My name is Jonathan Messerli, I was born on June 19th, 1972.
I live in Moosseedorf near the city of Bern. 

My favourite sport is football (soccer), but I also like other sports such as ice hockey, tennis, and track and field. I also enjoy watching films and listening to music. 

Additionally, I like to be well informed on current events, so I read the newspaper every day!
I like to laugh, and I enjoy being with people that can joke around and don't have to take life too seriously, even being able to laugh at themselves sometimes. 

Illness - a spinal cord disease
I was born with a rare hereditary disease called Friedreich's Ataxia (FA). It is very similar to Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
As the disease progresses, it becomes more difficult for the body to carry out the commands given from the brain. 

FA is a progressive disease, which means it will only worsen with time.
It first appeared when I was approximately 12 years old.
FA is different for everyone, and it started out slowly for me, nevertheless, it continues to worsen as time goes by. 

I had two brothers, unfortunately they were also born with FA. In 2010, the older one has already passed away due to the disease and its impact. The younger one has died with help from Exit in May 2021. 

Translated by Jennifer Graf