Youth Committee for MS Patients set up in Romania

The Romanian Multiple Sclerosis Society (SSMR) together with one of its members and partners – SM Speromax Alba – founded the ‘Youth Committee for Multiple Sclerosis Patients in Romania’.

The new organisation was formed following a series of engaging discussions and workshops held between 16 and 18 August, in the city of Alba Iulia, and hosted by the local ‘1 Decembrie 1918’ University.

Attending the event were over 20 people directly or indirectly affected by multiple sclerosis (MS), especially young people having been recently diagnosed with MS, some even before the age of 20.

The organisers asked for and received their support in setting up the Youth Committee, which aims to work as an NGO protecting and promoting the rights of people with MS.

“I am pleasantly surprised by the level of involvement and support we received from our new colleagues and I trust we can all work together to bring a better quality of life for young people with MS – for us”, said Dragos Zaharia, president of SM Speromax Alba. Dragos, aged 33, is also a young person with multiple sclerosis.  Speromax already secured support from local authorities and specialists in Alba Iulia and is now focusing on enlarging its membership.

The European Multiple Sclerosis Platform (EMSP) was also represented at the event in Alba Iulia, where Communications Officer Claudiu Berbece gave a presentation on the Platform’s ongoing projects for young people with MS and conveyed the message prepared by EMSP’s Youth Representative Emma Rogan:

“Life is too short to not spend it being the change. Being in control of your destiny doesn’t mean focusing on what you don’t have. It means focusing on how you use what you do have. You really matter and, if you haven’t already, you will someday realise what amazing personal power you have.”