National multiple sclerosis (MS) charity MS-UK has launched a brand new fully comprehensive guide to HSCT (Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation), a treatment for MS which was recently catapulted into the spotlight by Hollywood actor Selma Blair.

Selma has spoken publicly in recent TV interviews about how the treatment has made her feel like a new person and has transformed her life. The actor was diagnosed with MS in 2018.

MS-UK launched its HSCT Choices booklet this week due to an increased interest in the treatment from the MS community. 

Standing for haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, HSCT is a treatment in which a patient’s stem cells are harvested. Chemotherapy is then used to wipe out the immune system, and the harvested stem cells are used to regrow the immune system.

It is not without risks and gaining the treatment on the NHS isn’t always easy, as the charity’s new booklet addresses.

Former Gogglebox star Scott McCormick is a regular columnist in MS-UK’s magazine New Pathways. He undertook HSCT in 2019 and has since seen no new progression with his condition. He credits the treatment with changing his life.

“I am still convinced it is actually magic,” he says. “It’s the culmination of many different disciplines of science, all coming together to help me and every other person lucky enough to be getting HSCT.

“This new booklet from MS-UK is a goldmine of the best and most useful facts in one document. It should be available in every neurology consultant’s practice in the country. I could have really done with a copy of it at the very beginning.” 

MS-UK is also hosting an online information session on Wednesday August at 7pm, where you can learn more about this treatment from the experts and others who have received treatment. To sign up to the session, visit ms-uk.org/introduction-to-hsct/

To find out more visit the MS-UK website ms-uk.org/introduction-to-hsct/ and download your free copy of the booklet. If you have any further questions about HSCT treatment, call the MS-UK Helpline free on 0800 783 0518 and speak with a helpline information officer who can provide all the latest information and emotional support.