HSCT for MS Review: Justin from the USA on HSCT in India
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: 15 October 2026.
Justin, a man with multiple sclerosis from North Carolina in the United States, was treated with HSCT for his MS at HSCT Hospital India, New Delhi. He chose the hospital after his own research. During the stay his body caught an infection, and he says the team knew exactly what to do and treated it with the right medicines. By the end of his stay, he says he expects to go home stronger than when he arrived.
In MS, white blood cells damage myelin, the fatty sheath that insulates nerve fibres in the brain and spinal cord. Where myelin is damaged, messages to the muscles, eyes and skin slow down or fail. HSCT, short for haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, clears those white blood cells with chemotherapy. The patient’s own stem cells, collected and frozen beforehand, are then given back, and they produce new blood and immune cells. Because the cells are the patient’s own, doctors call it autologous HSCT.
Justin from the USA: HSCT for MS at a Glance
Patient
Justin is from North Carolina, on the east coast of the United States.
Condition
He has multiple sclerosis, and he came to India for HSCT.
Why India
He says HSCT Hospital India seemed like the best place after his research.
Treatment
His HSCT at HSCT Hospital India in New Delhi covered mobilisation, stem cell harvest, chemotherapy and supportive care.
During the stay
His body caught an infection, and he says he received the correct medicines in the correct way and caught no other infection.
Rehabilitation
He says the physical therapist helped him quite a bit.
After HSCT
He says he believes he will be stronger when he gets home than when he arrived.
Price of the programme today
HSCT Hospital India charges 30,000 US dollars, all inclusive, for up to 30 days in hospital.
Why Justin from North Carolina chose HSCT at HSCT Hospital India
Justin speaks of the trip as “we” throughout the video. He says he learned about HSCT through research, and that HSCT Hospital India stood out once he had compared the options.
"We heard about it after research, and this seemed like the best place, and it turns out we’ve had a great experience here."
Justin, MS patient from North Carolina, USA
Every patient starts with a free case review before any travel is planned. HSCT specialist doctors at HSCT Hospital India read the medical records and give an initial opinion. An HSCT case manager then helps with the medical visa and the travel plans, and stays in contact until the flight home.
A patient in the United States can ask for the HSCT Hospital India brochure by email. It explains each stage of treatment, the 30 day stay and what the single price includes.
Which stages of HSCT Justin went through in New Delhi
Justin names the stages of his treatment himself: mobilisation, the harvest of his stem cells, chemotherapy and supportive care. He says all of it went well.
"They did their protocol with chemotherapy, harvest, mobilization, supportive care. All of it has been great."
Justin, MS patient from North Carolina, USA
In mobilisation, a growth factor and a short chemotherapy course release stem cells from the bone marrow into the bloodstream. For the harvest, known as leukapheresis, a cell separator collects those stem cells over several hours, and they are frozen. Conditioning comes next, with cyclophosphamide and anti-thymocyte globulin, or ATG, clearing the immune cells behind the MS. Last, the frozen stem cells are thawed and given back through a drip.
Cyclophosphamide with ATG is a non-myeloablative regimen. It weakens the bone marrow but leaves it able to work, and for that reason the blood counts come back within days. How this regimen differs from the ones used in Mexico and Russia is covered in which HSCT protocol is best for MS, and the MS treatment guide walks through each stage in more detail.
How HSCT Hospital India handled an infection during his stay
Justin also describes a setback during his stay. He says he had a couple of hiccups, and that his body caught an infection. He adds that the team reassured him, followed their protocol and gave him the correct medicines in the correct way.
"My body caught an infection, and they reassured me they knew exactly what to do. They did their protocol. I received all the correct medications in the correct way. I didn’t get any other infections."
Justin, MS patient from North Carolina, USA
Infection is the main risk of HSCT because, in the days after conditioning, the blood counts are at their lowest. Doctors call this the aplastic phase. For this reason every patient at HSCT Hospital India stays in hospital through these days, in a deluxe private room with Triple HEPA air filtration. Nurses are present day and night, so a fever is treated as soon as it starts.
