In 1996 I graduated from West Coast College of Massage Therapy’s 3 year course in Vancouver, British Columbia.
I also trained 5 years under the Upledger Institute. John E. Upledger an osteopathic physician pioneered and developed CranioSacral Therapy and SomatoEmotional Therapy.
I trained 1 year with The Barral Institute for Visceral manipulation.
Written by Laura Bates Wednesday, Aug 03 2016
A local woman is asking the community to support in her journey to seek treatment for Multiple Sclerosis internationally.
Shelly Irmen is a mother of two young children, aged 7 and 10, who has been living with Relapsing, Remitting MS since 2003.
About five years ago Irmen began experiencing a tremor, now the neurological autoimmune disease has developed to the point that she has Secondary Progressive MS.
She explains the tremor and symptoms of MS have taken away her independence, and left her unable to care for her children.
"I haven't been able to feed myself for a year and a half, I have not been able to write for a year and a half," she says. "So my life went from pretty normal, and not really knowing what MS could really do to somebody, now I'm living with the reality of what MS can do to somebody."
Irmen is raising funds to travel to Tijuana, Mexico, for treatment not available in Canada, which costs $40,000 all expenses included.
She explains leaving the country for treatment is not a choice, it's her only option, as it is difficult to meet the eligibility requirements to participate in a trial in Canada....
"Currently in Canada there are trials, however they can only take people with that meet certain criteria. Primary, Progressive, and Secondary Progressive do not meet the criteria."
Irmen would like her community to support her journey, so one day she can take care of her children and take back her independence.
"Please support me. Your donations will go towards an amazing cause, the fact that travelling internationally is even an option is beautiful thing. There is hope for me."
Irmen adds words cannot describe how grateful she is for any support received.
A fundraiser is also planned at Mehtab East Indian Cuisine, details to come.
By Jenna Dulewich Wednesday, Aug 18 2016
Two fundraisers to help a Cochrane mother with multiple sclerosis (MS) are currently in the works. Shelly Irmen, 44, was diagnosed with the disease in 2003 and is asking the public to help her seek treatment for her secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.
"Shelly has a great heart and she is a fighter: Really she just wants her independence back and Crystal and I felt moved to help her," said Tabitha VanderVeen, one of Irmen's caretakers.
Friends and caretakers of Irmen, VanderVeen and Crystal Kerr, have taken it upon themselves to help the mother of two and are planning two fundraisers for the fall.
"Me and Crystal both work for her and we are really able to get a glimpse of her struggles ... she just really just wants to be a mom again and do the simples things in life that most people take advantage of," VanderVeen said.
Irmen had said in past interviews that her disease has forced her to give up activities, such as skiing because it felt as though her upper body and lower body weren't connected. Irmen also said that while she would love to be the full-time caretaker of her two children, a 10-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter, she is unable to because she relies on caretakers who visit twice a day.
In June, Irmen started a GoFund- Me page online to help fundraise for her future treatment as well as associated costs such as airfare, hotels and food.
Despite previously reporting that Irmen had a clinic and a treatment date set up, the Cochrane mother decided more research was needed before making a final decision....
"Nothing is set in stone," VanderVeen said.
"Since we are using the public's money we want to make sure we do our research and do this right."
Because of the advancing nature of the disease, Irmen made the decision to research stem cell treatment centres across North America.
VanderVeen said Irmen will start seeing a stem cell specialist in Edmonton in September and is currently looking at two different stem cell centres for future treatment.
The symptoms of MS are different for each person and in Irmen's case, her disease causes her severe tremors, extreme fatigue, memory loss, and confusion.
Organizers for the fundraisers are still looking for volunteers and silent auction items.
"It has been a hard last eight months for Shelly with the symptoms getting worst, VanderVeen said.
"Shelly has been really moved by everyone coming together to help. It has been really neat to see that she is being seen and heard and helped."
There are two upcoming fundraisers for Irmen including a buffet dinner at Mehtab East Indian Cuisine in September and dinner with live entertainment at Ducks on the Roof Sports Bar and Grill in October.
The fundraiser at Mehtab will be on Sept. 7 between 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., where people can purchase a time slot for an hour where they will be able to enjoy an East Indian buffet dinner, dessert and one non-alcoholic beverage. There will also be a silent auction featuring Irmen's water colour prints.
