Living for Gratitude by Diane Ciarloni | photos courtesy of Lloyd Banks
T
he year was 2018, and Lloyd Banks was in the best shape of his life. He was muscular, strong, and had great stamina. He even trained five days a week at Camp Gladiators. Life was good. That is, until it wasn’t so good.
“We took a little family fun trip to College Station in November 2019,” said Banks, a Corinth resident and serial entrepreneur. “I got up early one morning to go for a workout. On the way there, I tripped over one of my feet a couple times. I didn’t think it was anything serious, but it was unusual for me. I figured I had a pinched nerve and would make an appointment for acupuncture when we got home.” He had the acupuncture. It didn’t help. Then, in the spring of 2020, Banks and his lovely wife, Toby, were in bed when he noticed his feet were numb. They talked about it and decided he should see a neurologist, which he did that May. First, the doctor performed some simple tests on Banks’ feet. The reactions were not satisfactory. The first of several MRIs was scheduled. Finally, the doctor revealed the procedures were indicating that he likely had multiple sclerosis, a horribly debilitating auto-immune disease. “He said my toes curled up instead of down in the early test, which is suspicious,” Banks said. “Next, the MRIs showed lesions on my brain and spine. The final determination would come from a spinal tap.” He had the painful spinal tap. And sure enough, he had MS. There is no cure for MS, but there are medications that focus on slowing down the growth of the lesions as well as the development of new ones. The doctors wanted to discuss drug protocols with Banks. He declined, saying he wanted to recover from the initial shock and explore his options. He and Toby spent hour after hour on the Internet, learning everything they could while reaching out to people who suffered from the same problems. 22 | LAKE CITIES LIVING | FEBRUARY 2021
“REGARDLESS OF HOW IT ALL TURNS OUT, I WOULD NOT TRADE ANY OF IT.” “I didn’t want the meds,” Banks said. “I watched my sister struggle with MS, and I wanted a different, more proactive, and more aggressive approach. Toby and I stumbled onto a treatment referred to as HSCT, with two clinics in Mexico and one in Russia. Trials are at a few places in the United States. To pursue the treatment, I needed approximately $90,000 and to spend 27 days in Mexico with a personal caretaker. We talked to people. We read and studied. We prayed. We finally decided to go for it. I called my doctor and told him. In my file, he wrote ‘Noted.’” HSCT is hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. The focus is to reset a faulty immune system. Hematopoietic stem cells are taken from the patient’s www.LakeCitiesLiving.com
