel to Mexico for pioneering treatment.

Peter Barrie Wright (49) hopes the revolutionary procedure will prove so successful it will "give him his life back".

Now, he is on a desperate mission to raise £45,000 to pay for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transfusion (HSCT) as it's not funded by the NHS.

Chadderton-based Mr Wright will travel to Mexico next May.

In efforts to reset his immune system, stem cells will be removed from his bone marrow and he will undergo chemotherapy.

While trials have been undertaken in the UK, the treatment is not yet available on the NHS.

Mr Wright began fundraising for the operation two months ago and has topped £300 of his £45,000 aim but has appealed for extra support.

He said: "There are trials being undertaken in England with some amazing successes, but the treatment is not yet available on the NHS.

"I am at the highest level of disability which is treatable under the Mexican procedure.

"My time is running out.

"Following two severe relapses I was diagnosed with MS in 1992. I recovered well from these relapses, leading a near-normal life up to 2011 when I started to deteriorate rapidly.

"At this time I started to get problems with my balance, movement of my feet and legs, pins and needles in my hands and feet, and severe pains in my limbs and back.

"This progression was rapid and scary, resulting in me having to give up work.

"I am now confined to a wheelchair requiring assistance in most day-to-day tasks.

"From being very active and working a demanding job to going into a state were I can virtually do nothing is very depressing and disheartening.?

The former head of facilities at Greater Manchester Police has relied on his wheelchair for two years and depends on support for movement and other routine tasks.

During severe relapses, he has experienced partial loss of sight and loss of feeling in his entire body.

HSCT success stories have seen residents previously confined to a wheelchair able to walk again within a matter of days.

Research carried out by Mr Wright led him to discover a forum on Facebook detailing several clinics which undertake the treatment.

Son of former Chadderton and Oldham councillor Barrie Wright, Mr Wright said: ?I am disappointed it is not available on the NHS yet because the procedure has been undertaken over a million times globally for treating cancers.

"I am really excited about getting the treatment done and getting my life back although there is a lot of risk and tough times involved especially due to the high doses of chemotherapy involved.

"I realise I'm not going to raise all the money but anything will help no matter how large or small.

"If need be I will remortgage the house to part-fund the treatment because health is more important than money.

Mr Wright will travel to Clinica Ruiz, in Pueblo, with his partner Angela Riley ahead of treatment which begins on May 22.

To donate visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/peter-wright-5.