There are 40 tickets available for each hour at a cost of $50. Tickets can be purchased at Mehtab located at 120 Fifth Ave. or contact Crystal at canddkerr@yahoo.ca or 403-688-1610.
The dinner and live entertainment community fundraiser at Ducks on the Roof will be on Oct. 15 with doors open at 5 p.m. featuring a steak and lobster catered dinner with Irish Band, the Atlantic Storm performing. There will also be a silent auction, 50-50, and door prizes with all proceeds to go towards Irmen's treatment. Tickets are $60. For tickets, contact Crystal at canddkerr@yahoo.ca or VanderVeen at tabvdveen@gmail.com.
To stay up to date with Irmen's fundraisers, go to facebook.com/ShellyIrmen.
For more information about Shelly Irmen and to donate to her cause, visit gofundme.com/29jfhnur.
jdulewich@cochrane.greatwest.com
Cochrane continues to rally to help support a mother with multiple sclerosis raise money for future stem cell treatments. As previously reported by the Eagle, two fundraisers are planned for the fall, initiated by Shelly Irmen’s caretakers.
Jenna Dulewich Sep 1, 2016
Cochrane continues to rally to help support a mother with multiple sclerosis raise money for future stem cell treatments.
As previously reported by the Eagle, two fundraisers are planned for the fall, initiated by Shelly Irmen’s caretakers. Since the announcement of the fundraisers was made other businesses in Cochrane have stepped to help the mother of two.
Irmen, 44, was diagnosed with the disease in 2003 and currently suffers from secondary progressive MS. The symptoms of MS are different for each person and in Irmen's case, her disease causes her severe tremors, extreme fatigue, memory loss, and confusion.
Because of the advancing nature of the disease, Irmen made the decision to research stem cell treatment centres across North America and started a GoFundMe page online in June to help fundraise for her future treatment as well as associated costs such as airfare, hotels and food.
Mark’s No Frills now accepting donations to go towards the GoFundMe account, along with Cochrane’s Scotiabank branch.
Despite previously reporting that Irmen had a clinic and a treatment date set up, the Cochrane mother decided more research was needed before making a final decision and she will start seeing a stem cell specialist in Edmonton this fall....
Organizers for the fundraisers are still looking for volunteers and silent auction items.
To stay up to date with Irmen's fundraisers, go to facebook.com/ShellyIrmen.
For more information about Shelly Irmen and to donate to her cause, visitgofundme.com/29jfhnur.
FACTBOX
How to help Shelly Irmen
Store accepting donations:
Mark’s No Frills, located at 210 Fifth Ave. W.
Scotiabank, located at 200 Fifth Ave. W.
Upcoming fundraisers:
Mehtab – Sept. 7, 4 – 8 p.m.
A buffet dinner at Mehtab East Indian Cuisine, where people can purchase a time slot for an hour and enjoy an East Indian buffet dinner, dessert and one non-alcoholic beverage. There will also be a silent auction featuring Irmen's water colour prints.
There are 40 tickets available for each hour at a cost of $50. Tickets can be purchased at the Mehtab located at 120 Fifth Ave. or contact Crystal at canddkerr@yahoo.ca or 403-688-1610.
Cochrane thankful for community support in her ongoing battle
David Feil February 8th, 2017
Cochrane Times
Following more than a month in India for medical treatment, Shelly Irmen is back in Cochrane and working on the next step of regaining her independence after years of living with MS and the increasing toll it took on her life.
"I want to thank this community, my family, the businesses that helped me so much it was even possible to go," said Irmen, who received tremendous support from the people of Cochrane, who raised thou sands of dollars through fundraisers like the one held at Mehtab in September.
Living with the multiple sclerosis since 2003 while raising two children, Irmen had been researching potential treatments and ended up choosing the Artemis Hospital in Gugaon, India due to its stronger focus on curing the disease and making sure patients are well taken care of by keeping them on site.
The doctors at Artemis do this using Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) therapy, a process that uses isolated stem cells in a patient's bones to repair the damage caused by MS. "[The first part] is to get your stem cells ready to be removed, said Irmen, who left for India on Nov. 19 and after about a week of prescreening was put through the grueling HSCT process. "Honestly, going through HSCT therapy is not an easy thing at all. That's a challenge in and of itself," said Irmen, noting that the first four days were a series of femoral injections to loosen up her bone marrow so that the stem cells within could be removed and cryofrozen for injection following five days of chemotherapy to clear out her system....
