Ruth Furtado

Please Help Make a Difference!

Ruth Furtado is a 55-year-old artist and resident of East Providence, RI. In 1999, when she noticed numbness in her toes, she just chalked it up to tying her sneakers too tight. What she could not have imagined was that it was the beginning of her battle with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). By February of 2010, she was hospitalized with a flare up of her MS symptoms which left her permanently disabled.

Prior to Ruth’s diagnosis, this once vibrant woman was a graphic designer for eight years. Since then, she discovered the endless possibilities for creativity in Photoshop. Ruth describes herself as a self-taught artist who started by experimenting with fractal art, using a multitude of different brushes and gradient effects to create some extraordinary, otherworldly artwork. She feels profoundly blessed to have relearned how to create these inspiring images by using her left hand since she no longer has full function of her right hand. Despite any challenges MS has created, Ruth’s motto is to “adapt to the changes, find a new way to do things when you can no longer do them the way you used to”. She will NOT let this disease define her and will fight every day to take back what has been taken from her.

While striving to adapt, Ruth has done research on different treatment options and learned about a procedure being done at a facility in San Diego, CA called StemGenex. It is a stem cell treatment that uses stem cells from Ruth’s own body extracted from adipose or fat cells. It is designed to target the myelin sheath (protects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord) by introducing adult mesenchymal stem cells past the blood brain barrier so they may differentiate into and repair the myelin sheath nerve cells. This process is called remyelination. Since MS is an auto-immune condition, adipose (fat tissue) derived mesenchymal stem cells have the ability to repair the immune system; keeping it from attacking itself. This process is referred to as immunomodulation. Through demyelination and immunomodulation, the hope is to work toward improving the quality of lives of patients dealing with MS. The treatment itself, hotel stay, airfare and food during her stay will total close to $25,000. This is a financial challenge Ruth cannot face alone. She needs your help.

To help with the financial burden of Ruth Furtado’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 Northeast Stem Cell Transplant Fund, and are administered by Help Hope Live for medically-related expenses only. Please consider a contribution.

For credit card contributions, please click the yellow Donate Now button.

Ruth has worked daily to regain strength on her right side. Her goal is to someday graduate from a walker to using a cane, then walking without assistance and maybe someday running on her own! Thank you for your support.

With sincere gratitude,
Joan Furtado (Ruth’s mother)