Rohini from Suriname was diagnosed with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis in 2017, and she came to HSCT Hospital India for HSCT once she noticed the disease getting worse. Her travel to New Delhi was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and she travelled in January while the pandemic was still going on. She says that within two weeks of her stem cell treatment she got her life back.
Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a disease in which the body’s own immune system damages the coating that protects the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. In the relapsing remitting form, symptoms flare up in attacks called relapses and then settle, partly or fully, between them. HSCT, short for haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, uses chemotherapy to remove the faulty immune cells and then returns the patient’s own stem cells to rebuild the immune system. Because the stem cells are the patient’s own, doctors call this autologous HSCT.
| Rohini from Suriname: HSCT for MS Results at a Glance |
| Patient | Rohini is from Suriname. |
| Condition | She was diagnosed with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis in 2017. |
| Before HSCT | She says she noticed that her MS was getting worse. |
| How she found HSCT Hospital India | A friend with an aggressive form of MS searched the internet and found the treatment for her. |
| Travel | She first planned to come in November, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed her, and she travelled in January during the pandemic. |
| Treatment | She had autologous HSCT at HSCT Hospital India in New Delhi. |
| After HSCT | She says that within two weeks she got her life back. |
| Package price today | One all inclusive price of 30,000 US dollars covers a stay of up to 30 days. |
Why Rohini from Suriname looked at HSCT for relapsing remitting MS
Rohini had lived with relapsing remitting MS since her diagnosis in 2017. After she noticed that she was becoming worse, she began to think about stem cell treatment. She talked it over with a friend who also has MS.
"I was diagnosed with RRMS in 2017, and after I noticed that I became worse, I thought about stem cell [treatment]."
Rohini, MS patient from Suriname
HSCT is usually considered for relapsing remitting MS that stays active despite medicine, because it works on the immune system that causes the relapses. Whether it suits a particular patient is decided by HSCT specialist doctors, who read the medical records first. Every case starts with that review, and it costs the patient nothing.
Patients who want the details in writing can ask HSCT Hospital India for its brochure by email. It describes the treatment, the 30 day stay and all that the one price includes.
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How Rohini found HSCT Hospital India through a friend with MS
Rohini did not find the hospital on her own. A friend of hers, who has an aggressive form of MS, searched the internet and came across an affordable stem cell programme in India. As soon as she heard about it, Rohini began emailing the hospital and booked her appointment.
"She began to investigate [on the] internet, and she came across affordable stem cell [treatment]. So I immediately began to email [name unclear] and made my appointment."
Rohini, MS patient from Suriname
Every patient begins in the same way. They send their medical records, and HSCT specialist doctors at HSCT Hospital India give an initial opinion on whether HSCT suits their case. An HSCT case manager then answers questions and helps plan the trip to New Delhi.
Travelling to India for HSCT during the COVID-19 pandemic
Rohini first planned to arrive in November, but the COVID-19 pandemic stopped her from travelling. She came in January instead, while the pandemic was still going on. She says she thought it was now or never.
"Because of [COVID] we could not come, so in January I came through the pandemic, because I thought it is [now or never]."
Rohini, MS patient from Suriname
HSCT Hospital India protects patients from infection throughout the treatment. The whole programme is an in-patient stay, and each patient has a deluxe private room with triple level HEPA air filtration, which removes dust and germs from the air. Nurses are on hand day and night, so any fever or sign of infection is checked straight away.
Anyone with MS can find out whether HSCT suits their own case without committing to anything. HSCT specialist doctors at HSCT Hospital India review the records each patient sends. An HSCT case manager replies personally, free of charge and with no obligation.
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What happens during HSCT for MS at HSCT Hospital India
HSCT at HSCT Hospital India has four stages, all given during one stay in hospital. They are mobilisation, harvest, conditioning and reinfusion.
