A Stony Brook University Hospital study employed an unusual treatment to dramatically improve the lives of patients suffering from Multiple Sclerosis.

Twenty-eight-year-old Maureen Kearney, of Farmingdale, was one of 13 patients with moderate to severe MS who agreed to be part of the study and receive high doses of chemotherapy. Dr. Douglas Gladstone says Kearney was one of five patients who showed dramatic improvements following the 21-day experiment. Gladstone says the chemotherapy gradually shuts down the immune system, which allows a healthier immune system to emerge over time.

Kearney says the program was a life-altering experience. She says she could barely walk on her own before and had trouble seeing out of her left eye. Now, she says her wheelchair is in the closet and she can ski, play volleyball and kick box. The National MS Society says it feels a larger study is needed to determine how chemotherapy could help more patients.