SPOKANE - Scott Hall knows the experimental stem-cell transplant treatment he will undergo to treat his multiple sclerosis is risky.
Of 39 MS patients who have asked a Spokane neurologist about the experimental treatment, Hall is the only one who was not dissuaded after learning about the therapy's dangers, cost and long recovery time.
To Hall, a 42-year-old scientist employed by northeastern Washington's Kalispel Tribe, it's a question of accepting those terms or facing likely paralysis in a few years.
Doctors will begin destroying Hall's immune system this month, to replace it with one that doesn't mistake the insulation around his nerve fibers for a disease it must attack.
Only about two dozen MS patients in the United States have undergone the treatment, which has been offered by Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center for about two years. Several patients have improved, but one died and another's MS continued to worsen.
The best Hall can expect is a halt to his progressive loss of strength and coordination. The former forester, who once spent much of his time slogging through the woods, was diagnosed with MS at age 32.
"I made my living on my legs," said Hall, who has since taken a desk job. "I was in a real panic."
Doctors told him that his T-cells - the immune system's bloodborne soldiers - were invading his brain and spinal cord and destroying the myelin sheath that insulates the nerves. Once exposed, the nerves degenerated and quit conducting commands from his brain to his muscles.
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For years, Hall largely stayed away from doctors because MS is considered incurable.
But two years ago, things got so bad - he suffered frequent falls and tremors that shook his body - that he began consulting Dr. Ben Thrower at the Holy Family Hospital MS Center here.
In November, Hall asked Thrower about stem-cell treatment. The doctor agreed Hall would be a good candidate because he has not responded to standard drug treatment and is in good health aside from the MS.
Doctors at the Fred Hutchinson center agreed to treat Hall after putting him through screening tests.
But there was a hitch. Hall's insurance company wouldn't cover the treatment, which costs at least $150,000.
Family, friends and co-workers mobilized, and so far have raised about $150,000.
The treatment will begin with Hall's stem cells - immature cells in bone marrow that can grow into almost any part of the blood or immune system. Drugs will push the stem cells out of the marrow and into his bloodstream. His blood will be filtered to capture millions of stem cells, which will be stored in a freezer.
Hall will then undergo 80 hours of total body radiation, followed by chemotherapy. Once his immune system has been knocked out, his stem cells will be thawed and returned to his bloodstream, where - if all goes well - they will form a normal immune system.
For Hall, the possibility of success is a strong incentive.
I have now actually allowed myself to have hope," he said.
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