Months earlier Leah, 24, had taken a similar flight, in the opposite direction.

That time, she was among the last to board the plane, hobbling unsteadily on a walker like an old woman.

The multiple sclerosis that has afflicted her since her teens had, by that point, robbed her of most of her independence, blurring her vision, muddling her thinking and sapping her strength.

"It was hard to use a knife and fork to even cut my own food," Leah said.

At its worst, the disease -- a highly unpredictable auto-immune disorder -- had rendered the former ballet dancer temporarily confined to a wheelchair, unable to stand on her own two legs.

"Her body just fell apart," said her mother.

Hope for Leah came last October, when she became only the 17th -- and the youngest -- MS patient in Canada to undergo a stem cell transplant specifically aimed at curbing the progress of the disease.

Two weeks earlier, she'd checked into the Ottawa Hospital to take part in an experimental medical study, led by Ontario neurologist Dr. Mark Freedman and Dr. Harold Atkins, a bone marrow transplant specialist.

Like the patients before her, Leah was required to undergo heavy doses of chemotherapy -- enough to completely wipe out her immune system and cause her shoulder-length hair to fall out in chunks. Twice, she endured an uncomfortable six-hour procedure that saw her strapped to a chair, unable to even flinch, as a team of specialists carefully siphoned stem cells from her blood.

"If she moved even a little, alarms would beep," said Jacky of the extremely delicate procedure.

The stem cells were then sent to a laboratory where they were "cleaned" before being pumped back into her body.

The theory behind the $4-million study is that the pure stem cells will find their way into the bone marrow and build up a new immune system in the patient, free of MS.

To date, 17 patients from across the country, including three from B.C., have been accepted to take part in the trial, which began in 2001 and is funded by the MS Scientific Research Foundation.

Qualifying patients are all between the ages of 18 and 50 and have either failed conventional MS drug therapy, or like Leah, been too sick to ever begin conventional treatment. Patients must show a rapid progression of the disease, yet must still have enough strength to walk, at least with a cane.

Study coordinator Marjorie Bowman said early results of the trial -- which aims to treat 24 patients in total -- will be published this summer.

According to Bowman, one patient died as a result of the chemotherapy (which is so strong, patients have a one in 20 chance of dying). Of the 16 living patients, three have reported some progression of the disease since undergoing treatment, while the remaining 13 have experienced improvements in their health.

Leah is lucky enough to be in the latter category.

"I haven't felt this good since before I was diagnosed," she said in an interview from her Surrey home, her first trip back to B.C. since beginning treatment.

She can walk on her own again and talk without difficulty. She can make herself a cup of coffee -- something she hasn't been able to do since she was 21.

And though nerves in her right eye have been irrevocably damaged by the disease, the majority of her vision has been restored and she looks forward to returning to work some day soon.

Leah's lively personality is back too, said her mother.

"Leah always had a bit of an attitude and it was gone for a while, and that was sad," she said. "Now she is herself again."

Leah plans to spend three weeks in Surrey before heading back east for the final leg of the trial. In order to take part in the study, she had to commit to living in Ottawa for an entire year as researchers continue to monitor her progress.

She lives in a Rotary Club-run hotel that caters to hospital patients and their families.

Leah continues to take medications to boost her immune system, and goes to the hospital once a month as an outpatient.

To date, her recovery has proven remarkable, even to the physicians leading the study.

At the end of a recent appointment, Leah noted one doctor told her: "I just wanted to tell you that, yes, you do still have MS, but no one would be able to tell."

dahansen@png.canwest.com

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/story.html?id=1ec12c3b-0f9d-4956-acc6-ef9c053541e6&k=40579&p=2