Living For Gratitude

Living Gratitude for

by Diane Ciarloni | photos courtesy of Lloyd Banks

The 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. “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

“REGARDLESS OF HOW IT ALL TURNS OUT, I WOULD NOT TRADE ANY OF IT.”

bone marrow or blood and stored. Intense chemotherapy is then administered, and the goal is to destroy the patient’s immune system. It’s not working properly anyway, so get rid of it and re-grow it from square one. Next, the extracted blood cells are returned to the patient through a vein. One of the greatest dangers is the possibility of the body being attacked by various infections while the immune system is re-building.

His oldest daughter Allie agreed to journey with her father to Mexico as his required caregiver. But before the journey could begin, there were financial matters to address.

Banks, family, friends, and colleagues began networking to schedule fundraisers. Checks and cash flowed through Banks’ GoFundMe page.

“It wasn’t just the money,” he said. “It was the hugs, the people who gave me support and encouragement, the messages telling me how much I meant. I had no idea there was so much sweetness and goodness out there. I could actually feel myself starting to change and open up to that love.”

Banks and Allie returned from Mexico nine weeks ago, having been there while COVID-19 raged on. He’s back to working out five times per week, and he feels great. As for the numbness in his feet, there is improvement there, too — all signs that he is finally getting back to his former self.

Despite everything, Banks had this to say about his ordeal:

“Regardless of how it all turns out, I would not trade any of it. I am completely changed by it all. I’m grateful for being blessed with all that sweetness and goodness. I’m closer than ever to my family and to God. I know, without a doubt, that I will spend the rest of my life giving back and paying forward. Everything about my outlook changed, including getting out of bed earlier! I’ve learned how to be still and listen — and I feel so good!”

Banks is telling the truth. It’s in his voice. In his eyes. In his heart and in his soul.