The Beginning Of It All

Left to Right: President- Brandon Sweeney, VP- Brittny Tobey, Treasurer- Lisa Sweeney

​"MS is BS” is a name I adopted 6 years ago while walking in the Walk MS: Newburyport Walk 2010. I participated in the walk each year thereafter and was able to make a greater impact as the years rolled by. Back then, “MS is BS” was just a catchy name. After some reflection, however, this name began to carry much more of a meaning to myself and those I share my story with. 

Many of my friends and family suffer with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). My grandmother, Rose Sweeney, has "progressed" from using her walker to being wheelchair bound all in a matter of a few years. I have watched as the many symptoms of Remit & Relapse MS appeared in my father, John Sweeney. In addition, my uncle, Gary Sweeney was just recently diagnosed 3 years ago with Progressive MS. Making a difference in my family members’ lives and the entire MS community became increasingly important, which lead to the creation of “MS is BS Dracut Inc.” After I shared my story and my idea with a couple of friends, they began to take on influential roles in the growth of our organization. 

At the beginning, we were merely looking to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) a non-profit that we all know and love. Our initial goal of $4000 was far exceeded and we donated a total of $6000 to the NMSS after our inaugural event on October 3rd, 2015. After the great accomplishment was felt by our committee members, we knew we had to get together for years to come and share our dedication to finding a cure for this horrific disease. 

When we look back, we could never have imagined our name being associated with a fundraiser of this scale. Now, a little over a year later, we hold our heads high as we are now a recognized non-profit organization. Our motto here at MS is BS Dracut Inc. is “Don’t limit your challenges, challenge your limits.", which are words our committee attempts to live by each and every day. We challenge all of you to adopt these words and live by them! For more information please check out our website at MSisBSDracut.com or visit us on Facebook @MSisBSDracut.