HSCT Warriors

Warrior: Richard K. Burt, MD HSCT: pioneer Superpower: maverick and founder of HSCT for autoimmune diseases How do we navigate health with care these days? This conversation with Dr. Richard Burt about his latest books, Kill Switch: The history of how viruses shaped humanity and led to Covid-19 (2025) and Everyday Miracles: Curing multiple sclerosis, scleroderma, and autoimmune diseases by hematop...

Warrior: Anthony Ramirez AI: caregiver for son with MS HSCT: December 12, 2016 Superpower: resilience To what extent do you appreciate the journey? What version of yourself do you present to the world? After a concussion landed Anthony in the ER, his diagnosis of multiple sclerosis was not easy to understand, especially when the disease-modifying drugs did not work like other medications. As he do...

Warrior: Cindi Ramirez AI: caregiver for son with MS HSCT: December 12, 2016 Superpower: resilience How determined are you to find the best care? When her son suffered a concussion at a company picnic, a CT scan revealed a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. Determined to get him the best care, Cindi sought out top-tier treatment at the Cleveland Clinic, but even with disease-modifying therapies, his...

Warrior: Larry Powalisz AI: Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: May 2022 Superpower: humbled by MS How dedicated are you to health and wellness? How committed are you to helping people halt autoimmune disease? After Larry’s left hand went numb and he was diagnosed with MS, the only option his neurologist offered was Ocrevus. His research led him to HSCT at Clinica Ruiz. Upon returning hom...

Warrior: Ali Strong AI: Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: November 2017 Superpower: wellness When doctors aren’t able to answer your questions, who do you turn to? Are you someone who strives to find answers? Do you find the present in each day? The beginning of a new season offers the opportunity to check in with Ali and how she is faring, more than seven years post-HSCT. Tune in to learn how HSCT has shi...

Warrior: Veena Kinni AI: Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: Cleveland Clinic, 2021 Superpower: ability to know inner strength How fully do you embrace opportunities to enjoy life? How do you promote a positive mindset? As a trained physician, it was hard for Veena as she transitioned to being a patient after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in December of 2011. She began on a disease-modifying ther...

Warrior: Janet Matthews AI: Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: Puebla, February/March 2022 Superpower: kindness To what extent are you able to eliminate stress from your life? Do you believe you can achieve whatever you put your mind to? To what extent are you aware of treatment options? Despite noticing some symptoms that interfered with walking and mobility, Janet postponed seeing doctors until after she...

Warrior: Christian AI: Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: 11/3/23 at the Tom Baker Cancer Center in Calgary Superpower: body awareness What is your capacity for listening to your body? How well do you fare through complications? How comfortable are you with looking inward? After the numbness and tingling in his legs restricted his capacity to walk in the course of just a few weeks, Christian was quickly dia...

Warrior: Fiona Mitten AI: Marburg’s variant of Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: 12/29/2011 Superpower: living in the moment Are you someone who believes that everything happens for a reason? How many moments do you treasure each day? Diagnosed 18 years ago after being hit by a drunk driver, several symptoms of multiple sclerosis like optic neuritis and paralysis onset and progressed so quickly, it seems F...

Warrior: Ali Strong AI: Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: November 2017 Superpower: boundaries Are you someone who feels your emotions? Are you one to choose happiness? Do you find the present in every moment? The beginning of a new season offers the opportunity to check in with Ali and how she is faring, more than six years post-HSCT. Tune in to revisit the struggles with active multiple sclerosis, hear h...

Warrior: Matt LeFrance AI: Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: June-July 2022 Superpower: peace of mind How do you know what to expect? From whom do you seek feedback? How do you decide to take the next step? Diagnosed just after college at the young age of 25 when he experienced double vision and a variety of doctors had a hard time understanding what was going on, Matt was diagnosed after a MRI revealed a...

Warrior: Mike AI: Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: January 17, 2022 Superpower: acceptance and grace Where does kindness hit you? To what extent do you seek grace? How well do you find acceptance? We first met Mike in Season 7, shortly after he found out about HSCT. After battling with insurance and seeking HSCT at different clinics in the United States, Mike considered a variety of factors in his decisio...