What the chemotherapy does to the immune system, and why the body is open to infection for a short time, is explained in the article on chemotherapy for MS.
Fill in the enquiry form with your diagnosis, your latest MRI report and the MS medicines you have been on. The specialist doctors of HSCT Hospital India look at it without charge, and an HSCT Case Manager sends their view by email.
What Justin says about the staff at HSCT Hospital India
Justin says everyone who came into his room wore a mask and a hairnet, which protects a patient from infection while the blood counts are low. He says that even though he could only see their eyes, the staff reassured him and made him feel better on the days he felt bad.
"You only see their eyes, because everybody who comes in has a mask and wears a hairnet, and everybody’s kind eyes, you know, is reassuring. And they’ve always made me feel better when I did feel bad."
Justin, MS patient from North Carolina, USA
He thanks the whole hospital, not only the doctors. He names the nurses, the cleaning staff, the laundry staff, the food staff and his physical therapist.
What changed for Justin after HSCT, in his own words
Neuro-physiotherapy, meaning exercise sessions a physiotherapist plans for strength and balance, runs through the stay at HSCT Hospital India. Justin says his physical therapist helped him quite a bit. At the end of the video, he says he believes he will be stronger going home than when he arrived.
"The physical therapist has helped me out quite a bit, and I believe that I’ll be stronger when I get home than when I got here, which I call that a win."
Justin, MS patient from North Carolina, USA
Justin’s HSCT in his own words: before, during and after
Before
He came to India with multiple sclerosis, after researching HSCT.
During
His body caught an infection, and he says the team treated it with the correct medicines.
After: rehabilitation
He says the physical therapist helped him quite a bit.
After: how he feels
He says he believes he will be stronger when he gets home than when he arrived.
After the 30 day stay, recovery continues at home, and most patients return to their usual activities within 2 to 4 months. What to expect month by month is explained in how long it takes to recover after HSCT for MS.
Travelling from the United States to New Delhi raises questions about flights, the Indian medical visa and bringing a companion. An HSCT Case Manager can phone you to go through them, free of charge.
For an American patient, 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, since 2016, using the non-myeloablative protocol developed by Dr Richard Burt. 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. It covers treatment, the private room and the attendant’s stay, with food and laundry for both, and airport pick-up and drop-back. There is no long waiting list.
Justin: [My name is] Justin. I’m from [the] east coast [of the] US, in North Carolina. We came for HSCT stem cell treatment. We heard about it after research, and this seemed like the best place, and it turns out we’ve had a great experience here. They did their protocol with chemotherapy, harvest, mobilization, supportive care. All of it has been great.
Justin: We had a couple [of] hiccups. My body caught an infection, and they reassured me they knew exactly what to do. They did their protocol. I received all the correct medications in the correct way. I didn’t get any other infections.
Justin: The staff, you only see their eyes, because everybody who comes in has a mask and wears a hairnet, and everybody’s kind eyes, you know, is reassuring. And they’ve always made me feel better when I did feel bad. The overall experience here has been a great one: the doctors, the cleaning people, the laundry people, the food people, the nurses. The physical therapist has helped me out quite a bit, and I believe that I’ll be stronger when I get home than when I got here, which I call that a win.
Justin: I want to thank everybody. It’s been a crazy month and a half. Thank you.
Before booking anything, an American patient 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.
Why Choose HSCT Hospital India for Life Changing Multiple Sclerosis Treatment
HSCT Hospital India is one of the finest private hospitals in India and Accredited by JCI-USA. Most Affordable, 30,000 US $ HSCT package includes complete treatment cost for 30 days in hospital stay in a deluxe private room, Doctors Fee, Tests and Consultations, Medicines, Consumables, Physiotherapy and also Food and Laundry for both the patient and the attendant, Airport Transfers etc. Large number of patients from Europe, America and Australia already treated successfully. Click here to know more
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
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. Click here to know more
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. 
