Melbourne father travelling to Mexico for multiple sclerosis treatment after beating cancer twice
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A father who has battled numerous serious medical complications hopes to travel abroad to help treat his incurable, life-changing illness.
Melbourne father and chef James Veneris overcame two bouts of cancer and was left in a coma after a car accident in 2003, just months after opening his own cafe.
In 2002, he began experiencing the first symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), such as tingling in his fingertips.
Veneris has been battling the neurological condition for more than two decades and now hopes that treatment in Mexico that is currently unavailable in Australia will help prevent it from progressing.
‘[I’m] constantly inspired by his strength and determination to keep fighting with an overwhelmingly positive outlook,” Mr Veneris’s daughter Nicola told Daily Mail Australia.
Melbourne father and chef James Veneris (pictured) has been battling multiple sclerosis (MS) for more than two decades and will be traveling to Mexico for treatment not available in Australia.
Mr. Veneris’s mother had been battling multiple sclerosis for ten years before he experienced his first symptoms, and urged him to get tested for the condition.
“My grandmother also has MS and watching her decline has been a heartbreaking reminder of what is inevitable if this treatment cannot be accessed,” said Ms Veneris.
However, for 14 years, Mr. Veneris did not get checked out because a car accident would leave him in a coma for two weeks and his priority was to relearn how to walk.
‘The first three years [after the accident] they were in rehab and even though he was out of the hospital he was still [relearning how to walk]’, Ms. Veneris told 7News.
In 2017, Mr. Veneris was tested for MS after more severe symptoms, such as hot sensations, became more apparent.
‘It just gets too hot. For example, we will be driving and he will fog up the side of the car that he is in,” Ms. Veneris said.
He was officially diagnosed that same year and treatment began shortly thereafter.
However, he would face another hurdle in 2018 after he was diagnosed with kidney cancer, his MS treatment weakened his immune system so it had to be discontinued.
Nicola Veneris (center), organized an online fundraiser for her father’s treatment and travel costs and has already received more than $27,000 in donations in just six days
He then battled two bouts of kidney cancer before being declared cancer-free in 2022, now ready to travel internationally for a new form of MS treatment.
Throughout his treatment, Mr. Veneris has maintained a lofty outlook on life while operating a Melbourne-based paella catering business called One Man One Pan.
“Dad still cooks because it’s his passion,” Ms Veneris told Daily Mail Australia.
“This is something he would be devastated if he lost, because it’s what he calls his ‘medicine.’
Her father recently discussed his MS issues with clients.
“I have always been focused on positive energy, connections, happy vibes, passion for what I do, and making memories for everyone. However, a debilitating disease called MS is something not all of you know I am suffering from,” she wrote.
Mr. Veneris plans to travel to Clínica Aruiz in Puebla, southern Mexico, with his wife in May for a hematopoietic stem cell (HSCT) transplant after his symptoms worsened over the last 12 months.
Treatment for Mr. Veneris is expected to cost around $80,000, not including lodging, medication and travel costs.
As an only child, Ms. Veneris is very close to her parents and has recently created an online fundraiser. to help with his father’s travel and treatment expenses.
He also spoke about his father’s struggles and says he cannot afford to wait for treatment to become available in Australia.
“Despite all this, dad really is a fighter,” she wrote.
“He is not one to complain or seek sympathy, all of this is a testament to his strength and inspiring nature.”
‘Due to the rapid progression of MS, Dad doesn’t have the luxury of time on his part to wait for HSCT to become available in Australia.
‘The decision to follow the path of the HSCT was not taken lightly.
“Since his diagnosis, Dad has been on a variety of disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) in Australia, with little success.”
“This has been further complicated by two episodes of kidney cancer, which meant there were particular DMTs that needed to be avoided.”
Mr. Veneris has maintained a high outlook on life, running a paella catering business, while overcoming two bouts of cancer and slipping into a coma after a car accident.
HSCT destroys a patient’s immune system, only to be replaced by stem cells from their bone marrow to potentially create a new immune system and halt the progression of MS.
The fundraiser has received over $27,000 in donations in just six days, a month’s worth of treatment is expected to cost $80,000.
“To everyone who has taken the time to support Dad, I am immensely grateful,” Ms. Veneris wrote in a page update.
“I could never have imagined such generosity in such a short time.”
One donor wrote: ‘A true shining light James and a true inspiration. What a beautiful daughter you have raised.’
‘James is a truly inspiring person who always made me smile. All the best on treatment and travels from him,” wrote another.