Video of stars such as 'Twilight's' Billy Burke at National Multiple Sclerosis's Dinner of Champions

September 18, 10:40 PMMultiple Sclerosis ExaminerMike Szymanski

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Billy Burke lends his celebrity to help MS fundraising

Lots of stars showed up at the upbeat Dinner of Champions sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. It's the 35th annual dinner.

Billy Burke of "Twilight" fame talks (about his new movie "New Moon" too), as well as actress Nia Vardalos who has a friend with MS. Marion Wayans talks about how the disease killed one of his heroes, Richard Pryor.

The star-studded show was held on Sept. 16 at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, and has raised $37 million in 16 years.

Other celebs who showed up included Giovanni Ribisi, singer James Blunt, Byron Allen, David Lander (Squiggy from "Laverne & Shirley" who has MS), Jennifer Lucas, Kathryn Bigelow, Rob Friedman, Tom Sherak and many others.

There's also an inspirational story from a man with MS, Scott Johnson, President and Founder of the Saratoga, CA-based Myelin Repair Foundation, who received the Dorothy Corwin Spirit of Life Award.

The Spirit of Life Award, named in memory of longtime NMSS Society-supporter Dorothy Corwin, is given annually to a person with MS who exemplifies her energetic, optimistic and positive spirit, as he/she lives life to the fullest with MS. Named in 2006 as one of Scientific American magazines top 50 worldwide for business, science and policy leadership, Johnson is the president and founder of the Myelin Repair Foundation (MRF). He created the MRF in 2002 with the belief that patients living with MS and other debilitating diseases should not have to wait for new treatments. His goal was to develop and demonstrate a model for medical research that would accelerate the entire process of drug discovery from basic research to the delivery of patient treatments, and already the MRF is seeing successes and productivity. Johnson, was diagnosed with MS in 1976 at the age of 20.

Scott Johnson has done an outstanding job of drawing attention to the need for more research aimed at repairing the nervous system and restoring function for people with MS, said John R. Richert, MD, head of the National MS Societys research program. Having activists like Scott as part of the MS movement is really helping to speed us towards a world that is free of multiple sclerosis.

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