Hi there, since March is MS Awareness Month, we wanted to give you an update on our amazing brother!

It has been 14 months since our brother, Johnny Ugowski, (see below) now 32 years old, was
diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in his brain & spine. Johnny continues to be an
impressive, happy, young artist living and working in Lake Park, Florida. Though he has
mobility and strength limitations which come and go, he continues to train under the
right hand of Jon Allen, a renowned local artist and Owner of Statements2000. Metal art
is Johnny’s outlet right now to express his feelings, share his emotions and work
through his many challenges living with MS.

In the meantime, Johnny has been on two trial medications, had 3 relapses and more
hospital stays, MRI’s and blood work than you would ever want to have. But, since
October, 2022, he has been on a once-a-month injection which has so far, kept him
moving forward without any relapses or apparent progression to his disability. We are
so optimistic and hopeful. The problem is, even with his insurance, he has a crazy
expensive co-pay in the thousands of dollars for each monthly injection. So far, we
have been able to obtain co-pay assistance directly from the manufacturer, but that
comes with a limit of 6 months. Right now, we have applied to the Foundation for
additional assistance and are awaiting their response.

It is our hope and prayer that anyone reading this may be moved to help our brother
with his ongoing medical costs and expenses. Any money donated, no matter the amount, can assist Johnny in
receiving the treatment and medical care he needs to continue moving forward.
We are extremely grateful for your kindness.

Your continued prayers and encouragement are always welcome.

Thank you for reading a bit about Johnny's story.

Samantha & Nate Ugowski - 2023

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2022
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Our brother, Johnny Ugowski, is a 31 year old artist living & working in Lake Park, Florida. You may have seen a custom piece he's especially proud of made in collaboration between Jon Allen, an amazing local artist and Owner of Statements 2000, and himself. It's installed at the grand stair landing in FPL’s Manatee Lagoon Educational Center in West Palm Beach, next to the FPL power plant....it’s a 10 foot wide metal mural of local manatees in their natural habitat which continues to greet eco-discovery visitors from all over, see below!

While Johnny has always been outgoing and physically active, a few months ago he started having weakness in his legs. He recently had a complete physical and all kinds of blood work that came back normal. This past week though, Johnny completely collapsed and was taken to the ER where a few days later, on January 8, 2022, he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in his brain & spine. Didn’t see that coming!

We remain optimistic and hopeful of a good outcome but it appears he has a long road ahead. Although MS has no cure, with proper treatment & therapy there is hope of leading a meaningful & active life. Unfortunately, the cost of this treatment & therapy will exceed his artist income.

It is our hope and prayer that anyone reading this may be moved to help our brother with these costs. Any money, no matter the amount, donated can assist in receiving the treatment and medical care he needs to move forward. We are extremely grateful for your kindness.

Thank you for reading a bit about Johnny's story. And, may God bless you.

Samantha & Nate Ugowski

Manatee Metal Piece

Johnny in his natural state :)

Ugowski Family (Johnny, Rhonda (mom), Sam (sister), Mark (dad) and Nate (brother)

Johnny Ugowski Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Fund

Multiple Sclerosis is an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body.