Brandy Jo is a wife, mother of two and a nurse living in Idaho Falls, Idaho. A decade ago, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). The diagnosis wasn’t particularly shocking — her mom also had the same autoimmune disease. Sadly, her mom passed away at the age of 50 just a year before Brandy Jo’s diagnosis. MS affects each person differently, and for Brandy Jo, it went after her spine. She experienced symptoms such as brain fog, difficulty with cognition, hand tremors, stiffness, spasms and numbness in her legs. In fact, she even had difficulty walking and began relying on a cane. As a nurse in a psychiatric hospital, using a cane wasn’t an option and working became increasingly difficult.

Although her medical team was treating her condition aggressively, even the strongest medication did not stop the progression of her MS. By 2022, she started looking at alternative options. She learned about stem cell transplant and the hope it was providing patients with MS. While the treatment doesn’t reverse or cure the disease, it can prevent clinical relapses, brain lesions and worsening disability. Soon, Brandy Jo was connected with the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute in Denver, Colo., and Dr. Richard Nash. This team has more than two decades of experience in treating autoimmune diseases with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT).

Doctors determined that Brandy Jo was a candidate for the procedure. She began making plans to come to Denver for an extended stay for the transplant. While it was difficult to leave behind her family — including her son, then 14, and her daughter (who turned 5 while she was away), Brandy Jo knew the treatment could be life-changing.

In the summer of 2023, Brandy Jo spent 72 days in Denver. During that time, Brandy Jo’s medical team collected her stem cells, stored them and then administered chemotherapy to prepare her body. Later, her stem cells were infused back into her bloodstream, where they migrated to the bone marrow and replicated into various healthy blood cells. Brandy Jo believes it was the medical expertise of her team along with her positivity, the support of loved ones and her faith that made her treatment so successful.

Prior to her stay in Denver, she asked loved ones to write inspiring stories, quotes and Bible scriptures on signs that she used to decorate her hospital room. She often listened to worship music to get through the difficult days.

While the treatment was long and sometimes quite difficult, her resilience and adaptability helped her find success. Now, nearly two years after, she is back to work full time, enjoying crafting, reading and outdoor activities with her family. Her success has inspired her to spread the word and increase access for others with MS. It has even inspired her to go back to school for a higher degree so she can work to make the treatment more accessible and widespread.

“The stem cell treatment gave me a lot of hope for the future and I want to help others have a chance to find that too,” Brandy Jo said.

Blood cancer care in Denver

HCA HealthONE in partnership with The Colorado Blood Cancer Institute, offers the Rocky Mountain Region's largest full-service blood and marrow transplant program. Our goal is to is to build personalized treatment plans for blood cancer patients, providing you with as many options for healing as possible, including advanced treatments, such as bone marrow and stem cell transplants. Click here to learn more about blood cancer.