Link Chasing and Drug Trials

I've spent most of today following one link to another to another. I've hopped through message boards, family support group sites, angry reviews and much more. I bought two books for my Kindle. One is a memoir of a person who had ALS and another is about nutrition and supplements that might help with ALS. There's another book I'd like to read, another memoir, but it's expensive for the Kindle and I'm broke until I'm through with this moving to a new apartment business. I've signed up for a fund raising website in hopes of getting some funds for the possibility of going to China. I've searched high and low to find out what other ALS doctors and patients say about this procedure. Is it a scam? Am I wasting my time and energy on something totally ridiculous? Is it worth the trip and the money? I'm still unsure, but the picture is becoming a little clearer.
there are so many questions and for every question there are a hundred different answers, but I'm working my way through the maze. The take-aways for today are:
1. It could be Lyme Disease - ALS and Lyme present with some similar symptoms. Both can cause facial paralysis, muscle weakness and moodiness. The ALS forums have Lyme disease info all over the place and a ton of posts about ALS diagnosis turning out to be Lyme. this leaves me feeling cautiously hopeful and a little bit pissed. How great would it be if this could all be cured/treated with antibiotics? But I try not to get my hopes up over a long shot. It could be Lyme, but until I can convince her to get her doctors to test for it and the tests come back positive, I am not setting my heart on it. I'm pissed that her doctors haven't tested her already. I know I'm not a doctor, but you'd think they'd jump on a Lyme test before delivering the crushing blow of ALS. If you search "ALS and Lyme disease" the results are insane, so you'd think a doctor would know this and I wouldn't have to be the one to bring it up.
2. There are 2 (maybe more) drugs in the trial phase that are showing promise in arresting the progression of ALS and possibly restoring some function/strength back to the sufferer. I have emailed the UW about possibly getting on board for the 3rd phase trials for one of these drugs. If she qualifies and the drug makes it through phase 3 she will automatically get to take it while it goes through FDA approval (which can take a very long time) and skipping the FDA approval gap can mean keeping her ability to speak/eat/walk.
3. There are stem cell researchers who are offering experimental treatments/transplants in the US. It's a slim chance, but I'm definitely going to reach out to whoever I can to get help and to stay hopeful.
4. ALS fucking sucks.