Hi everyone! My name is Yurii. My journey with multiple sclerosis began 15 years ago at the gym. While wrestling with a friend, I suddenly felt dizzy and weak. I was terrified, but the doctors only gave me an injection and sent me home. Afterward, I went outside to smoke.

The next episode happened at a café called ‘Chocolate’ in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, where I lived until I was 29. Back then, at 18 years old, I smoked and drank a lot—it felt like the age to try everything. It was a warm summer evening, and I was smoking Marlboro Gold and drinking coffee. Whenever I smoked, I often had bad headaches, but I didn’t understand the harm I was doing to myself. At the time, it felt ‘cool’ to be a young guy smoking.