Well, actually, I have quite a few photographs of family, friends, strangers, co-workers, and even Elvis, wearing my KEEP CALM and HALT MS t-shirts (limited quanitities still available).  What started out as a way to raise funds for my trip to Moscow, has spiraled into a global challenge to see and be seen in an effort to raise awareness about stem cell transplants for MS.   These t-shirts have traveled from sea to shining sea, from island to island and mountaintop to valley (check out the Photo Gallery).  As I’ve mentioned before, you won’t be seeing any billboards, commercials, or brochures at your doctor’s office for this treatment any time soon.  It’s not a new procedure worldwide, but it is newer in the U.S. for MS, and there are doctors in the U.S. out there making all of the right moves to have it FDA-approved.  It will happen…in about 10 years.  With a little help from all of you, maybe it could be sooner.

If you think that word of mouth isn’t powerful, all you’d have to do is use the example of a Facebook stem cell transplant forum that I joined last fall that had a little over 200 members.  Now, it has over 600 and is climbing, daily.  Why?  Word of mouth is why.  Remember that old shampoo commerical that says “They tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and so on, and so on…”?  It’s as simple as that.   I’ve come to find that so many people know someone with MS or someone whose life has been touched by someone with MS.  Please, tell them about this treatment.   Please, send them to this blog.   I have made it my mission to tell as many people as I can about this opportunity that can forever change the lives of so many MS patients, who, like me, thought they had run out of treatment options and had nothing left to look forward to but an uncertain future.  No stress there, right?

Interestingly enough, when a few of my friends recently took a trip to Las Vegas (pics in the Photo Gallery), they decided to showcase my Keep Calm t-shirts all night.  They said that both entertainers and passersbys were truly interested in knowing all about HSCT (Hematapoietic Stem Cell Transplant) for MS.  Elvis was all over it!!!

To all of you out there, big mouth or small, please help me spread the word.  As is evidenced in my Photo Gallery, spreading the word can actually be a lot of fun.  To those of you who have already purchased one of my tees, but haven’t sent me a pic yet, I challenge you to get crazy with it.  I’m leaving for Moscow in less than 3 weeks.  I need you to keep the buzz going while I’m there.  All I need is a photograph…