HSCT for Relapsing Remitting MS: Jose from the Netherlands
by admin
Patient account published with the patient's consent. Clinical details checked and approved by the board of haematologists at HSCT Hospital India, whose transplant physicians hold DM Clinical Haematology qualifications and fellowship training in stem cell transplantation. The programme runs at a JCI-USA, NABH and NABL accredited hospital that has treated more than 1500 patients. Page last updated: 13 October 2026.
Jose from the Netherlands came to HSCT Hospital India in New Delhi for HSCT to treat relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. She had lived with MS relapses for about 30 years, and her EDSS score was 2.5. Six months after HSCT, she wrote that the muscle tension in her arms had stopped, her reflexes were normal again and she could feel her foot normally.
Relapsing remitting MS is the form in which attacks of new or worse symptoms, called relapses, come and then ease off. Neurologists score disability in MS from 0 to 10 on a scale called EDSS, the Expanded Disability Status Scale. A score of 2.5 means mild disability: a person walks without help, while MS affects one or two areas of the nervous system, such as movement or feeling.
Jose from the Netherlands: HSCT for MS at a Glance
Patient
Jose lives in the Netherlands with her husband Tim, and she has two daughters.
Condition
Her first relapse came around 1987, and she was diagnosed with relapsing remitting MS in 2009.
Before HSCT
Her EDSS score was 2.5, she had a relapse about every 10 months, and she was no longer able to work.
Treatment
She had HSCT at HSCT Hospital India in December 2017, with Tim as her carer, and her stem cells were given back on Christmas Day.
After HSCT
Six months after treatment, she wrote that her reflexes were normal again, her vision had improved a little and warm weather no longer troubled her.
Price of the programme today
HSCT Hospital India charges 30,000 US dollars, all inclusive, for up to 30 days in hospital.
How relapsing remitting MS affected Jose before HSCT
Jose had her first relapse around 1987. For about 20 years her family doctor believed her symptoms were psychological. As a result, she went through a relapse roughly every 10 months with no MS medicine at all. MS was diagnosed in 2009, and by then she could no longer work.
"The first MS shup [relapse] was probably in 1987. Until 2008 my family doctor unfortunately was convinced that it was psychological. For years I had a new shup for every 10 months and I had to manage by myself without any medication."
Jose, MS patient from the Netherlands, six months after HSCT
In 2010 she had a CCSVI procedure in Belgium, an operation on the veins of the neck that some MS patients tried in those years. It gave her relief for a short time, and then the decline continued. She kept up her strength with exercise while the MS went on.
A patient in the Netherlands can ask for the HSCT Hospital India brochure by email. It explains each stage of treatment, the stay in hospital and what the single price includes.
In January 2017, Jose’s family in Australia suggested HSCT. Her doctors in the Netherlands did not offer it. Tim read the published HSCT studies from other countries and judged the results reliable, and Jose decided that HSCT was the treatment she wanted.
"The Dutch doctors did not consider it an option because of the risk and the possible poor results. However, the various foreign scientific HSCT studies showed good results."
Jose, MS patient from the Netherlands, six months after HSCT
If you have relapsing remitting MS, use the enquiry form to send your diagnosis, a recent MRI report and the MS medicines you have taken. HSCT specialists at HSCT Hospital India review it free of charge, and a case manager emails you their opinion.
What HSCT at HSCT Hospital India involved for Jose
Jose arrived in New Delhi in December 2017, and treatment began soon after her tests. Her stem cells were given back to her on Christmas Day. Her doctor sat beside her bed while it was done, with a Christmas programme playing on the television.
"The treatment was immediately put in motion and it happened so that I got the replacement of my stem cells on the first Christmas Day. And Doctor was really sitting beside of my bed on the first Christmas Day for the replacement of the stem cells, with us all listening to a Christmas show on TV."
Jose, MS patient from the Netherlands, six months after HSCT
Giving the stem cells back is the last of the four stages of HSCT at HSCT Hospital India. First, in mobilisation, a growth factor and a short course of chemotherapy move stem cells out of the bone marrow and into the blood. These cells are collected by a machine and frozen. Next comes conditioning, in which cyclophosphamide and anti-thymocyte globulin, called ATG, clear out the immune cells that attack the nerves in MS. The frozen stem cells are then returned through a drip, and they rebuild the immune system.
Jose found the treatment easier than she had expected. She felt weaker during it, and her days were spent eating, drinking and resting in her bed. From the start, the nurses taught her and Tim the daily routine for washing, eating and drinking during the stay.
"The procedure was not as unpleasant for me to undergo as I thought it would be. I had a lovely hospital bed and I could stay there endlessly without any problem. I felt weaker, but I also had nothing else to do than eating, drinking and taking care of myself, and going to the toilet."
