Seal Beach ready to help local MS Sufferer

Seal Beach ready to help local MS Sufferer By James Figueroa Multiple Sclerosis is on of those heartless diseases that takes away everything joyful in life. Dave Hassenpflug knows this. A longtime Long Beach resident, Hassenpflug was diagnosed with MS eight years ago. He could still walk back then, and he could still enjoy things like fishing and rocking out to punk music. But his condition steadily worsened. Now, wheelchair-bound at age 33, Hassenpflug has to stay in bed for two hours after he wakes up, waiting for his legs to loosen up enough for him to go about his daily routine. Not that there is much of a routine in Hassenpflug's day. "I can't use my right hand really, for anything." he said, revealing that this is terrible because he is right-handed. But there is hope for Dave, in the form of modern medicine. Hassenpflug, seeking relief for his pain, was accepted for an experimental procedure to be conducted at the University of California at San Diego. The stem cell transplant -- which involves replacing cells in bone marrow -- has been used for years in treating cancer patients, but only recently has it been used for MS patients. Which means that Hassenplug's medical insurance will not cover the procedure, and it could end up costing him up to $100,000. That's where his family came in. "You name it we're doing it," said Marybeth Buonassissi, Hassenpflug's sister. "We've almost raised $10,000 just by talking about it." Buonassissi has teamed with Dave's former, Stella Hassenpflug, to organize a massive fund-raising effort. A silent auction and dinner has been scheduled at Mum's in Long Beach for February 24, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Buonassissi promises that it is going to be a grand event, with all the proceeds from that night going to Hassenpflug's fund, courtesy of Mum's owner John Norris. Dinners are being sold for a $25 donation, and a number of businesses have donated goods and services to be auctioned off. Seal Beach businesses have been particularly helpful in donations, according to Buonassissi. "Every vendor in town has helped out tremendously," she said. "We're preparing for the event with great expectations." Contributing businesses include Norm's Sportfishing, Seal Beach Cycle, Calypso Juice and Vitamins, Hennesy's, O'Malley's, Walt's Wharf, BJ's Pizza, Crab Pot, Ruby's, Finbars, Kinda Lahaina, Radisson Inn, Bay Chiropractic, Michikos, Audrey's Antiques, Iskand Treasures, Endless Summer and Parkhusrt Gallery. The National Foundation for Transplants, an organization established to help individuals like Hassenpflug, is also helping out. "All these people are doing all these things for me," Hassenpflug said in wonderment. "I'm real excited." He anticipates having the transplant in the spring. The procedure, however, is a dangerous one. The doctors will be going into Hassenpflug's bone marrow to remove defective stem cells. He will the be treated with chemotherapy for a short time before new, healthy stem cells are introduced into his body. Hassenpflug, with a weakened immune system, will be susceptible to infections. But the possible benefits are great. If the transplant is successful, Hassenpflug's immune system will stop progression and start remission of MS, possibly allowing him to walk again. "People with this disease will do anything to make it better,"" Buonassissi noted. Friends and family will do all they can as well, as evidenced by Hassenpflug's sister and former wife. He also has two sons, Max and Travis, and many other family members in the Medford, Oregon area. All are rooting for him, and many people in Seal Beach have been happy to join the cause. Hassenpflug, for his part, is just hoping to get his life back. "If I'm able to get up there's all kinds of things I can do". Back to News