University student Giulia Muzzi was devastated when she found out she had MS. But the care she received at St. Michael’s not only helped her realize her goal of becoming a teacher, but inspired her to raise funds for MS research.
Giulia Muzzi was a university student, with dreams of becoming a teacher, when a spell of vertigo landed her in the doctor’s office. An MRI revealed lesions on her brain. The suspicion? Multiple sclerosis.
“In that moment, I felt my whole world shatter,” she recalls.
When tests confirmed relapsing-remitting MS, Giulia refused treatment. She was in denial. Two years later, just as she was about to start teacher’s college, her lower body and hands went numb. Giulia had no choice. She had to get treated.
Inspired by the relentless efforts of Dr. Jiwon Oh, interim medical director of St. Michael’s BARLO MS Centre, Giulia organized an annual fundraising gala and donated the funds to Dr. Oh’s world-leading imaging research.
“My life looks a little different from what I imagined it would be. And the relapses can bring you down. But I overcome them. Today, I’m a teacher, just as I dreamed. I can do this.”
Share
More articles
Patient Stories
Patients with damaged heart valves have new life-saving options
Gail was the world’s first patient to have the Pascal device implanted into her tricuspid valve.
Why new parents of twins are giving back to St. Michael’s NICU
Danielle and Chris were so pleased with St. Michael’s that they became monthly donors. “And if we ever win the lottery,” Danielle adds, “I’m going to donate a lot of money and name the NICU after our kids.”
St. Michael’s kidney transplant patient Dave Ayres makes NHL history
“There are so many brilliant doctors at St. Michael’s who keep you going. I didn’t want the kidney transplant to dictate my life. They told me to go ahead and live. That’s exactly what I’m doing.”
How we turned a $5,000 legacy gift into $55,000 and a new ECG machine
St. Michael’s matching gift program increased the impact of Maggie Kong’s legacy tenfold, enabling the purchase of an electrocardiogram machine for the hospital.