City of Darebin/MS Research Fundraising Ball

November 30, 2005

During an impassioned speech in which the personal tragedy of living with MS was highlighted, Cr Diana Asmar, Mayor of the City of Darebin, vowed to strive to rid the world of this devastating disease.

Speaking at the Cr Diana Asmar, Mayoral Fundraising Ball in Support of MS Research, held on Saturday 19 November, Cr Asmar pledged the proceeds of the evening's event toward finding a cure for MS.

MS or Multiple Sclerosis is a neurological disorder which is most commonly first diagnosed in young people aged between 20 – 25 years.  Its symptoms vary in number and severity, but may include muscle weakness, loss of vision, fatigue, pain, cognitive impairment and premature death.

Cr Asmar said that when she was diagnosed five years ago, doctors told her she would be in a wheel chair within two years and in a state of paralysis thereafter.  Though she is still active – she works as a full-time health services union industrial officer in addition to her Mayoral duties – she said the unpredictable nature of the disease has had a devastating impact.  "Like any MS sufferer I have to live with the uncertainty of when the next attack will occur and how badly it will affect me", she said.  "Day to day, I do not know if it will be the last day that I will be able to walk, see or feel properly."

Characteristically optimistic, Cr Asmar said that she would not let MS determine her future and that she was grateful for the love and support of friends, family and work colleagues who made the unknowing bearable.  She also said she was proud to use her position and influence as Mayor of Darebin Council to highlight the scourge of MS and ultimately to find a treatment and cure.

Cr Asmar donated the entire proceeds of $75,000 from the Mayoral Fundraising Ball to further the groundbreaking work being conducted by Professor Claude Bernard and his research team at Monash University’s Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories.

Professor Bernard said he was both impressed and humbled by the commitment shown by Cr Asmar and the 450 guests who attended the Ball.  He said his team had made some exciting advancements in the search for a cure for MS, and that the donation would greatly speed up the potential development of better treatments. 

Already, work has begun on a brain protein which may hold the key to unlocking better therapies for MS.  Called NOGO, the protein is known to inhibit nerve regeneration and, in animal studies, Professor Bernard's team has been able to generate an immune response against NOGO, thus neutralising its effects and promoting repair of damaged brain tissue.

Professor Bernard said his team was keen to develop this line of research for application in humans.

If you would like to make a donation to the Diana Asmar MS Research Fund at Monash University, please visit the website at http://www.monash.edu.au/giving/asmar.html