Apex pitches in to send Stacey to Russia with love

STACEY Hearn has nothing to lose and everything to gain when she leaves for Russia this week.

The Bunbury woman, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at 21, leaves for Moscow tomorrow with her husband Mark and daughter Isabelle, 4, to undergo stemcell replacement treatment.

The potentially life-changing treatment will include a week of testing, withdrawing millions of stemcells, chemotherapy and putting stemcells back into her body.

Mrs Hearn said her daughter was the reason for her wanting to try the four-week treatment.

“She’s changed everything,” she said.

“The possibility of being in a wheelchair is not that fantastic with a four-year-old.”

Mrs Hearn said her illness had progressed over the past 15 years. She is legally blind in one eye, is constantly tired, suffers from dizziness, is often off-balance, her right leg doesn’t work properly, she needs to watch her temperature and has no feeling in her feet.

She said she had nothing to lose from receiving the treatment. In the worst case scenario she would go back on medication and her illness would progress as normal, but if the treatment went well, some of her symptoms would reverse and the condition would not progress.

“That would be fantastic,” Mrs Hearn said.

The total cost of the treatment is $73,000 with $35,000 being raised by members of the Apex Club of Bunbury Koombana. Mrs Hearn re-financed her home to pay for the remainder.

Apex member Kristy Morris said the club had held a wide range of fundraising events and activities over two years.

Fellow member Bec Locke, who had been friends with Mrs Hearn since they were teenagers, said being able to support a woman who would go above and beyond to help others was imperative.

“Stace, Mark and Isabelle, they would do anything for anyone regardless of who you are,” Mrs Locke said.