Our Story - The Apheresis Center

A clinic built by former patients for patients

From left to right: The three Co-founders of the Apheresis Center: Markus Klotz, Silke Fischer and Constantinos Georgiou

When Markus became ill in late 2020 after contracting Covid and his life was taken away from him through a severe case of Long Covid, he, his family and friends already had lost hope of a recovery when a therapy in Mülheim, Germany brought him back to life again. Dr. Beate Jaeger treated him with Help Apheresis for Long Covid. He was patient Nr. 14 in her case study she published (click here for case study). He also was one of the first ever to receive Combination Therapy.

10 months after his recovery, he, his best friends Constantinos Georgiou and Silke Fischer with the support of Dr. Beate Jaeger (WAZ News article on Dr Jaeger and Markus Klotz click here for news article), B.Braun and Mediprod opened the Apheresis Center in Larnaca with Dr. Irina Pavlik Marangos as Medical Director, to give German, English, Russian and Greek speakers access to Help Apheresis and Combination Therapy.

Markus as an expert patient with his lived experience is our patient relation manager, Constantinos, former PiceWaterhouseCoopers, manages the center and Silke, former B.Braun, as one of the leading Help Apheresis application experts trained our medical team in German medical standards.

You find a video with Markus about our Long Covid and Post Vac treatments and his personal advice for affected people click here for interview videos

And Constantinos gives you a personal tour through our clinic here

Read Markus' Help Apheresis and Combination Therapy blog

Dr. Irina Pavlik Marangos, Medical Director and Chief Physician

Dr. Irina Pavlik Marangos has performed hundreds of Help Apheresis for Long Covid and Chronic Illness treatments and has been leading the way in Long Covid and Chronic Illness Combination Therapy (The Cyprus Protocol). She obtained her doctorate at the University hospital Oslo and worked in the field of research and scientific publishing for many years before returning to the front line.

Her expertise in Combination Therapy, Help Apheresis, Medication treatment protocols, IV Treatments, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Cryotherapy has deepened over many years of treating chronic patients with Long Covid, ME/CFS, Lyme, Fibromyalgia and other chronic diseases.

You find a video with Dr. Irina about Combination Therapy, Help Apheresis and the latest clinical experience here and an interview here

Members of our medical team:

For catheter surgeries and paediatric services Dr. Ilias Papadopolous is consulting our patients.

Psychatrist Dr. Antonis Papaneofytou

is responsible for our patients Trauma Therapy and Cognitive Function Therapy.

Physiotherapist Constantinos Theodorou is responsible for the passive mobilization and energy envelope+pacing techniques and training.

Dr. Beate Jaeger, Medical Advisor

Dr. Beate Jaeger, our clinic's medical advisor delivers invaluable data to our medical team which cooperates with her by exchanging data and clinical experience. All of our Help Apheresis protocols are based on her work. She recently has published a larger case study about Help Apheresis for Long Covid. Our common current focus is to constantly find more affordable and available treatments for the patients, as Help Apheresis despite the great results seen in the last years also has downsides: costs involved/low coverage of insurances and low availability of machines in the next years.

You will find an interview about this and other topics of Dr. Beate Jaeger and our co-founder Markus Klotz here

Dr. Gustavo Aguirre-Chang, Medical Advisor

Dr. Aguirre-Chang, who has more than 30 years of professional experience, has worked with us not only on the digital version of the diagnostic screening test for Microclots/ Hypoperfusion/ Hypercoagulability (HHM) Symptoms, but has also contributed with his medical research carried out on Covid in its different forms: acute, subacute and mainly chronic Covid (Long Covid or PASC) and Post Vac Syndrome. In addition, he has developed several widely used "Therapeutic Tests" and large parts of his medication protocols against viral load, hyperactivated platelets and hypercoagulation have been integrated into 'The Cyprus Protocol'. He has also developed specific diets for Long Covid.

Based on his experience in Long Covid, he is currently developing protocols for ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia, POTS, Autoimmune Diseases and other diseases and syndromes with fatigue and chronic pain.

You will find an interview about this and other topics of Dr. Gustavo Aguirre-Chang here

Rafaella Evangelou, Senior Nurse

Rafaella Evangelou has been heading nursing teams on the island for many years before she became sick with Long Covid. Our patients love the 'magic way' she handles apheresis needles and catheters. Her quite and calm way are a real blessing for all patients that suffer from anxiety and cognitive impairment - knowing Rafaella knows exactly how it feels, gives them great comfort and the feeling to be heard at any time.

Salomi Vasileiou, Senior Nurse

Salomi Vasileiou has been the first nurse in Cyprus to complete Help Apheresis training and since has undertaken hundreds of Help Apheresis treatments. On top she has vast experience with young patients and children, being the mother of two. The patience she developed during her parenthood has influenced her way with our patients in many ways, her empathy and calmness are highly appreciated by our patients.

Our Administrative and Maintenance Team

To run a clinic it takes a whole team besides the medical and management team, from receptionist to administrator to technician. Not to forget accounting and maintenance. Our patients rarely see our staff but they work tirelessly to keep the clinic up and running like a Swiss clock. Pictures coming soon!

Videos of our Apheresis Center Team

Our Long Covid and Post Vac Story - a look into the past, present and future with Markus Klotz - our patient relation manager and co-founder

Long Covid, Post Vac Syndrome and Chronic Illnesses - it is never easy to find one's right road to recovery. But with a little help it is definitely much easier. Markus talks about what we have learned from clinical experience in the last two years and what his personal advice is, if you are looking for the right treatment form.

A tour through our clinic with Constantinos Georgiou - our Center manager and co-founder

Constantinos' family has grown substantially the last two years. He keeps 'adopting' patients. He is the person helping you with everything in the clinic and on the island to make you feel at home.

And after all treatment shifts have finished, he makes sure we never run out of supplies and the whole clinic keeps running like a Swiss clock. Another, shorter video tour with no sound through our clinic you find at the bottom of this page.

Clinical Experience, Combination Therapy with Help Apheresis and our patients - a talk with our medical director and chief physician, Dr. Irina Pavlik Marangos

Dr. Irina as she is affectionately called by our patients and nurses has been working in research in the University Hospital Oslo for almost a decade before she decided to come back to the frontline. After having treated chronic illness sufferers for many years, there is only few symptoms and medical issues she has not come across in this field - one of the reasons no patient ever gets a questioning look from her. Only if someone under her care does not follow her doctor's advice she will go in no time from soft as silk to pragmatic! One of her biggest strengths is to talk to patients in a non-medical language that makes everyone understand their treatment effortlessly.

The Clinic

In February 2022 we opened the Apheresis Center in Larnaca, Cyprus.

Why Cyprus?

Cyprus of all EU countries offers the best of all worlds for international and local patients: English is one of the two languages of Cyprus. It is easily accessible and comes with all the other advantages that the island has to offer like the best climate in the EU and ionic sea air, air-conditioned buildings in the summer, great food quality, low prices for transport, food and accommodation. Perfect medical support from private clinics like St. Raphaels Hospital and Apollonian Hospital is another great benefit. So are the short distances from airport to the clinic to the sea and accommodation.

As the clinic was founded by former sufferers of chronic conditions, our lived experience is reflected in every single detail in the clinic. From a separated waiting area where patients can lie down to rest, to low light and low noise environment - every single detail was designed under the influence of our lived experience.

The Combination Therapy (The Cyprus Protocol) based on Help Apheresis was born from our own recovery stories through it's application on ourselves and our family members.