My MS Family

Peter Busciglio founded My MS Family to advocate for and support people with MS. Now the organization is making a major contribution to West Park.

In 2005, Peter Busciglio was running a successful business and father to two young sons. When he started noticing a few odd symptoms, he put it down to his rigorous training in martial arts. Then one morning he found that he couldn’t feel his legs.

His doctor ordered some tests, including an MRI, and then told him that he had multiple sclerosis. MS is a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect vision, memory, balance and mobility. “It was a huge shock,” Busciglio says. “My life changed immediately. I asked, ‘what do I do now?’” His neurologist advised him to get involved, helping himself by helping others.

He took that advice to heart, working with the MS Society and then founding My MS Family to support people living with MS in York Region.

My MS Family raises money through events such as car shows and golf tournaments. It uses the funds to alleviate the financial and emotional burdens of members, all of whom live with MS.

That includes help with purchasing mobility devices and other equipment, housekeeping and transportation. It also raises awareness of MS, supports selected rehab centres and advocates for accessibility measures.

“I call MS an inconvenience: the real disability is ignorance,” says Busciglio.

Despite undergoing quadruple cardiac bypass surgery in 2014 and dealing with ongoing respiratory challenges, Busciglio spends many hours working with the organization, which is 100% volunteer-run. “When you see a person go from tears to smiles, it brightens your day,” he explains. “When you pay the bills for someone going through financial hardship, you see the tension release from their face.”

Busciglio first heard about West Park from a respirologist who had trained there. He underwent two sleep studies at the hospital and was especially impressed by the natural environment surrounding West Park, and the hospital’s approach to treating patients and their families.

Several My MS Family members are treated through West Park’s renowned Spasticity Management Clinic. West Park is a leader in the identification and treatment of spasticity, a symptom of stroke, spinal cord injury, and illnesses including cerebral palsy and MS. The new building will have a larger clinic so more people can benefit from West Park’s expertise, and expanded research facilities that will help advance the treatment of this painful condition.

My MS Family has made a $50,000 donation to support the Get Your Life Back Campaign, as
well as spasticity research related to MS and the equipment costs for patients living with MS. In recognition, the Activity Room on the sixth floor of the new hospital will be named for My MS Family. For more information about My MS Family, please visit www.mymsfamily.org.

As the disease becomes more debilitating, West Park provides services to MS patients through our Complex Continuing Care unit.

This story originally appeared in the 2023 Report to Donors. Click here to read the full report.