Help our courageous Stefano to regain his health

Stefano was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 15 months ago, at the age of 40, after noticing a persistent shaking in his hand. Medical professions suggested Stefano start taking traditional Parkinson’s’ medication however Stefano was reluctant to do this as he had concerns about his diagnosis. His brain scans showed signs of somebody much older and in more advanced stages of Parkinson’s, which his symptoms were not congruent with.

Stefano is highly intelligent, logical, and resilient so he researched his symptoms. He wondered whether he had Parkinson’s or whether there was a deeper systemic issue within his body, affecting his brain and causing his symptoms. Rather than giving up hope, determination to understand his condition and how to improve his quality of life with his family drove him on.

Stefano’s symptoms worsened, he was rapidly losing motor functions and some days was unable to get out of bed. He found research suggesting a link between inflammation in the body and Parkinson’s disease and he recalled that since being a teenager he had experienced skin problems, joint pain, allergies, and asthma. His theory was dismissed by one doctor who advised he accept the Parkinson’s’ diagnosis and begin treatment. Part of him was tempted to accept what he was told, after all this was a specialist opinion, however instinctively he felt this wasn’t correct and he decided to keep on fighting. He didn’t want a medical professional to realise a misdiagnosis during his post-mortem, he wanted to do something about it while he was very much still alive.

Stefano saw a private doctor who carried out further tests and confirmed Stefano had a fungal infection in his body called Candida. He started taking recommended supplements and his neurological function s drastically worsened, as well as having severe issues with his skin. He was told this was due to the microbes (Candida) dying in the body, so the supplements were working. This confirmed to Stefano that treating this infection was affecting him neurologically and his systemic issues were linked to his brain.

In February 2021 after more tests Stefano was told he was suffering from Lyme disease, also a gastrointestinal infection and had mycotoxins in the body caused by exposure to toxic mould. These parasitic infections had been working together, against Stefano, with the toxins affecting his liver, kidneys, and brain function.

Stefano began expensive and intensive treatment for these infections, including daily intravenous anti-biotics and many daily supplements. After further tests and consultations this cost £50,000 in private fees.

During this time Stefano’s symptoms were the worst he had experienced. He lost the use of his left hand, he began losing control of his right hand, was shaking constantly, had muscular rigidity, constant spasms, tension, and cramps – he was in constant pain. He was also experiencing severe depression, anxiety, brain fog and felt as if he was thinking in slow motion. Stefano had hit rock bottom – he couldn’t hug his kids, help his wife, work, walk or sleep. He began to think he should accept the Parkinson’s diagnosis and his life as a disabled person, with a shortened life expectancy.

However, Stefano was certain that his worsened symptoms were caused by the infections in his body dying off, he continued with this regime and in May 2021 his symptoms started to slowly improve. He was able to be able to smile again, take his kids out for a walk, play with them and even attempt to rollerblade. Parkinson’s disease symptoms do not tend to fluctuate to this extent, so this further confirmed to Stefano the original diagnosis was incorrect. At this point his symptoms seemed manageable, perhaps even curable.

This regime of treatments is expensive, and Stefano has now requires support to continue funding them. He has had to limit the amount he can take, and his condition has deteriorated. This is why Stefano needs your help. When he is treating the infections he can live his life, play with his children, continue to work, support his family and not be in constant pain.

The near-term goal is to support Stefano with the costs of supplements, blood tests, IV treatments, antibiotics, travel, accommodation, and specialist care.

The long-term goal is to get Stefano to a position where his body begins to heal and work properly to provide the right nutrition to support his brain function

Treating Stefano’s case also has the potential to advance the knowledge of symptoms that are diagnosed as Parkinson’s and the understanding of the disease. Medical experts are becoming interested in Stefano’s story and learning from his discoveries. We aim to set up a forum to share these with others in a similar situation, in the hope it can help others.

Thank you.