A new immune system is not what most people bring back from a holiday to a tropical country.
But Old Buckenham man Martin Manning is hoping a revolutionary treatment he has just undergone in Mexico will stop his multiple sclerosis (MS) in its tracks.
Mr Manning, 47, travelled with his wife, Joanna, to Clinica Ruiz in Puebla near Mexico City for the procedure, called haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).
He said he was pleased to be back in Norfolk after the treatment, and hoped it would enable him to lead a longer and fuller life.
Mr Manning said: 'I had four rounds of chemotherapy in total which made me lose my hair.
'They gave me injections so my body would produce new stem cells which they took off.
'Then returned them two days after more chemo to wipe out my immune system and hopefully reboot myself.
'I am hoping the treatment will at the least halt my MS and if I get anything back it will be wonderful.'
Mr Manning followed in the footsteps of former BBC war correspondent Caroline Wyatt, who paid £62,000 to go to Mexico for (HSCT) treatment earlier this year.
READ MORE: Old Buckenham man's Mexico trip aims to stop his MS in its tracksHe said he was pleased with how he was treated and did not have to contend with a language barrier.
Mr Manning said: 'Most of the doctors and nurses spoke English. I personally hired a nurse to help us also, her name was Joy.'
Although the treatment has been trialled in the UK, Mr Manning said he would not qualify to take part in that programme as he had secondary progressive MS.
Before leaving he ran a fundraising campaign which raised about £15,000 towards the treatment.
He said: 'I'd like to thank everyone who donated money to my cause, which I will be forever grateful for.'
He and his family also raised about £50,000 by re-mortgaging their home.
Mr Manning was diagnosed with MS 12 years ago and has spent the last two years in a wheelchair.
He said he hoped the treatment would halt the effects of MS, and he would continue to be able to feed himself and not be confined to a bed.
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