Toni Biocic

Miles keep adding up

I'm fundraising for a world without MS

Hi,

Thanks for coming to my page where I’d like to share why I am fundraising ($4,000 target) for a world without MS.

From June 5^th – 8th, I'm taking part in one of the world's toughest cycling challenges, the Cykelnerven.

Cykelnerven is famed as Europe’s most unique and challenging charity cycling event. It was originally developed by the Danish MS Society – hence the name, which translates very loosely as ‘the nerve to ride’. Over 4 days, I'll be riding 500+ km (300+ miles) over the toughest mountain climbs of this year’s Tour de France, Stages 4, 19 and 20. This includes a climb to one of the highest paved mountain roads in Europe, Cime de la Bonette, with its top peaking at 2,802m or 9,192ft of elevation.

I'm also taking part in the Cykelnerven to raise money for research and support for people living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) worldwide. MS is a chronic disease of the central nervous system, affecting over 2.8 million people worldwide. I am one of those people as I was diagnosed with MS in 2015.

In the disease, the immune system turns on itself and attacks the sheath protecting the neurons. This sheath, called myelin, is like the rubber coating on an electrical cable. These attacks cause disruption in the signals the brain sends to the body and leads to the array of symptoms people experience. These include loss of mobility and motor control, fatigue, concentration and cognition problems, disruption of bodily systems such as temperature or bladder control, spasms, pain and several others. Symptoms can come and go but MS is a progressive disease, so they often get worse over time.

Thankfully MS research has brought us a long way over the last 25 years or so. There is currently no cure, but we have a number of treatments on the market and much better care, which can make a big change to people’s quality of life.

For an avid cyclist like me, this event provides a unique opportunity to ride on Tour-de-France stages a few weeks prior to the Tour. How cool is that?! But the other main reason I chose this event is because it is organized by MS International Federation (MSIF), the international membership body for national MS organizations around the world.

With support provided by Cykelnerven riders, MSIF funded and has been working with the World Health Organization (WHO) to improve access to treatments and add MS treatment to an essential medicine list (EML) that it shares with national governments to encourage them to ensure that diseases are prioritized and treated appropriately.

Bringing together world-leading experts in MS research and treatment, healthcare systems and data analysis such as McMaster University and the Cochrane Group, MSIF has led an application to get MS treatments on the EML for the first time. MSIF hopes that this will just be the first treatments to be added, and that more will follow, so that people with MS have a range of options to suit their personal condition. As this is the first time that MS treatments are included, a new section has been created on the list to emphasize the importance of treatments for MS. This is just one example of MSIF making the difference.

I would like to make a difference as well, but I do need your help. Besides riding the event to raise the awareness of MS, I also set a target of raising $4,000 to fight against MS. Please join me in this fight by contributing to my page.

Thank you for your support and consideration!