Mark Smit in his special suit. (Photo: Private)
Good news for MS patient Mark Smit from Leiden. A special suit with electrodes ensures that his life with the disease has improved a lot. He can move better and walk further. “When I first put on the suit, it felt like I had stepped back in time.” This treatment may also offer a solution for other MS patients.
Leiden resident Mark Smit (48) contracted MS when he was 28 years old. It immediately changed his life. “That was intense, yes. It is a nasty disease for which there are no medicines yet. So it only gets worse. It was difficult for me to walk and I suffered from fatigue. So that limits you in a lot of things. I have a form where you gradually regress. Fortunately, things are going fairly slowly for me.”
Three months ago, Mark’s life took an unexpected turn when his rehabilitation doctor came across a special suit online. The so-called ‘exopulse molliisuit’. “It is a suit with all kinds of electrodes and they ensure that your muscles are stimulated and that prevents spasms. And because of that I can move better and walk longer. It really makes a world of difference.”
Spasms
The suit was originally developed for people with spasms. It has only been clear for a year now that it also works well for people with MS. If Mark has worn the suit for an hour, he will benefit from it for about two days. Videos show him walking twice as fast after wearing the suit as before.
The suit now helps him to control the disease as much as possible. “When I have worn the suit, I immediately notice the effect.” An important change. “It means a lot to my life. I can move better and I can walk the dog further. And I don’t have to use the wheelchair as often because now after three months I am confident that I can walk that part.”
Crowdfunding
“This is a very good development. Because it now appears that people with MS function better with such a suit. And I think everyone should have a suit like this because I see what it does to me. It doesn’t work for everyone as well as it does for me, but you notice that your life becomes much easier because of that suit.”
That is why Mark also thinks that the health insurance companies should reimburse the suit. “You still have to buy it yourself and then it will cost you about 8,000 euros. I did a crowdfunding for that, but I just think it should be in the insurance. You wish that on everyone.”
Leiden Society