Jose, MS patient from the Netherlands, six months after HSCT
After the stem cells are returned, the blood counts stay at their lowest for some days, and doctors call this the aplastic phase. The whole stay at HSCT Hospital India is spent in a private room with Triple HEPA air filtration. Nurses are present day and night, so any sign of infection is treated at once. Each stage is explained in the MS treatment guide.
Jose three and six months after HSCT, in her own words
Jose spent the first winter at home keeping contact with other people to a minimum, because her resistance to infection was still low after the chemotherapy. Three months after HSCT, she noticed that the tension in her arms had stopped. Muscle tension in MS, which doctors call spasticity, follows damage to the nerves that control movement.
"After three months I realized that during that time the high MS tension in my arms stopped and the reflexes in my arms, legs and pelvic-bottom were normal again. And my hanging slack toe was in a normal position again. These are big improvements."
Jose, MS patient from the Netherlands, six months after HSCT
At six months she described further changes. Her eyesight improved enough for weaker glasses, and the abnormal feeling in her feet went away. Many people with MS find their symptoms get worse in warm weather, and Jose wrote that the summer heat no longer troubled her.
"After six months post the treatment I suddenly got new improvements: My vision improved a little so I could buy weaker glasses; the dystrophic symptoms (feet) just disappeared and I can sense normal feelings in my foot. And I also got heat-resistant and I am able to enjoy the summer weather."
Jose, MS patient from the Netherlands, six months after HSCT
Jose’s HSCT in her own words: before and after
Before: relapses
She had a new relapse about every 10 months.
Before: work
She was no longer able to work by the time MS was diagnosed in 2009.
After: arms and legs
She wrote that the tension in her arms stopped and her reflexes were normal again.
After: foot
She wrote that her dropped toe was back in a normal position and she could feel her foot normally.
After: eyesight and heat
She wrote that her vision improved a little and she could enjoy summer weather.
Still present at six months
She wrote that she had a sore neck and back, and that the back pain was less sharp than before.
Jose did a half hour exercise session outdoors every morning and worked with a physiotherapist to build up her activity. Back in the Netherlands she had monthly blood tests, and the results went to her doctor at HSCT Hospital India. What to expect in the months after the stay is explained in how long it takes to recover after HSCT for MS.
"In the Netherlands I should have monthly blood tests and then send the results to doctor. He advised us to send everything to him in case of possible problems, because he is the specialist with the most knowledge."
Jose, MS patient from the Netherlands, six months after HSCT
Travelling from the Netherlands to New Delhi raises questions about flights, the Indian medical visa and bringing a partner as a carer. An HSCT Case Manager can phone you to go through them, free of charge.
For a patient in the Netherlands, the first step is the enquiry form with recent MRI reports and a list of past MS medicines. The HSCT specialist doctors at HSCT Hospital India read these and send a free opinion on whether HSCT is likely to help. If it is, an HSCT Case Manager plans the visa and travel. Treatment starts only after a full medical evaluation in New Delhi.
HSCT Hospital India has treated more than 1,500 people with MS, from over 30 countries, using the non-myeloablative protocol. Non-myeloablative means the chemotherapy is strong enough to clear the immune cells behind MS without destroying the bone marrow. The hospital holds JCI-USA accreditation from the Joint Commission International, as well as NABH and NABL, India’s national boards for hospitals and laboratories.
The price of 30,000 US dollars is all inclusive for up to 30 days in hospital. It covers treatment, the private room with Triple HEPA air filtration and the attendant’s stay, with food and laundry for both, and airport pick-up and drop-back. Who can be treated is explained in who is eligible for HSCT, and the options for paying are set out in how to pay for HSCT abroad.
Before booking anything, a patient in the Netherlands can find out whether HSCT is likely to help. The review by the HSCT specialist doctors at HSCT Hospital India costs nothing and carries no obligation.
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Complete 30 day HSCT done in hospital. Private deluxe rooms are very well served for patient and attendant comfort and equipped with HEPA Filter with Triple Level Air Filtration. No outside hospital stay avoids risk of infection during the aplastic phase, 24 x 7 nursing care and best medical attention. Advanced HSCT protocol used does not require any further chemo or treatment after leaving the hospital. Click here to get complete details
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More than 1,500 patients from Europe, America and Australia have already been treated successfully at HSCT Hospital India. Our multi-disciplinary team reviews every multiple sclerosis referral, including the EDSS recorded by the treating neurologist, the MRI sequence over time and the relapse history, before any decision is taken. Click here to watch patient testimonial videos
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Complete 30 day HSCT done in hospital. Private deluxe rooms are very well served for patient and attendant comfort and equipped with HEPA Filter with Triple Level Air Filtration. No outside hospital stay avoids risk of infection during the aplastic phase, 24 x 7 nursing care and best medical attention. Advanced HSCT protocol used does not require any further chemo or treatment after leaving the hospital. 
International and Globally Renowned Accreditations. HSCT Hospital India is accredited by the Joint Commission International, USA, the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH), and the National Accreditation Board for Laboratories (NABL) for processes and high quality patient care. 
