Lad Donates Life Savings To Help Research Degenerative Disease He Himself Suffers From

Bjorn Formosa suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) a degenerative disease with no cure that you may remember was the cause that was behind the ALS Bucket Challenge a couple of years ago.

The 29-year-old appeared on a live fund-raising telethon on TV programme Xarabank, in Malta. He shocked everyone when he announced he would be donating his life savings of 100,000 (nearly £80,000) to the cause.

The telethon managed to raise 437,462 (around £350,000) for research into the disease.

Mr Formosa was diagnosed with the disease two years ago. For someone under 30 to be diagnosed with the condition is extremely rare, with only a one-in-a-million chance.

Since his diagnosis, he has campaigned to raise awareness of the disease.

Prior to his condition, he was a self-employed IT and gaming professional. Whilst appearing on the telethon, he said that upon hearing his diagnosis, his first instinct was to go on a spending spree and blow his savings 'like there was no tomorrow'.

He spoke to Times of Malta about his condition. He said: "I am working 'gas down' on raising awareness and funds until I still have the time, and ALS Malta foundation will take up from where I leave.

"I'm already in a wheelchair and I'm finding it difficult to breathe and to speak at times."

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: "Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), sometimes called Lou Gehrig's disease, is a rapidly progressive, invariably fatal neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells (neurons)responsible for controlling voluntary muscles (muscle action we are able to control, such as those in the arms, legs, and face). The disease belongs to a group of disorders known as motor neuron diseases, which are characterized by the gradual degeneration and death of motor neurons."

The money raised will be given to ALS Malta, an organisation that Mr Formosa actually founded himself. It will be used to buy equipment to ease the life of people living with ALS, as well as to help finance research into finding a cure.

What an amazing gesture.

Words by Mel Ramsay

Featured image credit: Xarabank

Topics: Live TV, Charity

Mel Ramsay

Mel Ramsay has been a Senior Journalist for Tyla and LADbible since 2015. She started her career writing obituaries and funeral guides online. Since then, her work has been published in a wide variety of national and local news sites. She is part of the BBC's Generation project and has spoken about young people, politics and mental health on television, radio and online. Contact her - [email protected]

@melramsay_