A DETERMINED Rugby woman is not letting Multiple Sclerosis stop her from going the extra mile in her fund-raising campaign to help combat the disease.
Aphrodite Kotis and her friends, family, and supporters hope to collectively cycle the equivalent distance from London to Paris, swim the distance of the channel, and row the equivalent distance of the rivers of Britain in aid of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
On Saturday December 16, Aphrodite, 57, will take on the challenges from Nuffield Health’s Rugby Fitness and Wellbeing Gym with supporters including her husband William Merriman, and her 16-year-old son George.
The challenge is also being taken on by a friend in Arizona USA who also has MS, Aphrodite’s old personal trainer in Crete, and her brother and sister-in-law in Australia.
Aphrodite in training: “I just keep going – living my life as normally as I can.”
Aphrodite, who works as an artist, was diagnosed with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis in 2018 after she kept falling, losing her balance, and experiencing numbness – but this year has been particularly challenging.
She said: “I have been through a year of severe pain.
“I am regularly in pain with cramps and nerve spasms, as my neural pathways misfire.
“Also, this January I had bilateral knee replacements. This is a particularly painful process, especially while managing MS.
“I had a disease modifying treatment in 2018 that was a drastic move but has given me quality in my life. Now I just deal with symptoms of my illness and, with the help of my MS nurses and neurologist, we find ways to deal with them comfortably.”
With no cure yet available to MS patients, Aphrodite is determined to raise money to fund ongoing research by the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
She added: “I just keep going – living my life as normally as I can. I have a life and I don’t feel sorry for myself – that’s not my style.
“I swim, cycle, work out and eat healthily. I won’t give up.”
She is inviting Rugbeians to join in her efforts and help to reach the milage goals – and her fund-raising target of £2,500.
Visit www.justgiving.com/page/aphrodite-kotis-1696319129225 to get involved, or to donate.
