Dozens of people with multiple sclerosis gathered outside a meeting of Canada's premiers to urge them to follow Saskatchewan's lead in funding trials of a controversial treatment.
"I want to do it. I can't believe that I have to go to Mexico or Egypt…why can't I get it done here?" asked Pat Benoit, who has MS.
The so-called liberation treatment was developed by Italian doctor Paolo Zamboni.
His theory, which has not yet been proven and is not currently considered a cure, is that blocked veins in the neck or spinal cord cause symptoms of MS and that by clearing the blockages, patients can become symptom free.
A handful of countries such as India and Mexico offer the treatment, but it comes with a price tag of about $7,000 to $10,000.
The province has said it wants to wait until more research has been done before it offers the treatment in Manitoba. Recently, studies in Germany and Sweden conducted ultrasounds on the veins of a small group of subjects with and without MS and found no difference between the two groups' veins.
Duncan Thornton is a Manitoban who travelled to Poland to receive the liberation treatment because it wasn't available in Canada. He said he's had more energy since the treatment than in the previous 20 years.
Thornton wants to see the province act quickly to offer the treatment.
"Every moment you wait there's going to be more people in wheelchairs there's more people who are going to go blind more people who are going to die," said Thornton.
In July, Saskatchewan said it will begin offering help funding clinical trials on the liberation treatment.
Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger, meanwhile, said more research is needed before he gives approval for the treatment or trials in Manitoba.
"It's simply a matter of doing this in a way that it won't be negative for people," said Selinger.
Pat Benoit, however, said she'll keep pushing the province to offer the treatment and said even a small improvement in her quality of life would mean a great deal.
- with a report from CTV's Karen Rocznik
