By Callum Ludwig
A Wandin East mum of two has been struck with the devastating diagnosis of the chronic neurological disease Multiple Sclerosis, or MS.
Lauren Sneddon, at the age of only 34, was diagnosed with RRMS, relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis which results in unexpected ‘attacks’ and periods of ‘recovery’ and remission afterwards.
A good friend, Kane Williams, is set to run 100km to raise awareness and support for her.
Ms Sneddon said she met Mr Williams through her lifelong friend Kim, who she befriended in Year 9.
“She transferred to the same school as I and I remember distinctly that we were in a graphic class and started talking about Big Brother, which was the first ever Big Brother here in Australia, which is how we bonded,” she said.
“She became my best friend through high school and beyond, and she met Kane in Daisy’s nightclub back in the day and now he and I are good friends and he is good friends with my husband too and our kids are fairly close too. She was my bridesmaid and I was hers,” she said.
“I was very overwhelmed by his proposal, especially as I like to work out but am not much of a runner, so for me the idea that he would do something so impactful on his body, spending 12 hours straight running is a testament to the very thoughtful and caring person he is.”
In MS, the body’s own immune system mistakenly attacks and damages the fatty material – called myelin – around the nerves. This results in a process called demyelination where patches of nerves become exposed and then scarred, which renders the nerves unable to communicate messages properly and at risk of further degeneration.
Ms Sneddon said it all started in early September 2021 when she began to suffer from a significant migraine that left her bedridden for a week.
“From there, it was clear things weren’t getting better. My husband encouraged me to sit up and eat and when I did so, I lost all vision in my left eye. I had no spatial awareness, I was reaching for a water bottle and was 30 centimetres away. I lost my ability to speak properly, I was slurring my speech and impaired to the degree you couldn’t understand me,” she said.
“I went to the hospital and was treated with steroids for severe migraine, did a CT scan but unfortunately in that first visit, they didn’t give me an MRI. I was released after a week and was picking up my kids from daycare and after all of half an hour at home, my symptoms got much worse.”
Ms Sneddon couldn’t walk and couldn’t use her left arm or hand in any way, couldn’t speak and couldn’t recall the names of her kids (Leni and Franklin), her age, or what day or month it was.
It took 10 days in the hospital for her to recall the month and day, and she took some time to understand words that sounded similar such as ‘where’ and ‘there’.
In the 5 months following her hospitalisation, she underwent 2 lumber punctures, 3 CT scans, 4 MRIs and 10 blood tests before being diagnosed on 23 March 2022.
Ms Sneddon said the disease moved rapidly.
“In January I had another MRI and was told in the three months between the MRIs I’d incurred a further 12 lesions on my brain. Since then, there have been some issues in just in terms of my ability to do things day to day. I have limited use of my hands, I can’t pick up my kids properly and the fatigue is significant,” she said.
“I also have a constant feeling of bugs crawling down my back, which is a common MS symptom, the little things like a particular symptom called MS hugs, which is pain and tightening around your torso.”
If allowed to keep deteriorating, MS patients like Ms Sneddon can end up with symptoms from attacks being left permanent. Due to her fears regarding trying to raise her children in a wheelchair or with other ailments, Ms Sneddon applied and was accepted for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) at a clinic in Monterrey, Mexico. HSCT is available for MS patients in Australia but under very strict circumstances and Ms Sneddon is worried about letting her health reduce to the point she is eligible in Australia.
The clinic has successfully helped over 3000 patients to halt their MS at an impressive 80-90 per cent success rate. Ms Sneddon will go for treatment on March 6 2023, with a lengthy and precarious recovery period as her immune system rebuilds itself from the ground up.
Ms Sneddon said it is a very different experience to have so much support made for her.
“I’m definitely not the sort of person that asks for help, in the past I have prided myself on my ability to look after myself and be independent, and I love helping others with GoFundMe’s or organising a charity gala. I’ve definitely had to lean into the support that I’ve gotten and accept it,” she said.
“The support of my friends and family, the Yarra Valley community, the MS community and even strangers who have felt strongly enough to help someone they’ve never met, is something very special.”
Kane Williams will run 100km from Lilydale Lake to Warburton and back on Saturday 29 October and all are welcome to gather at Lilydale Lake to cheer him on as he is expected to finish at around 5pm to 5.30pm. Anyone is also welcome to join him, whether it be for the whole distance or a short distance on foot or by bike.
Anyone interested can donate to the GoFundMe set up to help fund Ms Sneddon’s treatment here: www.gofund.me/553ba9a8.
At the time of writing, $53,063 of the $100,000 goal has been raised by 617 donations.
