When Scott McPhillimy was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 26 his devoted wife Suzanne prepared to care for him. The young couple knew the condition was degenerative which meant his symptoms would be likely to worsen as time went by.
But then the couple was left facing another devastating blow after Suzanne suffered her own major health issue. The now 34-year-old was working from home when she had a ruptured brain aneurysm which left her needing several operations on her brain and in a coma for three months.
Now her devoted husband has undergone radical treatment in a bid to halt his MS symtoms worsening. And it is hoped if successful it will prevent his young wife from having to go into a care home.
The couple were just 16 when they met at high school, going on to tie the knot in 2014. But heartache was round the corner for the happy pair when just a year later Scott was diagnosed with MS at the age of 26.
He thought Suzanne would need to care for him due to the degenerative condition. But in November 2020 the couple's world fell apart when Suzanne was on a work call at home and suffered a brain aneurysm. She underwent multiple brain surgeries and was in a coma for three months until February 2021.
She was transferred to a rehab unit the following month. She was finally allowed to home in August 2021 but since then has been in a wheelchair and struggles with communication.
In 2022, Scott, now 34, travelled to Mexico for a four-week radical treatment aimed at preventing his MS from getting any worse. The £45k treatment called haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) aims to wipe out and regrow the immune system using stem cells.
The treatment was paid for by a combination, of donations, family help and remortgaging of their house. HSCT is not offered in Scotland but can be commissioned on the NHS in England in extreme cases.
Scott said it is a "million dollar question" whether or not the treatment has worked and that he will find out in around one year's time. Scott, a civil servant, from East Kilbride, Scotland, said: "The longer I go without my MS getting worse than it has worked, I won't know for about a year.
"I wasn't born with MS and I lived 20 to 25 years without it until something triggered it. If the treatment works, it will draw a line under my MS and I won't get any worse."
Scott's says he has learned to manage his main symptoms through exercise and trying to keep healthy. He said: "My two main symptoms are fatigue, as my brain can't process the simplest task and can be triggered by heat or stress. Another thing is foot drop - the foot doesn't lift when you walk and it causes issues with mobility."
After a four-week stint in Mexico receiving his treatment, Scott landed back in Scotland on September 24, 2021. He said that the chemotherapy was 'uncomfortable' but other people suffered a lot worse than him.
"For me it was uncomfortable, feeling nauseous and dizzy, it was very uncomfortable but I know some of the other patients were really unwell. I had bad days but I seemed to bounce back," he said.
"They also give you an injection which causes bone pain, you can't adjust yourself because every time you would move another part of your body would hurt."
Scott said his wife, Suzanne, was his rock when he was diagnosed with MS back in 2015. He said: "She has been by my side ever since, it is a cruel twist of fate with what happened to her.
"Her aneurysm came out of nowhere, she had no major signs. When her aneurysm burst it was the part of the brain that controls speech, she has limited mobility - it is a shame to be honest.
"We have moved to a bungalow close to our family and they help out a lot. I don't think I would have got through this without family support."
Suzanne, who was doing well in her career with an accountancy firm, would need residential care if not for her husband - and the couple had to sell their old house as it wasn't accessible.
But what if the treatment doesn't work, Scott said: "That is a million dollar question, one of the hardest things about MS is how unpredictable it is.
"Worst-case scenario is I will have to go into a care home, I will lose my mobility. If it doesn't work we will have to cross that bridge when we get to it."
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