Courtney Tighe is a wife, mother of three (Jack, Savannah, and Sam), daughter, sister, and friend. She works full time and does her best to balance the busy lives and activities of her children with everyday responsibilities.
On July 20, 2016, Courtney received a devastating diagnosis after being hospitalized for double vision: Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Since her diagnosis, she has been living with unpredictable and sometimes extreme nerve pain, dizziness, difficulty forming words/thoughts, extreme fatigue, and headaches to name a few.
Almost 18 years prior to this diagnosis, her younger sister was diagnosed with MS. Today, her sister is dependent on a wheelchair. Courtney has seen this disease rob her sister of independence, even after 18 years of trying various disease modifying drugs (DMD’s) to slow down its debilitating progression. In recent years, a new procedure has come out that has proven to be beneficial in halting the progression of MS versus a lifetime of the DMD’s currently available. Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) takes stem cells from your own bone marrow, wipes out your immune system with chemotherapy treatment, and then puts your stem cells back with the hope that your immune system is erased from any memory with regards to attacking your own immune system – specifically the myelin sheath that protects your nerves.
This treatment is done at Northwestern in Chicago, but is still on a trial basis. Courtney does not qualify for this trial as she would have to fail at two DMD’s before being considered. Courtney is still on her first DMD since diagnosis. After months of research, Courtney has decided to travel to Puebla, Mexico for this treatment on October 9, 2017. The cost of this treatment is $54,500 and does not include airfare and loss of income for the approximate 30 days that she will be out of work.
To help with the financial burden of Courtney’s uninsured expenses, a fundraising campaign in her honor has been established with Help Hope Live, a trusted nonprofit organization that has been providing community-based fundraising guidance to patients and their families for more than 30 years. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law, are held by Help Hope Live in the Southeast Stem Cell Transplant Fund, and are administered by Help Hope Live for transplant-related expenses only. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Donate Now button.
Your contribution to this cause would give Courtney the hope that she can live a life free of the worry of physical deterioration because of this neurological disease. Thank you for your consideration, well wishes, and prayers.
Friends and Family of Courtney Tighe
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