Elizabeth Matsoukas

I was born in 1952 in Patras, a seaport in Western Greece. The house where I grew up was close to the sea and from my window I gazed out (and still do) at the huge ships that come and go to Italy. I am the fifth child of a happy family consisting of four girls and a boy in the middle. From my family I received a great deal of love and support which helped me later on in my life. I attended school in my home city and graduated from the Faculty of Biology, the University of Patras. I was an especially energetic and athletic person. Many friends remember different stories about me and now find it difficult to get used to seeing me in a wheelchair. After my University graduation, I traveled for three years in North America for further studies. I was following a life dream but God had different plans for me. I gained many experiences from the Universities and people I met. I am happy I have those memories of when my feet had wings.

When I returned to Greece I was appointed as a high school biology teacher in the public school system. Thus I was given the opportunity to actively experience the joys and sorrows of teaching. However, with this appointment which caused my heart to soar, came the first physical symptoms of the illness which, as time passed would worsen. In 1982 I was 30 years old and was working in Amphilochia which is a town in Western Greece, amphitheatrically built around the Amvrakikos Bay, 150K from Patras, where the water at night glows due to the plankton giving the surrounding natural scenery a marvelous lighting effect. My house was on the mountain and I had to walk one kilometer every day in order to go to work. In my daily trek to school I had to go up hill and down. What for me was once a delight soon became an exhausting chore. I decided to ignore my discomfort, hoping that it was just temporary. But it didn’t go away, on the contrary, other problems arose. My left foot and later my left arm became very heavy.

Accompanied by my sisters, I made the rounds of various doctors, first an internal medicine doctor then a neurologist who diagnosed my condition as an infection of the nervous system, a gentle way of saying that someone has Multiple Sclerosis. At that time there weren’t as many cases of MS in Greece as there are today and those who had it carefully concealed it by remaining behind closed doors. That is why I had no experience of this illness and no idea what it meant to have it. I resorted to the encyclopedia where I found out what this infection is, what its cause is, how it results in MS and that there is no cure. At this point I was overcome by fear.

After the initial shock, I went through all the normal stages: melancholia, sorrow, rage and the unanswered “Why?”, “Why me?”. After a while I accepted the turns of events in my life, I adopted a positive outlook and decided that something good had to come out of this situation. I called forth my fighting spirit and the support that I had gained from when I was a child, my family, my friends, God and His promises in the Bible like “ we know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his proposes” Romans 8. I was overwhelmed by a thirst for life and a love for my follow sufferers.

I returned to work and began to live with my problem. Every once in a while I made the rounds of doctors and hospitals because the first MRI showed a small spot in my cervical spine and that prevented the doctors from saying with absolute certainty that I had MS. After 12 years, it was obvious that I needed a wheelchair. As the luck of the draw would have it, I was to experience my problem from its initial stage to the present stage where I am confined to a wheelchair.

During those years I asked for transfers to schools closer to the city where my family lived. Unable to fulfill my teaching duties, I worked in the school Board Office and in my free time I studied scientific research on MS. As a biologist, I wanted to learn as much as I could about the medical treatment of MS. I started to study and delve into the existing findings for MS. In addition, I read voraciously about the immune system, the white cells, the sheath of the neurons etc. It was the first time that I found the microcosmos of cells and their mechanisms so fascinating. Since I was directly concerned with seeing what was happening inside me, I had a burning desire to know the steriochemical structure of the molecules implicated in MS.

This led me to request a transfer to a very worthwhile research team involved in the designing and developing of pharmaceutical products in the Faculty of Chemistry, the University of Patras. There I communicated my zeal for shedding light on and doing something about this inexorable illness. The leader of this research team, I. Matsoukas, who happens to be my brother, and his colleagues encouraged me to do a PhD. My enthusiasm was great!

Professor Matsoukas decided at this point to add to his research interests, a research program which studies and designs new formations based on the proteins Myelin, which are implicated in MS. He chose two of his best fourth year chemistry students who at that time were working on their graduate work under him, Mr. Theodore Tselios and Mr. Spiro Deraos, today Lecturers in the chemistry Department who made the first laboratory compositions of peptides designed in co-operation with Greek researchers at the University of Pennsylvania USA. They were the first to successfully carry out biological trials on laboratory animals. After 10 years of systematic research work our sum total in this particular research was 10 PhD dissertations, 6 post- graduate specialty degrees, 12 certification studies, 20 publications in recognized Biochemical and Biomedical magazines, 30 Reports at International Conferences, 2 applications for patents of new compositions and a international network of 12 research teams from Europe, Australia, USA and Canada and most importantly, innovative laboratories collaborating on research in Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and which have because of their qualities, a future in clinical trials.

