#FuckMS
Greetings + salutations!
We are Storytelling for Change, a circle of friends and storytellers who have banded together to share the transformative power of telling stories to inspire change. Most of our background is in commercial production and advertising but also public relations, technology and media. We hope the stories we bring to light resonate and inspire others to engage and act to make positive changes in the world.
Storytelling connects us to our humanity. Storytelling for Change seeks to explore the magic of storytelling by diving deep into the what, why, where and how some people have successfully turned their dreams into reality.
Change is often what happens to us by circumstance or by force by one person or a group of people. Conversely, transformation is what happens to us by passion or the willful intent to lift ourselves closer to our potential whether it be creative, intellectual or spiritual. Change may not last forever as it keeps evolving or devolving, whereas transformation is a dimensional shift. For once we are transformed there is no going back…
Our first story is inspired by our beloved friends Ben and his wife Traci whose lives were abruptly changed in 2012 when Ben was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (PPMS). Identified by steadily worsening neurologic functions without distinct relapses or remissions, PPMS causes a tsunami of hitches, from trouble walking and vision problems to dizziness and paralysis. Since being diagnosed with PPMS, Ben has experienced many of these debilitating ailments and worse including the loss of one his hands over this past winter.
However, this is not a story about hopelessness or letting a diagnosis define you. This is not a story about disease or disability. This is a story about the enduring love that Ben and Traci have for each other and the inspiration and transformation that love can bring. Theirs is a story of turning love into action.
For the past 6 years with incredible courage, grace and humor, Ben and Traci have been committed to raising awareness and money to find a cure for MS. Together, they began Benny’s Muddy Buddies in 2015 and have since raised over $250,000! Today Benny’s Muddy Buddies is the #1 DIY fundraiser for the MS Society of New England (and #3 nationwide). Their goal is to raise a million dollars while continuing to do whatever they can to help find a cure.
Local fundraising events like Benny’s Muddy Buddies are connecting communities to end Multiple Sclerosis forever. These events raise critical funds to support local programs and cutting-edge research. In interviewing Ben and Traci, we discovered that Ben recently attended a national MS Society “big function” in Phoenix, Arizona. Aside from being the 5th largest city in the country, we couldn’t help but note the symbolism involved. A mythological bird that recycles its own life, the Phoenix—upon perceiving its impending death—ignites itself into a magnificent fire. In time, re-emerging from its own ashes – reborn, renewed, and very much alive, she is even more beautiful than before.
Who gets MS?
An estimated 2.3 million people live with MS worldwide. Anyone may develop MS but there are some patterns. Women are at least two to three times more likely than men to develop MS. Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, although an estimated 8,000–10,000 children 2 under the age of 18 also live with MS, and people as old as 75 have developed it.