Raising Hope – Stash’s life changing Stem Cell Transplant

Story

Hi, I’m Kendra — wife to Stash and Mama to our daughter Maya (2) and newborn son Ilia (born in February).

I’ve known Stash since 2013, and from day one, his strength and determination has anchored us. He is an incredible dad and husband – the rock of our family. Watching him light up around our kids, and fight to stay strong for them every day, is why I’m here asking for help.

Stash is a fighter in every sense of the word. He was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2011. Despite living with symptoms every day, he’s never let them define or limit him. Since he was a kid, Stash has trained in martial arts. Even after his diagnosis, he kept showing up on the mats, pushing himself with discipline and heart. That spirit—that refusal to quit—has never left him.

That same drive shows up in his work. Stash is also a filmmaker — a storyteller to his core. His career in documentary and commercial work has taken him across the globe, capturing meaningful, human stories. Even as MS makes things harder, he keeps creating.

This disease has slowly taken many pieces off of him, but he’s met each challenge with relentless drive and quiet resilience. This past year, though, his MS has become more aggressive — threatening his mobility and hope for the future.

Now, we’ve found a treatment that offers him a chance — called HSCT (Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant). It involves wiping out his faulty immune system using chemotherapy, then rebuilding it using his own stem cells. This stem cell transplant aims to halt the progression of his disease. In some cases, people have even regained some function they thought was lost forever.

Stash wakes up every day not knowing if he will walk tomorrow. This treatment could halt his progression and that means there is some hope. Hope for his future, and for my family’s future. This is his chance at a future chasing his kids for years to come.

We’re going abroad for this treatment because HSCT is not available to Stash in Canada or the U.S. right now. There’s a leading medical center in Mexico where he’s already been accepted.

The treatment alone is 57,000 USD. This fundraiser will cover the cost of the treatment, travel, care during and after, recovery & rehabilitation, and any additional expenses during this procedure — about 80,000. It’s a huge number. But so is what’s at stake. We want Stash to have the chance to chase our kids through the yard. To keep doing the work he loves, and to keep showing up on the mats.

This treatment is Stash’s best shot at halting progression – it’s a second chance at life. It’s also about giving our whole family a chance for a better future.

Thank you — from the bottom of my heart — for reading, donating, sharing, praying and supporting us in this fight. Let’s reset Stash’s immune system. Let’s reset his future.

Organizers :

Kendra Welham is organizing this fundraiser.