CORNER BROOK Ada Russell feels like she has awakened from 14 years of sleep.
The Corner Brook woman who suffers from multiple sclerosis travelled to India earlier this year to undergo the controversial treatment developed based the discoveries of Dr. Paolo Zamboni.
Reports of miraculous results are being told around the world, but there is skepticism and accounts of problems too. Ever since learning about it on television in November 2009, Ada wanted to have the procedure, which unblocks restricted blood flow out of the brain.
A couple of months after treatment, the woman — who spent the past 14 years in a wheelchair, had trouble staying awake, was always fatigued, had constantly cold legs, and had little ability to move her arms — has undergone a miraculous turnaround of her own.
“It is like I have a new life,” Russell said in her home in Curling. “I am like a new person. I can’t explain it, but I am overwhelmed. I can do things now that I could never do (since her onset of multiple sclerosis).”
She was diagnosed with the disease in 1990, but she has been confined to her wheelchair for the past 14 years. Now, she is able to sit in an arm chair again for periods of time. She has more energy, she can hold her head up straight, the circulation has returned to her legs, and she can breathe much easier.
Ada says she is now comfortable. For a short period of time, Russell said she was expecting too much too soon. She said there were certain things she wanted back in her life, walking being one, and she had to refocus her attitude when they did not come immediately.
“When I came back I didn’t know what to think,” she said. “It was such a culture shock, I was tired, and I had the flu. Really, to be honest, I was looking for stuff I wanted fixed, but it didn’t happen.
“... I just had to back up and be thankful for what I have, and the blessings will come.”
Those blessings are things she is now striving for. The woman who sometimes had trouble holding a fork is now exercising and weight training.
“I was in the wheelchair for 14 years,” she said. “It was like my muscles were asleep for 14 years. Now, it is my job to exercise and see what I can do.”
Russell said the trip to India, which included a direct flight of 15 hours to that country, was a long one that posed various challenges. However, she said they were able to overcome them and each seemed to work out in their favour in the long run.
The procedure itself, although she described it as somewhat simple in nature, also was a challenge for Russell. She said her vein was nearly completely compressed (80 per cent on one side and 20 per cent on the other). The procedure, normally 45 minutes to an hour, took three and a half hours in her case.
That seems to be a worry of the past now for Russell and her husband Bram. Before the procedure, she said she had trouble getting in a vehicle to drive from her home in Curling to another part of Corner Brook, and she would suffer for hours after. However, the couple recently drove to St. John’s, a three-day trip, and she said it was amazing. It was the early 1990s the last time they were able to do something like that.
For Bram, he is most impressed by the results.
“Winning the (Lotto) 6-49 on a Wednesday night would not give you the feeling she has now,” he said. “I am absolutely amazed by the results.”
The couple is thankful for the support and contributions of many family and friends, and strangers, who helped them fundraise in the past couple of years. Paddy and Debbie Tremblett, a couple in Alberta, learned of their struggle to raise the money and came to their aid. Not only did they raise a small amount of money, but they paid for their plane tickets out of their own pockets and made all the travel arrangements.
Although Russell said the Trembletts are not looking for praise, they deserve it.
“I am thankful for everybody,” she said. “This would not have happened if not for the good people of Corner Brook who donated their money with love. Because of the support and prayers of so many, I went. I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.”
Although the treatment is still controversial, there are lobbying efforts to begin the therapy in this country. The Newfoundland and Labrador government is investing $320,000 on an observational study to determine the impact on patients. The Canadian government has refused to fund the therapy and clinical trials.
Russell, one of those who feel “liberated,” said she recommends multiple sclerosis patients do whatever they can to have the treatment done. She also says governments need to take action to make it possible.
