GoFundMe organised for Glenroy’s Sava Foniadakis to finance medical treatment for MS

A Glenroy dad known for living life to the fullest now faces the biggest test of all after a devastating diagnosis left his family reeling.

Online fundraiser organised for Glenroy father Sava Foniadakis to raise money for medical treatment. Picture: Supplied.

A Glenroy father known for living life to the fullest is dealing with the immense “heartbreak” after a workplace accident led to a devastating diagnosis.

Sava Foniadakis, 37, was working as a construction worker when a piece of wood hit him in the head, with colleagues rushing him to hospital.

There, the doctors discovered Mr Foniadakis had lesions on his brain.

After a series of tests and a lumbar puncture, Mr Foniadakis was told he had “one of the worst kinds” of multiple sclerosis — primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS).

An online fundraiser has been organised for Glenroy father Sava Foniadakis after shocking diagnosis. Picture: Supplied.

Wife Ashlee Bruce said the wood falling over Mr Foniadakis’ head was like “God intervening” because otherwise they would have never known about his progressing MS.

“It was just pure luck. Thank God he had the accident,” she said.

Ms Bruce said her husband had “very strange” symptoms leading up to his diagnosis.

Her husband would suffer from frequent “foot drops” a common symptom of MS where disruption in the nerve pathway causes poor coordination in the leg, affecting the way he walked

“He would just be fatigued. The heat would affect him — he would get overheated and fatigued. His eyesight started to deteriorate and his balance was off too,” she said.

Ms Bruce said the MS diagnosis had changed her husband’s life — while the couple were also dealing with young child, who may have autism.

Wife Ashlee Bruce said it “broke” her heart to see her husband Sava Foniadakis struggle to parent their three-year-old son. Picture: Supplied.

Mr Foniadakis — once a nightclub bouncer at The Deck at the Waterside Hotel and King St clubs in Melbourne — is also dealing with worsening symptoms.

The 37-year-old now struggles with memory and cognitive decline and relies on a walking stick.

Ms Bruce said after looking for treatments that could improve her husband’s progressing MS, which has no cure, she found autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) also known as bone marrow transplant.

“We want Sava to be able to walk unaided and regain a little bit of his balance and independence. But number one, above all, for Sava to be able to be a dad,” she said.

“He can not go across the road to the oval to kick a soccer ball with his son. He can’t teach him how to ride a bike.

“It absolutely just destroys your soul not to be able to parent your child to the best that you can do. It breaks his heart. It breaks my heart.”

Mr Foniadakis said his biggest goal was to be “a better, more active dad” and live a “longer and fuller life” for his three-year-old son. Picture: Supplied.

But the treatment, which will require Mr Foniadakis to fly to Mexico, costs more than $90,000 which she said the family could not afford.

Ms Bruce said without the treatment, her husband would “end up in a wheelchair”.

An online fundraiser has been organised to help raise money for Mr Foniadakis’ medical treatment, which has raised about $4000 of its $90,000 target.

Ms Bruce said she was “eternally grateful” to everyone who donated to the fundraiser in “this financial climate”.

“They have no idea how much even a cent or a dollar means. We appreciate (it) because we know that could have gone towards feeding their child or going out and doing something fun,” she said.

“The donation means they’ve made a sacrifice, and we beyond appreciate the sacrifice they have made for us.”