Alex Vlassopulos
AV running for awareness of AS
Fundraising for National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society
Story
I have AS which is essentially arthritis of the spine and it greatly affected every aspect of my life from my early 20s to mid 30s until I was diagnosed and prescribed a (very expensive) drug called Humira.
Since my last blog almost 2 years ago (http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=AlexVlassopulos&faId=613033&isTeam=false) which highlighted my 15 year struggle with AS from my early 20s to a very late diagnosis and prescription of Humira, (link here) I have moved from strength to strength as far as my AS experience.
Humira has turned out to be my 'magic wand' and I am fortunate to say that I've been 100% pain and symptom-free since starting up Humira. I therefore write this to inspire and generate hope for others through my positive experience.
I am now 'tapering' usage of Humira and have slowly reduced my dosage to once a month, from once a week. I am told that I am amongst the minority in this respect but I think this is more down to the length of time Humira has been in the field. My aspiration is to continue tapering until I get to one dose a year or even complete abstinence. No-one yet knows if that is possible but i will gladly share when and if this happens to me!
I have been keen to ride the wave whilst pain-free, so have taken on as many challenges as possible from Spartan Races, Duathalons and long distance running races and now am embarking on the road to the London Marathon 2018 (yikes).
As a half way point, I am running the Royal Parks Half Marathon in recognition and support for everything NASS has done to raise awareness and support for AS sufferers around the country.
Therefore, I would greatly appreciate any financial support you could donate to NASS to support their honourable mission to those suffering from this menace of a disease.