Antonella Ferrari the face of the initiative
The 8th edition of IO NON opens SCLERO, the information and awareness project on multiple sclerosis (MS), developed by Biogen and Fondazione Onda, the National Observatory on Women’s and Gender Health, in collaboration with the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Association (AISM) and with the patronage of the Italian Society of Neurology (SIN). This year the initiative brings together the approximately 130,000 people living with MS in Italy and invites them to share their life stories, to tell what is the unexpected resource they discovered they had after diagnosis that helped them cope with the disease: their super power. Not just sharing stories, the initiative is a real one casting, which will lead to the appointment of 3 new ambassadors of the online community that has grown over the years, with over 78,000 fans on Facebook. To participate, just go to the site iononsclero.ituntil June 13, and send a text accompanied by an image.
Face of the initiative is the actress, writer and AISM godmother, Antonella Ferrari, who comments: “For me it is an honor to represent this edition of IO NON SCLERO. For many years I have been speaking very openly about multiple sclerosis, this uncomfortable roommate who turns our lives upside down with her arrival. I talk about it in my shows, on TV, in my columns and I will never tire of doing it with a smile on my face. Not because having MS is a godsend, quite the opposite! But it was after the diagnosis that I discovered that I had unexpected resources in me and I wanted to make them available to others. Laughter, irony, positivity, I like to think of them as my super powers and I am convinced that all people like me who face MS have super power, which not only helps us overcome difficulties, but often also succeeds. to have a positive influence on others. This is the great power of sharing and I believe that this is the great resource of IO NON SCLERO “.
A sharing of life stories that will see Antonella protagonist, from May, also of another parallel initiative to IO NON SCLERO and hosted on Biogen’s Cleo App, the free application dedicated to helping those who live with MS in their daily lives and created with the patronage of AISM and SIN. From May Cleo App will host a special 5-episode podcast series with the voice of Antonella Ferrariwhich concludes: “Telling life with MS is a real mission for me, so I immediately liked the idea of creating a common thread between these two initiatives and I hope to be able to reach as many people as possible and bring a message of strength. and positivity. Because the smile is really a great super power that multiple sclerosis cannot defeat “.
Antonella will be supported in her role as spokesperson for the IO NON community SCLERO also from three new Ambassadors, who will be appointed in July, at the close of the casting. The project Committee will select three finalist stories from among all the candidates and the authors of these stories will become the three Ambassadors who, together with Antonella, will represent the great IO NON community in the following months. SCLERO. Among the initiatives planned with the involvement of the Ambassadors also the participation in a special television service.
“Never as in this historical moment, do we need inspiration and feel the need to rely on our deepest and often hidden resources. We need “super heroes” and often we do not realize that each of us can be in his daily life. – he comments Francesca Merzagora, President of the Onda Foundation – We have been carrying out the IO NON SCLERO project for 8 years, because we immediately recognized the strength of this initiative, which over the years has shed light on hundreds of stories of extraordinary people, who after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis have never stopped fighting and believe in your dreams. This edition is dedicated to them and their super powers, which I hope will inspire everyone, to help us overcome difficulties without losing motivation ”.
Agree Francesco Vacca, National President of AISM that explains: “One of the most important tools that people with MS have at their disposal is certainly sharing and the testimonies of the friends of IO NON SCLERO show us that there is a willingness to support each other and to tackle the disease together. This year the superpowers metaphor wants to be helpful both for those who have just received the diagnosis and are learning to live with what we call the invisible enemy, and for those who have had multiple sclerosis for years and need motivation. but also for all those who in this difficult historical moment need to find strength. I am sure that, once again, the stories that I DON’T CHOOSE will be able to give us will help us change our perspective “.
All the candidate stories for the 2022 casting will be available on the dedicated website along with the hundreds of testimonials collected from 2014 to today. “For eight years, Io Non Sclero has been alongside people with MS and offers them a free space to face the challenges of every day together, without losing sight of projects and dreams. Year after year, our dedication to this project is consolidated and the feedback we receive fills us with satisfaction. – conclude Giuseppe Banfi, CEO of Biogen Italia – Being pioneers in neuroscience is our mission and for us it means much more than developing innovative therapies and making them available to people facing serious neurological and neurodegenerative diseases, but rather means listening to their needs at 360 ° and offering solutions and projects capable of go beyond the therapeutic field, to improve life in its many aspects. IO NON SCLERO is a clear example of this and I can’t wait to find out what this new edition has in store for us “.
Information on “IO NON SCLERO”
I DO NOT SCLERO is the information and awareness project on multiple sclerosis (MS), developed by Biogen and the Onda Foundation, the National Observatory on Women’s and Gender Health (Onda), in collaboration with the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Association (AISM) and with the patronage of the Italian Society of Neurology (SIN). I DO NOT SCLERO was born in September 2014 with a web series in 6 episodes and an online initiative, which immediately gave the word to patients to bring to light the true face of MS in Italy, made up of strength, courage and desire to look to the future.
The need for sharing spaces, both online and offline, and the desire to make one’s voice heard emerged immediately as needs of the community, becoming the pillars on which the activities have been built year after year. A co-creation of contents in continuous evolution from 8 editions, to shed light on multiple sclerosis in Italy, making patients and caregivers protagonists of the project and giving them tools to share stories and testimonies. The web series, which has passed from fiction to reality, was followed by an e-book, an exhibition that crossed Italy in the MS Centers, an agenda distributed in bookstores and a series of podcasts available on the main platforms. I DO NOT SCLERO it is renewed every year with initiatives and activities that put people and their life experiences at the center, which do not stop with MS. In addition to the website and the Facebook page, from 2018 the free IO NON app is also available SCLEROdesigned to allow you to have projects and dreams that do not stop with MS just a click away.