Help us support Josh in his fight to Crush MS


Josh Johansen is raising money for a stem cell transplant, an emerging treatment, considered by some the most effective MS treatment available today.

Find Out More

A Bit About Josh…


Josh is a loving dog dad to Popeye who is the world to him. Josh has always had a love for music and has even been known to lay down a few beats over the years. In recent years he has found a passion for learning the art of organic gardening. Incidentally, Josh grows some mean peppers that make a killer hot sauce.

Josh is an amazing caring son, brother, uncle, and friend. As all who know him will attest, Josh has always been the first to help lighten the load of others, including watching our children when we had no other options, and while he was still young himself. In all he does, Josh has always put others before himself, and is often the first person people will call, because they know he will always be there for them. A testament to this is Josh still remains close with his childhood group of friends to this day. He also left a larger city to move to our hometown of Libby, Montana to help our parents with a small family business.

His quick-witted humor often has us in tears, and wishing we were as funny as he. This has been a benefit as he’s been able to find humor through his illness to help keep him in high spirits. Please help our beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend – and Popeye’s daddy to get back to his former self.


Multiple Sclerosis Benefit Concert

For Josh Johansen


Featuring:

Jacque Jolene

and

Copper Mountain Band

Happening In:

weeks
days
hours
min
sec

(Kalispell time)

Event Details

Where:
Flathead County Fairgrounds Trade Center
  • 265 N Meridian Rd
    Kalispell, MT 59901

When:
May 2nd, 2020 5pm - 10pm
Dinner, raffle, & silent auction
Live auction
Live concert featuring Jacque Jolene and Copper Mountain Band
Details:

$12 per person. $20 per couple. Kids 10 and under FREE. Dinner included.

Tickets available at the door, or at the following sponsor locations:

Featured auction items include:

Thank You Sponsors


Multiple Sclerosis (MS)


What Is MS?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body.

The cause of MS is still unknown. Scientists believe that a combination of environmental and genetic factors contribute to the risk of developing MS.

The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease.

Source: What Is MS? : National MS Society

About The Treatment

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT)


Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the new name for bone marrow transplantation.

The bone marrow is home to hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), also called pluripotent stem cells because they can give rise to any cell your body requires at any given moment. These specialized cells play an essential role in replenishing our blood supply on a daily basis to maintain blood counts in a healthy host.

These cells can be “collected” either by performing repeated bone marrow aspirations or by “mobilizing” HSCs into the circulation using special medications called cytokines (like GCSF, also called neupogen), and filtering them out of your blood using a highly specialized process called apheresis.

After they are collected from your body, these stem cells can be preserved by storing them in a chemical called DMSO, and placing them in a freezer. Stem cell transplantation refers to a process whereby the patient’s HSCs are replaced by new cells (either from yourself [autologous] or someone else [allogeneic] that grow into a healthy hematopoietic system.

There are many types of HSCTs depending on the source of stem cells, as described here.

Source: Bone Marrow Transplantation: Autologous and Allogeneic | Center for Lymphoid Malignancies | Columbia University Medical Center

Dr. Zain discusses the role of bone marrow transplants
Dr. Zain discusses the role of bone marrow transplants
The steps involved in stem cell processing
The steps involved in stem cell processing

Additional Resources


Join Us, and Together Let's #CrushMSforJosh!


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