Chugai Pharma Taiwan (CPT), the Taiwan Neuroimmunology Medical Society and the Edgework Market have teamed up to hold a fun-packed yet informative charity event, “Be Hopeful; Be Fabulous”, on May 28 in the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park in Taipei. Everyone is welcome to join this Love Bazaar, where people can purchase cultural & creative goods and learn about the NMOSD. The more people buy, the more CPT will donate to those in need. Keril Victor, a renowned singer from the Taiwanese TV singing competition, Jungle Voice, and many other hipster singers, will also be present and wow people with their singing talents.

Henry Chen, President of CPT, states that as a long-time patient-centric company, CPT is no stranger to the amount of pain experienced by patients of the Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders (NMOSD). By hosting this event, CPT hopes to raise the awareness of the NMOSD to more people.

As pointed out by Luo Rong-Sheng, Director of Neurology Department at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Director General of Taiwan Immunology Medical Society, the NMOSD refers to autoimmune diseases characterized by acute inflammation of the optic nerve (optic neuritis, ON) and the spinal cord (myelitis). According to the literature, NMOSD mostly occurs in those in their prime, 30-40 years of age, and the probability in women is much higher than in men. Despite their availability, the existing drugs for the NMOSD are presently not covered by Taiwan’s national health insurance system, so for the NMOSD patients, the drugs are quite expensive and a heavy burden. Meanwhile, we urge people to seek medical assistance for early diagnosis and treatment in cases of unaccountable vision decline, acute vomiting and inexplicable non-stop hiccups.

A famous internet celebrity with a sizable following, Momo will also grace the event to share her experience contracting NMOSD. Stunning as she looks now, Momo, in the year following her graduation, suddenly started to throw up for no reason, followed by optic neuritis on the left eye. After several visits to the doctor, she was diagnosed with NMOSD. After years of battling the disease, she had experienced feeling discouraged, helpless, and despair. Only with love from her family and proactive treatment did she resume her dazzling smile and ardent passion for life.

“Be Hopeful; Be Fabulous” NMOSD day includes a succession of playful and heart-warming activities. For the open-air concert, we have Keril Victor, a budding star from the Jungle Voice, and the hipster singers, Chen Yi-Qian and Abby Xie. We hope to attract a large crowd who will learn about the symptoms of the NMOSD through hands-on activities. Included in the entertaining and informative Love Bazaar are task-based challenges designed to impart educational messages about the NMOSD. CPT as the organizer, will donate NT$150,000 at the end of the event to the Taiwan Neuroimmunological Diseases Association as a fund of hope to those with NMOSD. Extracted from Commercial Times 2022-05-31 press release on Official Website