‘Moving mountains’ for a cure

At first glance, Michael Pirovolakis, an 18-month-old with bright blue eyes and an infectious smile, looks like any other child. But unlike most children, he will begin to display major developmental delays within the next year, and by age 10, he will be paralyzed from the waist down. To give their son a chance, Terry Pirovolakis and Georgia Kumaritakis are seeking donations that will fund Michael's $3 million gene therapy treatment.

Michael was diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease only known to affect 57 others in the world in April. The disorder, a form of hereditary spastic paraplegia known as SPG50, is the result of a missing protein in the AP4M1 gene. In simpler terms, the condition is a combination of progressive cerebral palsy and Parkinson's disease, Terry explained in an interview with Kathimerini English Edition. Michael is the only person who has been...