Albion Park man heads to Russia for risky operation

July 11, 2014, 9 p.m.

Multiple sclerosis sufferer Troy Eccleston will travel to Russia in September for risky but potentially life-saving treatment.

Troy Eccleston, with fiancee Ainslie Sackey, is ready to go to Russia. Picture: SYLVIA LIBER

Multiple sclerosis sufferer Troy Eccleston will travel to Russia in September for risky but potentially life-saving treatment.

A controversial stem cell transplant is the last hope for the 47-year-old Albion Park Rail man whose symptoms have worsened in the last two years, leaving him confined to a wheelchair.

Mr Eccleston was not eligible for a Sydney trial of haematopoietic stem cell transplantation due to his age and the advanced nature of his MS, but he has been accepted for treatment at the Pirogov Centre in Moscow.

His fiancee Ainslie Sackey and family and friends are now busy fund-raising, with a target of $70,000 to pay for the 30-day treatment and associated transport costs.

"Over the next two years it is expected I will grow a new immune system with no memory of MS."

"The treatment involves injections to stimulate my bone marrow to release millions of stem cells, removing the cells and freezing them," Mr Eccleston said.

"I will then be given large doses of chemotherapy for a four-day period and when my immune system is markedly reduced, my stem cells will be reintroduced.

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Albion Park man heads to Russia for risky operation