Doctor Fedorenko stopped by my room first thing.

Fresh out of the shower – that’s twice now he’s caught me in my undercrackers! (He does knock!!! …I let him in.) He does the right thing and suggests he can come back, but there’s little point. He tells me about my day ahead – a steroid drip around 11 am and two further injections to stimulate my stem cells at 11 pm and 3 am. Not looking forward to being woken up for that.

So, I’ve had a lovely day. Jen came around 11 am, we watched some Netflix, and just enjoyed each other’s company. Towards the end of the day, fellow patient Kamil from Poland, who I’ve gotten to know here, came in for a chat. Since we’re allowed to leave the hospital grounds, he suggested the three of us go out for a meal. Sadly, Jen was feeling rather tired and went back to the hotel, so just the two of us went to the local recommended spot.

It turns out he’s my stem cell twin too. We both arrived on the same day and are scheduled to receive all our treatment simultaneously. Interestingly, we both work in similar creative fields, we’re both 36, and we’re very like-minded. He’s a great lad, and we’re going to keep each other company through all this. For someone who’s never been to an English-speaking country, his English is incredible.

Worried about getting around Moscow? …Don’t be!!

Before coming out here, I was a bit worried – foreign country, don’t know the roads, the people, or how much caution we might need. But this is another thing the hospital has brilliantly thought about. They provide a hospital driver to collect and drop off patients, plus contact details for a couple of trusted local taxi drivers.

We’ve been using one guy called Andrew, and he has been truly amazing – a real game-changer for our stay! He arrives quickly, is super friendly, speaks brilliant English, and is very reasonably priced.

Originally, I was nervous about Jen making her way around Moscow using random taxis, so my mum came to Russia too – of course, to support us both, but also for a bit of safety in numbers. Unfortunately, my mum took rather unwell during her stay and really needed to head back home. If things had been different, she might have had to stay, but because Andrew has made our travel situation so problem-free, my mum was able to head home without worry.

For anyone coming to Moscow – honestly, you don’t need to worry. Thanks, Andrew!!

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Partay!

The other day, I mentioned that Dr. Fedorenko threw a little party to celebrate a stem cell birthday – also known as ‘Day Zero’, the first day of the rest of their lives, without MS, and hopefully the beginning of healing.

I’ve included the video below of the ceremony that afternoon. I believe only Dr. F does this – he doesn’t have to, but he knows exactly how much this day means to us soon-to-be MS-free patients. What I’ve really learned in my short time here is that he truly cares – and I don’t say that lightly!

The ceremony consists of a short speech about the treatment, followed by a small gift – an iris flower pin, symbolising belief in the future. Then comes the tradition of pouring the fluid used to freeze the patient’s stem cells onto the floor. It may be simple, but it was incredibly humbling – and I was proud to be there for another person’s Day Zero. Another birth, if you will.

This day, it was stem cell twins Sandy and Berit – congratulations to you both! Wishing you good luck in your recoveries and many years of enjoying life MS-free.

xxx