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The Connecticut-Rhode Island Chapter works to improve the quality of life for people affected by MS in Connecticut and Rhode Island raise funds for critical MS research. Join the movement toward a world free of MS.

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South Glastonbury Woman Hopes to Leave MS in Stitches

October 27, 2011

SOUTH GLASTONBURY, Conn. – South Glastonbury resident Victoria Binggeli is aware her work is not of the norm. She creates hand-knit scarves, gloves and a full line of what she calls “unusual knits,” for her business, Sophisticated Stitches. Binggeli thrives on uniting her passion for knitting into a business opportunity, but she had no idea it would lead to a chance to sell her product for a cause dear to her heart.

Binggeli volunteers every Monday at the cancer center at the St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, serving lunch to the patients going through chemotherapy, which lead to the opportunity to set up a booth for Sophisticated Stiches at Mt. Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital in Hartford and sell her one-of-a-kind knits. One such Monday, she noticed that the nametags of a few employees surveying her booth read “National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter.” After some small talk Binggeli revealed to one employee that her father has MS. A few minutes later she was asked to be a merchant for the first ever boutique shopping at the upcoming Greater Hartford NBC Connecticut Women Against MS Luncheon Nov. 4 at the Marriott Hartford Downtown in Hartford. She immediately cleared her schedule and signed on.

“I love the cause, it certainly hits close to home for me and WAMS sounds like a fantastic event,” said Binggeli, a California native who has lived in South Glastonbury with her husband Tony for the past six years. “It’s a great opportunity for my business. I would love to see people with MS wearing my apparel.”

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South Glastonbury resident Victoria Binggeli models one of her hand-knit originals which she will be selling at the Greater Hartford NBC Connecticut Women Against MS Luncheon Nov. 4 at the Hartford Marriott Downtown in Hartford. For the first time ever, the event will feature exclusive boutique shopping from 10 a.m. to noon, with local merchants such as Binggeli's Sophisticated Stitches. For more information on the WAMS luncheon, please contact Elizabeth Sulick at 860-913-2550 ext. 52524, or email her at elizabeth.sulick@nmss.org. 

The Women Against MS Luncheon is an event in which women to come together to demonstrate their support to a friend or family member who is affected by multiple sclerosis. According to statistics, three times as many women are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis as are men. As a result, women across the nation now come together annually, state by state and chapter by chapter, to learn, through inspirational personal accounts, about the devastating effects and the latest advancements in care. These same women, dedicated to joining the fight against MS, raise critically-needed funds to ensure continued scientific research to find a cure. 

For the first time ever, the event will feature an exclusive boutique shopping from 10 a.m. to noon. Guests will have the opportunity to shop among local merchants, like Binggeli, who will display clothing, jewelry and much more. Binggeli’s hand-knit products include hats, scarves, gloves, shrugs, and more all made with yarn from Europe and beyond and embellished with velvet roses and hand needle felted flowers.

Binggeli’s father worked in the Naval Investigative Service for more than 20 years before he retired at age 50 and moved into the family’s cabin in Minnesota. After retirement, he began struggling with gait and tunnel vision, and now at age 77, he is barely walking, although according to Binggeli, incredibly determined to stay upright.

“It’s so hard to watch because he lives on the other side of the country,” said Binggeli, who mentioned her father also battled bladder cancer. “I only get to visit once every six to eight months and it gets harder and harder every time. But it’s remarkable what he’s been through and how he just keeps going He still walks and drives so he maintains some level of freedom. It’s important for him to have a healthy lifestyle.”

More than 6,000 Connecticut residents live with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system. Symptoms can include, among other things, numbness and tingling in the extremities, difficulties with vision and speech, stiffness in the limbs, and in extreme cases, complete paralysis. There currently is no cure for multiple sclerosis.

For more information on Binggeli’s one-of-a-kind knits, please visit www.stitchesbyvictoria.com.

The Greater Hartford NBC Connecticut Women Against MS Luncheon will be held Friday, Nov. 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Marriott Hartford Downtown in Hartford. For the first time ever, the event will feature an exclusive boutique shopping from 10 a.m. to noon.

At noon guests will move on to the lunch and program portion of the event, which features keynote speaker Maureen Manley former U.S. Cycling Team National Champion. Manley will share how the sudden onset of multiple sclerosis changed her focus in life and started her on a new journey. NBC Connecticut anchor Lisa Carberg will return to serve as mistress of ceremonies. Community partners include NBC Connecticut and Clear Channel and The River 105.9.

To register or become a table captain, please visit www.ctfightsMS.org. For more information on the WAMS luncheon, please contact Elizabeth Sulick at 860-913-2550 ext. 52524, or email her at elizabeth.sulick@nmss.org.

10/27/11 

About the Connecticut-Rhode Island Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society

The Connecticut Chapter strives to provide knowledge and assistance to help people with MS and their families maintain the highest possible quality of life. These goals are achieved through vital national and local programs.

About Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are leading to better understanding and moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 2.3 million people worldwide.

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