STOP MS.ING WITH ME
Donation protected
My Story...
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an incurable disabling autoimmune disease damaging the central nervous system. Only 0.02% of people worldwide have been diagnosed with this disease to date.
Husband to the most caring and selfless women, my childhood sweetheart Nektaria. Father to three beautiful children Achilleas, Yioti and Sia. Life presents many ups and downs but love and family conquer.
On Monday August 6th 2018 I was at work, when a few minutes into my usual lunch time walk I noticed I was slowing down, I couldn’t speed up even if I tried. Trying made it worse, I begun to drag my right leg. I slowly made it back to the office where I went to pick up my pen for my meeting and I couldn’t even grip it. I panicked. I thought to myself what is going on. My right arm and in particular my hand was not working. I didn’t know what was happening, I remember hoping, this would just go away.
I called my wife and told her what just occurred. She told me to immediately go to the doctor but I refused. After work there was an after hours doctor that came to our home, which my wife sneakily organised.
The doctor very quickly realised I had absolute no sensation in the right hand side of my body and urged me to go straight to emergency. I did. An MRI and invasive lumber puncture confirmed the horrible verdict which was to come the next day.
The day my life changed forever...
Three neurologists walked in to the hospital room and sat my brother and my wife down.
At that point I knew... I knew this is not good.
“You have MS. You have multiple active lesions in your brain and spine”.
Alarm bells in my head were blasting repeatedly - NO CURE NO CURE NO CURE alongside images of me in a wheelchair. My head about to explode thinking of what this would mean for me, my family, my children.
That week in hospital I was blasted with steroids to regain some strength. As the days passed, I trained my mind to believe that this was a once off episode and that I would be one of those lucky MSers, that didn’t have anymore progression. However, MS had other ideas.
In the last year I have lost some of my taste, I stumble when I walk, I have numbness in my hands, if I move in a particular way my body jolts like electricity is running through it. In just one year these are a few of the things I have had to live with.
It wasn’t however until recently that the realisation in having MS has truly hit home.
I was a few days out of our family holiday and I started to get numbness in my hand and leg, this quickly followed by a sharp pain in my right eye and just like that, blurred vision. Another week another hospital visit, feels like Monash has become my new home. Another 3 day steroid infusion but unfortunately no sign of improvement. My blurred vision isn’t going anywhere.
Laying in my hospital bed, I decided to take charge.
I will not look at my kids and say I didn’t try everything to be an active & healthy dad.
The look of devastation in my son Achilleas eyes, whilst mumbling the words “Mummy, I feel completely lost without Dad” is my motivation.
Yioti & Sia’s breaking heart when they both see me poked and prodded in hospital is my motivation.
My wife (My Rock), juggling work, home duties and still managing to be a loving mum whilst supporting & caring for me is my motivation.
I will not leave any stone unturned on my quest.
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for MS in Russia, is delivering the best results to date. Stopping progression of the disease @ an 85% success rate.
It’s extremely unfortunate that this treatment, is only available in Australia for MS patients with a strict criteria, once the disease has actually resulted in significant unrepairable damage.
With God in my heart and support of all family & friends, I am prepared to try HSCT. I for one will not sit back waiting and wondering what tomorrow may bring in the form of disability.
STOP MS’ING WITH ME
Russia here I come
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an incurable disabling autoimmune disease damaging the central nervous system. Only 0.02% of people worldwide have been diagnosed with this disease to date.
Husband to the most caring and selfless women, my childhood sweetheart Nektaria. Father to three beautiful children Achilleas, Yioti and Sia. Life presents many ups and downs but love and family conquer.
On Monday August 6th 2018 I was at work, when a few minutes into my usual lunch time walk I noticed I was slowing down, I couldn’t speed up even if I tried. Trying made it worse, I begun to drag my right leg. I slowly made it back to the office where I went to pick up my pen for my meeting and I couldn’t even grip it. I panicked. I thought to myself what is going on. My right arm and in particular my hand was not working. I didn’t know what was happening, I remember hoping, this would just go away.
I called my wife and told her what just occurred. She told me to immediately go to the doctor but I refused. After work there was an after hours doctor that came to our home, which my wife sneakily organised.
The doctor very quickly realised I had absolute no sensation in the right hand side of my body and urged me to go straight to emergency. I did. An MRI and invasive lumber puncture confirmed the horrible verdict which was to come the next day.
The day my life changed forever...
Three neurologists walked in to the hospital room and sat my brother and my wife down.
At that point I knew... I knew this is not good.
“You have MS. You have multiple active lesions in your brain and spine”.
Alarm bells in my head were blasting repeatedly - NO CURE NO CURE NO CURE alongside images of me in a wheelchair. My head about to explode thinking of what this would mean for me, my family, my children.
That week in hospital I was blasted with steroids to regain some strength. As the days passed, I trained my mind to believe that this was a once off episode and that I would be one of those lucky MSers, that didn’t have anymore progression. However, MS had other ideas.
In the last year I have lost some of my taste, I stumble when I walk, I have numbness in my hands, if I move in a particular way my body jolts like electricity is running through it. In just one year these are a few of the things I have had to live with.
It wasn’t however until recently that the realisation in having MS has truly hit home.
I was a few days out of our family holiday and I started to get numbness in my hand and leg, this quickly followed by a sharp pain in my right eye and just like that, blurred vision. Another week another hospital visit, feels like Monash has become my new home. Another 3 day steroid infusion but unfortunately no sign of improvement. My blurred vision isn’t going anywhere.
Laying in my hospital bed, I decided to take charge.
I will not look at my kids and say I didn’t try everything to be an active & healthy dad.
The look of devastation in my son Achilleas eyes, whilst mumbling the words “Mummy, I feel completely lost without Dad” is my motivation.
Yioti & Sia’s breaking heart when they both see me poked and prodded in hospital is my motivation.
My wife (My Rock), juggling work, home duties and still managing to be a loving mum whilst supporting & caring for me is my motivation.
I will not leave any stone unturned on my quest.
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for MS in Russia, is delivering the best results to date. Stopping progression of the disease @ an 85% success rate.
It’s extremely unfortunate that this treatment, is only available in Australia for MS patients with a strict criteria, once the disease has actually resulted in significant unrepairable damage.
With God in my heart and support of all family & friends, I am prepared to try HSCT. I for one will not sit back waiting and wondering what tomorrow may bring in the form of disability.
STOP MS’ING WITH ME
Russia here I come
Organizer
Nektaria Dimos
Organizer
Hughesdale VIC
