Phillip Janes, originally from Port aux Basques, has been living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for 23 years. He now resides near Dartmouth, N.S.
Relying on a wheelchair, Phillip is hoping the controversial Zamboni Treatment will help him regain some quality of life.
Last week, he flew to Bulgaria with a friend to undergo the treatment, which involves widening veins in the neck to increase blood flow.
Phillip's father, Gerald Janes, said his son has been shut out of other possible treatments here in Canada and feels this is one of his last hopes.
"Right now we're hoping that it works knowing the possibility is there that it won't," said Gerald.
He has done a lot of research on the treatment and on MS in general. He understands that it takes time for new drugs and treatments to be approved.
Still, he wishes the government could move faster on researching the Zamboni treatment because of the anecdotal evidence.
"It usually hits around the age of 30 to 35," said Gerald. "If you have to stop working and go on social assistance, that gets expensive. It's dragging them down. I can't see any reason why there shouldn't be some approval on this stuff right now."
Phillip was diagnosed 23 years ago, in 1988. He was in the navy at the time and continued serving until 2001. After his retirement, he trained to do carpentry and operated a small business in Halifax until the disease made it impossible for him to work.
Gerald said his son has been in a wheelchair for the past three years and is losing muscle tone.
The cost of the trip and procedure in Bulgaria is about $13,000. Gerald said between two fundraisers in Port aux Basques and one in Nova Scotia, the cost will be mostly covered.
"For me to finance it, I would have to re-mortgage my house," said Gerald. "Most of the people who have MS, they don't have anything because what they had, they spent it. They've been a long time without work."
He said the support from people on the southwest coast was nothing short of a miracle.
"It was excellent support morally and financially from the people in this area," he said.
The first of two local fundraisers was held at the Lions Club on Feb. 19. It was a benefit concert. The other was held at St. Paul's Anglican Church on Feb. 22 by the New Wine Gospel Group. Phillip's mother Vera is a member of the group, and other members expressed an interest in helping out, according to Gerald.
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I would like to thank the many people of Port aux Basques for all off their donations and prayers.To comment on my Dads comments. first of all i said and I quote that if I (Philip) had to, I would refianance my house and not Gerald as it sounds. Second I am not on Social Assistance . I receive money from my military pension ,wages from my wage loss program and I also receive CCP disability. And last but not least that was just an approximate price for the treatment.