AN OSWESTRY man who suffers from a debilitating illness is urgently trying to raise £45,000 for treatment in Mexico that will give him a chance of a good quality of life.

James Nash, 47, was diagnosed with primary progressive Multiple Sclerosis on January 2, 2021, and his life has not been the same since, having to rely on a wheelchair and walking sticks to get around.

After his primary physician has said that there is nothing else he can do, James and his family have found a treatment, Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation that he says has achieved some success for patients in India, Russia and Mexico.

But with treatment due to begin in August and his condition worsening, he is running out of time to have the treatment.

He needs this money to cover the costs of the treatment and the post-treatment care, but he doesn't have long, as the HSCT can only accept patients with a expanded disability status scale number – which measures the condition of MS patients – of 6.5. With Mr Nash's condition getting worse by the day he needs to be able to move fast to access the care.

Mr Nash said: "My immune system is attacking itself, and with this haematology treatment, they extract your stem cells, give you chemo to annihilate your immune system, and then ultimately reset it.

"Usually for others they have moments when they feel better, for me it's just bad, or worse, it doesn't get better."

The Nash family has received a lot of donations, from overseas, family, friends and others that wanted to stay anonymous.

"People have been very generous, and very nice, there are truly a lot of good people out there," Mr Nash added.

This HSCT treatment is thought to have a 70 per cent rate of success in stopping the progression of the disease.

James said: "There are also risks to this. After this treatment I won't have an immune system, so I will have to isolate for five weeks when I get back, otherwise I can contract something else.

"I need to do something about it, because it's better than nothing."

His family, friends and co-workers have all been helping James during this time, and he is very grateful for the people around him, and also for the donations that he has received.

To donate towards James Nash' treatment follow this link: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jamesnashhsct?utm_term=4NmWBJvEj&fbclid=IwAR0n4rRhNP7vRmeYyWjSpshwR2DG_OJFtNB9bZxgTMqAqals1_yq8G9NL7g