Help Me Return to Running: A New Hope for Multiple Sclerosis

Hi, I am Emanuele Rossi, 48 y.o. from Italy.

"Nana korobi ya oki – Fall down seven times, stand up eight."

This Japanese proverb has guided my entire life. I've always believed in the importance of getting back up, of transforming every challenge into an opportunity for growth.

As a child, I was weak and fragile, but I cultivated the courage that took me to kickboxing rings and training camps in Thailand, onto Italy's most beautiful motorcycle tracks, and running on breathtaking mountain trails. I completed ultra-marathons up to 100 km and traveled the world living extraordinary adventures thanks to the amazing people I met along the way.

Then, in 2020, came the diagnosis that changed everything: Multiple Sclerosis.

My Journey with Multiple Sclerosis

When the radiologist showed me the MRI images, pointing to the numerous lesions in my brain, the world seemed to stop. "This is Multiple Sclerosis, and it's a very serious disease" she told me, “progressive, degenerative and there are no cures”.

My first question was whether I could continue running, continue maintaining the lifestyle that had always defined who I am. She reassured me that sports and healthy nutrition would be an integral part of my "treatment."

As the neurologist suspected, I've been living with this disease since childhood, but my lifestyle had kept it under control. The stress from an extremely difficult period due to divorce and countless challenges I faced after returning to Italy in 2015—having lived in Japan after time in Australia—awakened it. Finally, spinal surgery, a consequence of Multiple Sclerosis, despite being perfectly successful, brought such a load of stress to both body and mind that it gave full power to this Dark Deceiver.

The Daily Battle

Since 2020, I fight every day. I follow a strict diet developed by an Italian neurologist, I'm under constant medical supervision, and I take medications that often have devastating side effects.

In 2023, I managed to complete a marathon in under 4 hours without falling once; for someone who has run 100km in the mountains, it's not an exceptional time, but for me it was the most important victory of my life.

2024 started badly. The side effects of medications became unbearable: while at work, I was taken to the hospital by ambulance because I couldn't even stand up. During a training session, I suddenly "shut down," falling catastrophically.

I had to stop going to the mountains—the place I love most in the world—because a fall up there could be fatal.

On top of all this, there are the various problems that this Dark Deceiver regularly presents me with: extreme fatigue, chest tightness, brain fog, and various other issues that make every single day a challenge.

A New Hope: Treatment in Switzerland

My constant search for solutions led to the discovery of a Swiss company specializing in Multiple Sclerosis treatment using stem cells. The results obtained with other patients are extraordinary and represent a concrete hope of significant improvement in my quality of life as well as the possibility of preventing it from going from relapsing-remitting to progressive.

The cost of treatment and subsequent expenses is approximately 35,000 euros, an amount I unfortunately cannot afford alone.

Your Help Can Make the Difference

I'm not asking for pity. I'm asking you to believe in me, just as I have never stopped believing in the possibility of getting back up.

With your help, I can:

• Access this innovative treatment

• Return to running on the trails I love

• Continue proving that Multiple Sclerosis doesn't define who I am

• Be an example for others facing the same battle

How the Funds Will Be Used

• Stem cell treatment: approximately € 30,000

• Medical check-ups and follow-up care

• Travel expenses for treatment in Switzerland and Serbia

Every donation, large or small, brings me closer to my goal. This isn't just medical treatment, it's the chance to return to being myself.

My Promise

I will keep you updated on every step of this journey. I will share the progress, the challenges, the results. Your generosity deserves complete transparency.

As the Japanese proverb says, I have fallen seven times. With your help, I can stand up for the eighth time.

Thank you for reading my story. Thank you for believing in me.

For more information about the treatment or to follow my updates, please don't hesitate to contact me.