In view of all the research being alone I am proud to have been a motivating force behind these distinguished scientists and research centers in many countries in their fight against MS.

For my own PhD dissertation I moved to the National Foundation of Research in Athens. There, under the supervision of Professor Mavromoustakos I studied, aided by special computer programs the molecular structure molecules of implicated in MS and which had been developed by the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Patras. Apart from my experience with the Molecular models, I had the opportunity to learn other programs on the computer such as EXCEL, Corel Draw and others. I believe that this was a unique and extremely useful experience and a motivation for continuing future involvement in scientific work to do with MS.

MS was the reason I became a student again co-operating with young people and motivating them to be successful in their studies by my example. I emphasized my problem rather than retreat behind closed doors. This attitude resulted in me acquiring a wide circle of interesting friends who accepted me just as I was. My emotional agony during this time was great and my physical condition was severe. Through sheer willpower, I continued to work. With my right hand I was able to type a few lines before resting it a little. I put into practice what Mahatma Gandhi had said “Strength comes not only from physical vigor but from indomitable will". I must confess that I was greatly aided in this attempt by my assistant Apolonia Sanchez who, with her constant assistance helped me achieve my goals. She made sure that I arrived at work well groomed and on time. Moreover, I am grateful for her the endless walks we had and for her help on the Metro during our weekends in Athens and so many other things. I thank God for blessing me with good friends and siblings who have helped me in my attempts and who continue to help me overcome my problems as painlessly as possible.

In June 2001, I formally presented my dissertation at the University of Patras to a 7- member board and a small audience of relatives and friends who were visibly moved by the experience. Later I received my PhD degree in a ceremony attended by a large audience of students. It was a great honor for me when, in Dec 2002, the Academy of Athens bestowed on me an award for my research project. It was an emotional day. My nephew Minos Matsoukas, member of the research team helped me to raise my hand to receive the award in front of an audience of academic, politicians, our current prime minister Mr. K. Karamanlis and many well- wishers.

During those years of my research, in cooperation with a friend, Eugenia Arvaniti, I started an association in our city in order to inform and support other MS sufferers which soon became incorporated with the Greek MS Association and also a member of the international group MSIF. My friend was the president, and myself the secretary. Our office was in my home, which was also used for social meetings, literary and musical evenings as the president was a writer and both of us love good music. As secretary it was my job to prepare the letters and invitations on the computer and to arrange all the details of the various functions. Never before was I so socially active. Now we have rented an office in Patras and our membership has grown thus providing more volunteers to help with our activities.

It was not long before the media uncovered my story. A journalist friend wrote an article in a leading Greek newspaper “The News” with the title “Teacher studies her illness”. The same day almost all the television channels and radio stations wanted to interview me. I never had dreamt of or wanted such publicity, nor was I ready for it. Even so, I found the courage and took the opportunity to say some heartfelt words. My message was directed not only to those confined to a bed or a wheelchair but to everyone with any kind of problem. I wanted to tell them that we are not alone and forgotten but that there are people who are thinking of us and are working on helping us to overcome our problems. On our part, it is beneficial to love our problem our enemy so that we can beat it more easily and win the love of the people around us. Even though it is difficult, we must do our utmost to draw out our good qualities, our best smiles, our positive thoughts and words, in short, to be a shining example to those around us. In this way our life will take on new meaning and we will become useful members of our society.

MS brought with it experiences and adventures. On this difficult journey to Ithaca, my lighthouse was the dream that I could relieve the discomfort of my fellow suffers since I know, first hand how they feel. I did not travel alone but was accompanied and helped by people who did it out of the goodness of their hearts. Our tribulations give those around us the opportunity to be tested. Fortunately, I had the mental and spiritual strength to plan and realize my goal. I felt and feel creative and resisted and still resist the danger of moral collapse that often accompanies a weakened physical state.

At this time, I am retired from my work and am now just a member of the MS association. I closely follow the progress of the work carried out and take part in the association’s functions where I enjoy the fellowship of good friends. My days are happy and always provide me with small or great challenges, which need to be solved. My support comes from the words of God “for when I am weak, then am I strong’’

In conclusion, I would like to express the hope that is shared by everyone in the scientific community, that the research effort to develop a pharmaceutical treatment to combat MS is successful. In addition, I also pray that our own work will soon be ready to be clinically tested.

If you would like to contact Elizabeth please send your message to info@msif.org and we will pass on your e-mail.