After that, Irmen's stem cells were infused through her jugular over the course of the day to essentially reboot her body and erase the disease from her system as the blank cells set about repairing her nervous system. At this point, most treatment centres would have sent Irmen home but Artemis kept her in the hospital for two weeks to start some physiotherapy and provide support care. which was of tremendous help as they were able to look after her after she began to exhibit flu-like symptoms that would come and go.
"This was not easy but it was incredible," said Irmen, who found the treatment itself to be traumatic but the healthcare staff were knowledgeable with a warm manner and real concern for her well-being, keeping her an extra week to make sure she was fit to return to Canada.
Coming back to Cochrane on Dec. 24, Irmen was glad to be able to spend Christmas with her kids and has since been working on regaining her strength and, while the process has been slow, she has greater motor control than she has had in years.
"A lot of it is going to be time. It's about finding balance in doing some rehab, resting and not being hard on myself for resting," said Irmen, who is now able to walk about her apartment without needing a cane, stand without visible tremors throughout her body, do the laundry and take care of the dishes without needing Dfeil@postmedia.com assistance.
However, there is still a lot of work to be done for Irmen to be able to do what the average person takes for granted. She has now regained enough strength to start doing physiotherapy outside the home and has been focusing on building muscle memory, coordination and core strength to combat the tremors that have wracked her body for more than a decade.
"I would love to be able to walk without a cane and just return to what life was like without MS. That's my dream," said Irmen.
Dfeil@postmedia.com
Daniel Gonzalez Sep 18, 2024 1:30 PM
Shelly "Shell" Adams speaks on her battle with MS and how thankful she is to the community for their support during her journey.Mud River Photography
More than nine years ago, Shelly Adams believed that she would no longer physically afford the same opportunities she has now, but after her battle with MS, she would like to give a special thanks to the community that supported her through her journey.
Adams explained that she has relapsing-remitting MS, which eventually led to her situation going downhill quickly.
“I couldn’t take care of myself, I couldn’t take care of my children, I had to sell my house, and I was put in a really precarious situation, and it was very scary,” Adams said. “It was one of the darkest times of my life, of not knowing what was going to happen.”
This eventually led to Adams learning about stem cell transplant treatments. After researching more on the topic, Adams learned that treatment would be around $40,000 in India, rather than $100,000 everywhere else in the world.
From there, the community rallied behind Adams to help send her to India and receive the treatment she needed. Although she doesn’t remember the details, she does note that Crystal Kerr spearheaded a few fundraising initiatives that she’ll never forget....
“She went to Save-On Foods, and was able to put a tent out front to sell lemonade, and the fire department would come and buy a glass for $100,” Adams said.
From businesses like No Frills that allowed customers to donate at the till for Adams, Mehtab that hosted a fundraiser through a dinner and silent auction, the Cochrane Lions Club who gave Adams $10,000 for her treatment, and many others who helped her cause.
“Words don’t really capture the amount this has affected me,” Adams said. “I feel I have a chance at having my purpose in life again, and that’s all I ever wanted.”
After raising enough money, Adams made the trip in 2015 to India where she received the much-needed treatment. Following treatment, Adams said she spent a majority of time healing. She still feels the benefits of the treatment, adding that she needs very little assistance compared to before her treatment.
Now, Adams now practices CranioSacral therapy and SomatoEmotional release. Her practice, www.ShellCranioSacralRMT.com opened their official website on Sep. 15.
“I realized I can go back to work now; I can do what I love to do, what I’m mean to do, and I what I’m trained to do,” she said. “It gives me purpose again, […] and I’ve refined it because of my challenges, and I’m so grateful for that because everything I’ve gone through made me who I am today.”
Through her whole experience, she believes that this is both a testament to the will power of any individual, but also the generosity of the community.
In closing, Adams said she would like to give a very special thanks to Ian Kreuger, Crystal Kerr, Candice Carney, her children Lawson and Lucy Irmen, and Candice Conolly.
“And as I’ve stated a number of times, I’m deeply grateful I am by this community,” Adams said.
403-875-7265
shellyirmen@gmail.com
