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At 12 years of age, Stephen Papadopoulos sat in a classroom listening to a presentation about the MS Readathon, not knowing that just a few years later, at 16, his first MS symptoms would appear. When Stephen was diagnosed in 2001, at age 22, his response was "You have to get something in your life - MS is lucky to have me!"
After a year of dealing with his MS, medications and depression, Stephen decided it was time to get positive. He commenced working for a film and television company and kick-started his social life again. Stephen now works part-time for the MS Society in NSW. His interests include being social, having fun, music, film, television, photography and cooking.
Stephen has remained positive. He enjoys talking about and raising the awareness of MS, as many people are unaware that the average age of diagnosis is 30. "It's not an old person's condition", he says. He has been an MS Readathon school presenter for the past five years, talking to school children, who are appreciative of the opportunity to meet a young person with MS. Stephen takes each day as it comes, always with a smile on his face, and making the best out of every situation that gets thrown at him. Stephen says, "It's not the hand you get, it's how you play it."
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