Like many in our community, Andrea’s story is easy to relate to.
Andrea’s mum Claudia has MS and was diagnosed 15 years ago. He knows all too well the uncertainty that an MS diagnosis can bring.
“Our family’s lives changed considerably at that point. We needed to accept that at any moment, things could change. Sometimes mum would barely show any symptoms, and other days her health would seem to have deteriorated dramatically. We had to start living day by day.”
Andrea and his family are doing their best supporting his mum in his native Italy. But in late 2016, upon completing his Masters in Architecture, Andrea moved to Australia to start a new chapter in his life and his career.
Not long after getting his first job, Andrea came to us, wanting to help. Since then, he has made a regular monthly donation to MS Research Australia.
“Seeing my mum live with the uncertainty of this illness motivated me to reach out,” he told us, “my ongoing donation to MS Research Australia has helped me feel more connected to my family back home in Italy – MS remains a cause which is very important to me.”
Andrea has built a new life in Australia, is now married and has a baby on the way. While he feels less able to help manage his mum’s illness, Andrea’s monthly gift gives him both hope and certainty that his mum’s life and the lives of other people with MS will improve as a result of research.
Andrea has been pleased to see recent breakthroughs and treatments arise and is inspired to continue his support, as he believes research is one of the most important ways to help people with MS live their daily lives.
“To me, knowing the researchers are constantly looking for new treatments sustains an element of hope for all people affected by MS…. ultimately I want the researchers to find a cure, but in the meantime, I just hope the research can help people with MS to live their best lives possible.”
At MS Research Australia, we’re fortunate enough to have a dedicated group of caring and generous supporters just like Andrea who power MS research every month.
In fact, last year alone our regular givers donated over $145,000 to power MS research. This amazing contribution could fund a three year postdoctoral fellowship, six incubator grants, or two PhD scholarships. These gifts help us plan for the future and give us confidence that research will continue in our shared pursuit of a world free of MS.
In the world of MS research, we’ve seen a huge amount of progress in a short time. But while the pace of scientific discovery never seems fast enough, monthly donations in any amount provide a steady stream of funding for research to help us stop and reverse MS.
Regular giving is a popular choice among donors as it’s simple to set up, efficient and allows flexibility for people’s different circumstances.
Asked why he will continue his regular donation as long as he can, Andrea told us:
“I think there always needs to be a focus on finding treatments that make the lives of people living with MS easier, so that the difference between a life with MS, and a life without MS, becomes smaller and smaller…in the end, there’s nothing more important than to invest in people.”
You can donate or become a regular giver like Andrea here. If you’d like to discuss how you could help with one of our team please contact Neil Robertson on 1300 356 467 or at nrobertson@msra.org.au.