Warrior: Dr. Richard K. Burt AI: halter HSCT: pioneer Superpowers: vast knowledge, being patient-centric, caring for improvement in quality of life, facilitating clarity through education, and fortitude in human spirit With gratitude for the additional time to connect with Dr. Richard Burt and celebrate the recent publication of his latest book, Everyday Miracles: Curing multiple sclerosis, sclero...

Warrior: Dr. Richard K. Burt AI: Halter HSCT: Pioneer Superpowers: tenacity, resilience, curiosity, compassion, holistic approach With gratitude for time to connect with Dr. Richard K. Burt and celebrate the recent publication of his latest book, Everyday Miracles: Curing multiple sclerosis, scleroderma, and autoimmune diseases by hematopoietic stem cell transplant, we’re sharing the following ver...

Warrior: Ali Strong AI: Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: November, 2017 Superpower: Acceptance What do you do for yourself that brings you joy? Are you someone who accepts moderation? To what extent do you find balance in life? Check in with Ali Strong to recount her experience finding her way to and through HSCT and learn how she is feeling now at more than five years post-transplant, including her strug...

Warrior: Graciela AI: Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: January 2021 Superpower: value for life After initially being told her symptoms were all in her head, Graciela received an apology from her neurologist along with her diagnosis. She was presented with options for treatment including disease modifying therapies and the extreme option of HSCT. When she further explored HSCT as an option, she learned tha...

Warrior: Heidi Peterson AI: Relapsing Remitting MS HSCT: July, 2019 Superpower: strength Do you take the time to celebrate in life? How often do you recognize the little victories? Although Heidi was diagnosed relatively soon after her first experiences with early symptoms of multiple sclerosis, the doctor she saw focused more on prescribing medications to treat symptoms she was experiencing and i...

Warrior: Zarko Bilal AI: Relapsing Remitting MS HSCT: April, 2021 Superpower: positive thinking When did you start to figure out the important things in life? How do you overcome fear of the unknown? How do you keep your mentality in tact? The continuation of this two-part episode reveals even more detail about Zarko’s experience with HSCT at the AA Maximov Hospital in Moscow, including how he man...

Warrior: Zarko Bilal AI: Relapsing Remitting MS HSCT: April, 2021 Superpower: positive thinking When did you start to figure out the important things in life? How do you overcome fear of the unknown? How do you keep your mentality in tact? After a happenstance diagnosis of MS, Zarko initially held on to the hope that his symptoms would be a one-time hit of CIS. Easy to rationalize because of all t...

Warrior: Yavor Milanov AI: Relapsing Remitting MS HSCT: Scheduled in March 2022 Superpowers: Consistency How well do you attune with culture? Is your mindset one of growth, or is it fixed? How do you navigate your internal compass? After his diagnosis, Yavor felt tired and run-down facing his experience as a new immigrant working three or four jobs at a time. He experienced terrible side effects a...

Warrior: Samantha Lakey AI: Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: July 5, 2021 Superpower: eating Are you someone who believes in fate? How do you recognize joy in yourself? Only after Samantha endured a full-body seizure and spent weeks in the hospital did she finally receive a diagnosis for symptoms that doctors continued to brush aside, even though she had been struggling with fatigue, i...

Warrior: Mike AI: Multiple Sclerosis HSCT scheduled for January 2022 Superpower: fortitude How do you share your diagnosis with others? How familiar are your loved ones with the demons you battle? How do you reconcile your experience with disease? Having received a diagnosis at the young age of 22 after a bout of optic neuritis, Mike experienced reversal of his symptoms after a round of steroids a...

Revisit Amy's preparation for HSCT and be inspired to move beyond judgment (S7 replay) by Zen Jen Stansbury Koenig

Warrior: Jacob Kinch AI Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: October, 2020 Superpower: new perspective Where do you find glimmers of hope? Do you recognize the double-edged sword of multiple sclerosis? Jacob shares so many relatable aspects of his experience with multiple sclerosis, including frustration with doctors, questionable approaches and decisions around treatment, and challenges with paying for expen...

*This episode contains content that may be alarming to some listeners, including mentions of suicidal ideation. Please check the show notes for more detailed descriptions and take care of yourself* Warrior: Cassidy V. Chapman AI: Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: July15, 2019 Superpower: Passion for bringing awareness to HSCT To what extent are you an over-achiever? How open are you to receiving support fr...