Rebecca Oram longs for the day when her 55-year-old Langley mother can walk again, eat without choking, go to the bathroom without assistance, and frolic with her three grandchildren.

Kathy Hutchinson was struck with multiple sclerosis when she was 28, been confined to a wheelchair and virtually housebound for the past seven years, denied treatments because her disease is too far along, and told by Canadian doctors that she must face the reality of “unavoidable death.”

But not one to give up, Hutchinson has continued searching for alternate answers, and the former real estate agent believes a new experimental “liberation” treatment offered in places such as Poland and Bulgaria offer hope of a normal, pain-free life.

That’s why Oram is holding a fundraising event this Saturday, Aug. 14 at the Artful Dodger Pub in Fernridge.

The event, which will include a show ’n’ shine with the Langley Loafers and Bad Example car clubs, as well as a silent auction, is intended to raise money to send Hutchinson to Poland for the surgery in September.

“We are trying to raise the $15,000 that it costs to get the procedure done in Poland,” Oram said.

This therapy, based on research by Italian neurologist Paolo Zamboni, suggests that MS is a vascular disease, rather than an autoimmune disease, caused by a blockage of veins in the neck and an accumulation of iron deposits in the brain. Using a angioplasty, surgeons widen the narrowed veins.

The procedure for treating the condition called chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficienc (CCSVI) in MS patients is not available in publicly funded institutions in Canada, forcing some patients like Hutchinson to look at spending $10,000 to $20,000 to travel overseas where it is available.

While Hutchinson is among about 80 patients in B.C. who have filed a class-action claim with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal [MS patient battles for treatment, Aug. 6, Langley Advance], she’s hoping to travel to Poland next month for the surgery.

“My hope is that my mom will be able to live the rest of her life, at the least, without pain,” Oram told the Langley Advance.

“My mom is only 55 years old. She is a beautiful person on the inside and out. She has raised me to do the right things in life. She is my best friend and my biggest fan,” she elaborated.

Oram is convinced this weekend’s event is the right thing to do, helping to raise money for her mother while also increasing awareness for what she calls an injustice in the Canadian, and specifically the B.C., health care system that denies people such as her mother to sign a waiver and participate locally in this experimental treatment.

“What I can’t understand is, why they would deny this treatment to someone like my mom. What are they afraid of, that she may die? They have already, cold heartedly, told us that she is going to die. So, what do we do now?” Oram said.

“Well, what I am doing is a fundraiser, to raise enough money to take my mom out of this hypocritical country and to Poland.”

A few tickets for the 6 p.m. event are still available at the pub – Oram’s place of employment – for $40, or through Rebecca at 778-888-2081.

“We’re already, pretty much sold out,” she said Wednesday, but she’s still inviting people to stop by the event, bid on the auction items, or simply offer a donation.

“We’re totally overwhelmed by the support. When I originally ordered the tickets, I was hoping to sell 100. The response has been so big that we’ve almost sold out of 250,” Oram explained.

As well, she’s been floored by the support she’s received from local businesses that have stepped up by donating door prizes, silent auction items, and even $1,500 in cash.

Even after this weekend’s fundraiser, the family will still be collecting donations to send Hutchinson to Poland for treatment.

Donations are being accepted online at: http://ccsvitreatmentforkatie.chipin.com/ccsvi-treatment-forkathrynhutchinson.