STOP MS.ING WITH ME - Supporting Mario Christou

With Victoria's COVID-19 case numbers continuing to rise again & VIC government restriction announcements we have unfortunately been left with no option but to cancel our upcoming fundraiser event. Thank you to all in whom had already purchased your tables, refunds will be issued to everyone within the next week.

Although the event is cancelled, Marios MS is unfortunately still active! His hospital admission in Russia for HSCT treatment is now less than 6 weeks away (end of February) & we need your help to raise the remaining $40k required to ensure we get him there!

Let’s do this

A little about us:

We Educate, Support & Provide Funding for Multiple Sclerosis patients seeking to undertake HSCT treatment with a view to STOP their MS

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. Just over 25 thousand of us live with this terrible & disabling disease in Australia today.

Current treatments in the form of Disease Modifying Drugs (DMD’s) available to MS patient in Australia, DO NOT stop but may slow the progression of disability. 

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for MS, is the only treatment to date, proven to STOP progression of the disease @ a success rate of:
+85% for RRMS, 
+70% for SPMS & 
+65% for PPMS.

It’s extremely unfortunate that this treatment is and has been on trial in Australia for +12 years now, with the trial delivering positive results yet they continue not to permit/allow this treatment as an option for us MS sufferers, forcing us to seek and undergo treatment abroad with a view to halt the disease and get our life back. 

I would like to think that the pharmaceutical companies making a staggering +$120 Million per month in Australia alone for MS drugs that are proven NOT TO STOP but possibly slow disease progression is not the key driver behind the lengthy trial period.

Our Mission:

To support Multiple Sclerosis sufferers in understanding the disease and all available treatments available to them. 

Our Vision:

Educate, Support & Provide Funding for Multiple Sclerosis patients seeking to undertake HSCT treatment with a view to halt their MS

Please Help Our Cause

Your support and contribution will enable us to meet our goals in supporting & funding HSCT for people diagnosed with MS.

Together we can help people overcome this terrible disease and help them get their life back

A little about Mario:  

For as long as I can remember I always imagined myself being a young dad, that provided and nurtured his family. 

In 2013 my partner Georgette was pregnant to our first born and I knew one thing was for sure, that I wanted to give my child a bright future, a future with opportunities. For that reason we made the massive decision to move across the world from Cyprus to Australia, leaving behind relatives and friends. 

Not long after arriving to our new beautiful country we found work and slowly we started to build a life that we had once dreamt of. 

I worked hard to ensure I didn’t waste anytime fulfilling our families dream. 

But one day it all changed…

One morning as I got ready to go to work I was unable to move freely. The left side of my body was numb. Without hesitation I called my Doctor and he referred me to a Neurologist.

My diagnosis 

You have MS…

With those words, my world came crushing down. How will I do anything with this crippling disease? How will I work and provide for my family? How will I raise children? How will I fulfil my dreams? An endless list of how will I? was going off in my head like alarm bells. My life as I knew it had changed forever.

The fear of what the future holds alone was crippling. Every morning thereafter was like I was waiting for another episode to take away my ability to truly live. I can’t live like this anymore, fearing that MS will take away my ability to walk and basically live an able life with my family.

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 is 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 the support of 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. 

Russia here I come