Disney's Bulochnikov-Paul Honored at Race to Erase MS Gala
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- Naomi Bulochnikov-Paul, executive VP of communications for Disney Entertainment Television, was honored at the annual Race to Erase MS gala on Friday at the Fairmont Century Plaza, where she spoke publicly about her MS diagnosis for the first time
- Dana Walden, Disney's president and chief creative officer, attended Bulochnikov-Paul's first doctor's appointment with a notebook and pen, later telling her: "MS doesn't know what's coming for it"
- Race to Erase MS, the nonprofit founded by philanthropist Nancy Davis after her own diagnosis more than 30 years ago, has raised more than $57 million for MS research since its 1994 launch
- Bulochnikov-Paul, a mother of three young sons, told the crowd she refused to let the disease define her: "I sure as hell was going to own mine"
- Multiple sclerosis affects about 1 million Americans, and in its extreme form can severely limit mobility — to which Bulochnikov-Paul's husband responded, "Babe, your family will be your cane"
- Nancy Davis said the 1990s had very little information or medical research on MS, but Bulochnikov-Paul exemplifies how the condition is now manageable for those with strong family and medical support
Why it matters: Bulochnikov-Paul's public disclosure puts a senior Hollywood face on a disease affecting roughly 1 million Americans, and the moment lands with extra weight because her own boss showed up to her first appointment. Race to Erase MS's $57 million raised since 1994 shows sustained donor momentum, while Davis's framing — from being told to "go home and go to bed" decades ago to today's treatment advances — underscores how far MS management has come.
