Stand by Kris in His MS Treatment Journey

Hello, my name is Kristie Bedekovich. My brother-in-law, Kris Bedekovich, has recently been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. On 2/20/25, Kris started losing vision in his left eye. After going to Heritage Valley Beaver and waiting for two hours without being seen, going to UPMC Passavant Cranberry for a number of hours, then being sent to UPMC Mercy Emergency Center with seven hours of testing, he was told he possibly has multiple sclerosis.

After being told about his possible diagnosis, right away they started him on steroid infusions to try and slow down the symptoms he was having and the potential progression of the disease. He received his first steroid infusion in the emergency room at UPMC Mercy when the results of the MRI showed the brain lesions that come with MS. He then had to go back to Mercy for three more infusions throughout that week.

On 3/3/25, Kris saw an eye specialist at UPMC Magee hoping for some answers on his vision, but unfortunately, they didn’t have any answers for him. All the eye specialist told him was it could take up to a year to completely regain his vision if his body will let him.

On 3/5/25, he had an appointment with a neurologist at UPMC Magee Neurophysiology and Multiple Sclerosis Center. They confirmed his diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and discussed a long road ahead. The specialist told Kris that there are a lot more lesions on his brain than she was hoping to see, including some old lesions that have already been there for some time. Kris now has to undergo a series of treatments at UPMC Mercy called plasmapheresis where they will remove his blood, treat the plasma in his blood, and then return the “clean” plasma back into his body. These treatments will take a few hours at a time and can cause side effects that can potentially make him feel pretty sick. We are unsure how he is going to react to this new procedure or how it will make him feel. After several treatments of the plasmapheresis, Kris will have to be on long-term infusions every 3 months or every 6 months depending on how his body reacts to everything.

With that being said, Kris and his girlfriend Nicole are really worried about being able to afford their new home they just moved into together, medical bills, and gas money for the travel to and from Pittsburgh. Kris is still allowed to work but will be working much less due to his specialist appointments, treatments, and the potential side effects of everything making him feel sick.

Please consider donating for Kris to help him get through this really tough time financially. This is a long-lasting chronic disease that he will have to live with for the rest of his life. I will continue to update as we hear more on the future of Kris’ diagnosis as he gets these treatments and sees the specialists, but any contribution will help; no amount is too small. Kris is only 30 years old and has a long road ahead of him with this diagnosis. We are trying to help Kris any way we possibly can. Please spread the word and share this link; it is appreciated by Kris and his family more than you will ever know. Thank you so much.