During mobilisation, medicine is given to release stem cells from the bone marrow into the bloodstream. At the harvest, a machine collects those stem cells in a procedure called leukapheresis, and they are stored frozen. Conditioning comes next. Chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide and ATG, short for anti-thymocyte globulin, clears out the immune cells that attack the nerves.
This conditioning is non-myeloablative, which means the bone marrow is suppressed but not destroyed. At reinfusion, the frozen stem cells are thawed and returned through a drip, and they move to the bone marrow, where they produce new blood and immune cells. A fuller account of each stage is in the HSCT for multiple sclerosis guide.
What changed for Rohini after HSCT, in her own words
Rohini says that after the stem cell treatment, within two weeks, she got her life back. Before treatment, she had described her MS as getting worse.
"I did the stem cell, [and] within two weeks I get my life back."
Rohini, MS patient from Suriname
| What Rohini reports before and after HSCT |
| Before: diagnosis | She was diagnosed with relapsing remitting MS in 2017. |
| Before: course of her MS | She says she noticed that she was becoming worse. |
| After: in her words | She says that within two weeks she got her life back. |
Recovery after HSCT continues for months once a patient is home, and it varies from person to person. What a patient can expect in the weeks and months after treatment is set out on the HSCT recovery time page.
Rohini’s thanks to the nurses and doctors at HSCT Hospital India
At the end of the video, Rohini thanks her doctor, his team and every member of staff. She also thanks the sister, the word used in Indian hospitals for a senior nurse. She describes the care she received as warm, kind and loving.
"I want to thank [the doctor] and his team and all of the staff members, the sister and everybody, for the warm and kind and loving care I get from them."
Rohini, MS patient from Suriname
Patients travelling from Suriname and the Caribbean usually have questions about flights, the medical visa and who travels with them. An HSCT case manager will call at a time that suits the patient, at no cost.
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HSCT for MS patients from Suriname
Patients from Suriname follow the same steps as patients from any of the more than 30 countries treated at HSCT Hospital India. The process starts with an online application and a free review of the medical records. After the initial opinion, an HSCT case manager plans the trip, and a full medical evaluation in New Delhi confirms suitability before any treatment is given.
Since 2016, HSCT Hospital India has treated more than 1,500 people with MS using the non-myeloablative protocol developed by Dr Richard Burt. The hospital is accredited by JCI-USA, the Joint Commission International, and by NABH and NABL, the Indian national accreditation boards for hospitals and laboratories. There is no long waiting list. The one price of 30,000 US dollars includes up to 30 days in hospital, the private room, a stay for one attendant, food and laundry for both, and airport pick-up and drop-back.
Dutch is spoken in both Suriname and the Netherlands, and two Dutch patients tell their own stories on the Linda from the Netherlands and Johannis from the Netherlands pages. Jayne, a patient from the United Kingdom, describes her own treatment on the Jayne from the United Kingdom page. The medical checks behind every initial opinion are listed on the HSCT eligibility criteria page.
Transcript of the video
Rohini: I am Rohini [family name withheld], from Suriname. I was diagnosed with RRMS in 2017, and after I noticed that I became worse, I thought about stem cell [treatment]. I talked with a friend of mine who had an aggressive form, so she began to investigate [on the] internet, and she came across affordable stem cell [treatment]. So I immediately began to email [name unclear] and made my appointment, first in November. But because of [COVID] we could not come, so in January I came through the pandemic, because I thought it is [now or never]. So I came here and met [the doctor] and his team, and I did the stem cell, [and] within two weeks I get my life back. So I want to thank [the doctor] and his team and all of the staff members, the sister and everybody, for the warm and kind and loving care I get from them.
Patients in Suriname can have their own case reviewed by the HSCT specialist doctors at HSCT Hospital India before deciding anything. An HSCT case manager answers personally, free of charge, with no obligation.
Get Free Expert Opinion Now
Read next
HSCT for multiple sclerosis: the full treatment guide
HSCT eligibility criteria
HSCT cost by country
Jayne from the United Kingdom
How long it takes to recover after HSCT for MS
More patient stories from HSCT Hospital India
