Beth Wock says she has talked to about 30 people who have received the controversial Liberation Treatment.

And everyone she has spoken to who has undergone the procedure has noticed improvements, she said.

“The changes that we’ve experienced are the things other people can’t see,” said Wock.

The Estevan resident had the procedure in Mexico in July in an effort to combat multiple sclerosis (MS), and a condition known as chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI), which often accompanies MS. Since then, Wock has witnessed changes in her life, while becoming a champion for the Liberation Treatment.

Wock said she has had to learn how to walk again. Physiotherapy twice each week has helped. She has walked a distance equivalent to a block by herself, and her ultimate goal is to go for a walk around her block.

Tolerance to heat has also improved, she said. Fatigue used to set in quickly on a hot day.

“I went with my husband for a ride on a motorcycle,” said Wock. “We went about 400 kilometres. It was about 90 degrees outside. I got off the motorcycle and went in the house. He said that for us, that’s just amazing.”

Wock has always retained a driver’s license since she was diagnosed with MS, but she wouldn’t drive on days when she was feeling weak. The Liberation Treatment has improved her driving abilities, she said.

She has also enjoyed support from her family, friends, her church, which is St. Peter’s Lutheran in Estevan, and the community as a whole.

Wock said she was pleased when Premier Brad Wall announced in late July that he would be open to testing for the treatment in Saskatchewan.

“That he’s taking it serious is a big, big plus,” said Wock. “Some of the provinces are starting to follow, which is good. However, I know it’s going to be a while before it gets here. I didn’t have time to wait for it to get here.”

Wock has spoken to people across North America who are proof of the success of the Liberation Treatment, she said. She pointed out that there will be a seminar in Biggar on September 12 that will discuss CCSVI. MS patients who have had to travel to other countries for testing and treatment will be in attendance.

Estevan’s Becky Kelly can also vouch for the Liberation Treatment’s impact. Kelly was at a clinic in Merida, Mexico – located west of Cancun – from August 3 to 8. Her procedure occurred on August 5, and within two days, she could notice the difference, she said. And improvements have continued since she returned to Estevan.

Kelly also said that many people wouldn’t notice the differences, but she can identify them.

“The best is yet to come,” she said.

Prior to the Liberation Treatment, Kelly had trembles that affected her ability to eat and perform other tasks. She is still “shaky,” she said, but the trembles have been reduced.

Her knees, legs, ankles and feet used to be swollen. Most of the swelling is now gone. In addition to the swelling, her feet were red and ice cold. Now her feet are warm, she said.

Kelly is able to walk around the house with only assistance from a cane, and she finds that she has more energy.

“My head feels so clear now,” said Kelly. “With my voice, people talk to me on the phone, and they say ‘You sound so good.’”

Physiotherapy sessions take place twice a week, and she swims with her daughter two times a week. Swimming was something that she couldn’t do before the Liberation Treatment.

“I’m not swimming laps in the pool, but I’m exercising and moving legs,” said Kelly.

This is not the first treatment that Kelly has sought for MS. Kelly and her husband, Patrick, travelled to China in late 2007 and early 2008 so that she could receive umbilical stem cell injections.

The stem cell treatments made a difference, she said, but the impact of the Liberation Treatment has been greater.

“My veins are open now,” said Kelly. “The blood is moving through my body like it should.”

Clinic proximity and timelines are also better, she said. Mexico is obviously a lot closer than China. And she was in Mexico for five days, instead of in China for five weeks.

Kelly said she would recommend the Liberation Treatment for other people with MS. And the staff assigned to her, including a neurologist and two neurosurgeons, were terrific, she said.