1. Linda Storey: Bending as the Willow

"Highly Recommended. Linda Storey gives a voice to millions of Americans who live with disabilities. She does this through her powerful music and her commitment to advocacy." -National MS Society Linda Storey's life is quite a story. When she was 20 years old in 1975, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). At first the singer/songwriter tried to put the disease behind her; then came the cane, then a wheelchair, then she couldn't use her hands and ultimately lost the ability to play the guitar. "That's when the darkness came. It's a scary thing, you almost lose it," says Storey. For a while she gave up her musical career, got married and had children, then in the late 1990s she decided, "When you lose control of your body, you shouldn't lose control of your life. No matter what happens, your life is still important," and with the support of family and friends she got back into recording, releasing several CDs, including her latest, "Don't Let It Stop You," with her band, "Alleluia Blues," which also features her daughter, Jessica. She organized an advocacy group, "MAMS," Musicians Against MS, which donates portions of CDs and concerts sales to the National MS Society; she is involved as a volunteer, speaker and performer with a number of Society chapters; she promotes MS Walks; and, to acknowledge her efforts, the Society honored her with the Advocacy Volunteer of the Year award in 2004. Determined to fight MS, she gives a voice to millions of people who live with disabilities. 08DR JSCA 30 min.

2. Vasile Stoica: No Distance Far Enough

Vasile Stoica will attempt to break a Guinness Book world wheelchair distance record. If he succeeds, it won't be the first time he's broken a record. In 1999 Vasile became the first Romanian to travel around the world by manual wheelchair, following a number of record-breaking European tours and 8 consecutive years as a wheelchair marathon champion in his country. These feats are impressive for anyone, but given Vasile's childhood of growing up in an ill-equipped communist institution without the use of a wheelchair until he was 14, they are truly impressive. His story is testament that anybody can realize a dream, no matter how long or arduous the journey. 08DR SCA 30 min.

3. James Putney: Vastness of Being

Growing up as a little person and suffering twelve painful operations and lengthy hospital stays left James Putney feeling lonely and isolated from the world; little could he have imagined that he would end up working in the very environment he once despised. Today he works as a chaplain, bringing solace to cancer patients at the UCLA Medical Center. He is also happily married to Lin Morel, a motivational speaker and former national champion in karate. This program shows how James went from being a distraught little boy in a hospital bed to a man who brings spiritual healing to others; also we discover how he overcame feelings of isolation to discover that he is not separate from the world, but a distinct and important part of its vastness. 08DR/CL JSCA 30 min.

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