Gosport woman 'shattered' by aggressive multiple sclerosis diagnosis as fundraising netball tournament planned
“This has come completely out of the blue, shattering my world.”
A group of women are putting their best foot forward to raise money for a friend with an aggressive illness.
Billie Shuter, from Gosport, has been diagnosed with a highly-active form of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). While RRMS itself is the most common form of MS, the aggressiveness of Billie’s diagnosis is far rarer.
The 34-year-old, who is now fundraising for specialist treatment, said she has no other health conditions, and had no warning signs of RRMS being on her horizon.
On her GoFundMe page, Billie said: “This has come completely out of the blue, shattering my world. The thought that my life as I knew it has been taken away from me and I could experience disabling symptoms at any time is absolutely terrifying.
“But like the planner I am, I immediately started looking into my options and the treatment available. There is no cure for MS and there won’t be in my lifetime. The NHS offer only medication that slows the progression of the disease.
“However, there is a treatment called HSCT which involves an intense four-week procedure to ‘re-boot’ your immune system. Whilst it is not guaranteed, it can halt the progression of the disease and prevent any relapses for for years to come. This treatment is not available to me on the NHS, despite me being one of the most suitable candidates.
“The private treatment is provided in a world-leading clinic in Mexico and is very costly, at a total of £55,000 including flights.”
To help Billie raise the money, one of her friends, Jaz Paice, has organised a netball tournament at Brune Park Community School in Military Road, which will take place on Saturday, October 10.
Women from Gosport and beyond are invited to take part, with a £100 entry fee for teams - but no prior netball experience required. The tournament will also feature stalls from local businesses.
Jaz, who plays in the Bloom Netball League, said: “I was sort of a friend of a friend of Billie’s, we’d had a few drinks together in the pub before. But when I saw the news about her diagnosis, I knew we should do something.
“Billie has been in really good spirits - no matter what, she’s always so happy and chirpy. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and the more money we can raise, the sooner she can have her treatment.
“This is the first time we’ve organised something like this ourselves, and Bloom has been really helpful in providing the paperwork we need, helping us with a venue, and so on. As it stands there are six Bloom teams taking part, plus a team put together by Billie, and another by her sister - but the more teams, the better.
“You don’t need to have any netball experience, just come and try it out and raise money for a really great cause.”
To sign up for the netball tournament, people can click this link. For Billie’s GoFundMe, click here.