After spending much of her career behind the scenes, Naomi Bulochnikova-Paul took to the stage Friday night at the Race to Erase MS charity gala.
Bulochnikova-Paul, executive vice president of communications for Disney Entertainment Television, was awarded the Medal of Hope at the event in recognition of her battle with multiple sclerosis. Accepting the award from MS activist and founder of Center Without Walls, Nancy Davis, the executive admitted, "When Nancy first suggested this to me, I was hesitant—not because I didn't want to, but because I was afraid. Would people look at me differently? Would it impact my career? Would my children worry about me?"«
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But, she continued, "I knew my presence here tonight was important, and I decided I wasn't going to let MS define me. I've spent my entire career in communications, I know how to create my own story, and I was going to damn well create my own.".
Bulochnikova-Paul noted that she found herself in a wonderful community after her diagnosis and singled out her colleagues at Disney for their support, which reached all the way to the top. She told those present at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel how Dana Walden, Disney's president and chief creative officer, "came to my first doctor's appointment with a notepad and pen, as if it were the most important meeting of the day. Afterward, she asked me if I wanted to take some time off. I said no, because at that moment, I needed normalcy, and what she said next set me on the path that led me here. She said, 'MS doesn't know what's coming.'".
Walden also helped Bulochnikova-Paul find a doctor, explaining, "Whatever occupied my days before won't change. I'll continue to do my job and do it well. And Dana, thank you for never expecting anything less from me." The communications veteran also expressed gratitude to Disney Entertainment Television Chairman Debra O'Connell, "who is always by my side at all hours of the day—especially during those hours when most people are sleeping," as well as to her husband and three sons.
«"Ultimately, none of us knows what will happen tomorrow," concluded Bulochnikov-Paul. "All we can do is choose how to live. We can live in fear or we can live in power—every day I choose the latter.".
The event raised over $1.8 million for the Race to Erase MS organization and its Center Without Walls program, which unites leading multiple sclerosis research centers to treat and ultimately cure the disease. Jesse Palmer hosted the evening. Also on the program were performances by Ty Dolla $ign, Rachel Platten, Richie Sambora, and professional dancers from the show "Dancing with the Stars"« Alan Bersten and Emma Slater, as well as a fashion show from L'AGENCE.
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